Let's rewind three and a half years...I attended a Silver Ring Thing event on November 15, 2008 where I put on a ring and made the commitment to wait, to save myself for my future husband, to remain abstinent until the day that ring is replaced by a wedding band, and, until that day comes, to live by 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4, "It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable."
Now fast forward to 2010...towards the end of my senior year, on a campus tour at Geneva College, I met another prospective student who would soon become one of my best friends. Savannah and I hit it off immediately and discussed maybe being roommates. However, she told me that she had applied for the SRT National Tour Team, and if she was accepted, she would be taking a year off of school and would not be attending Geneva in the Fall. Not long after, Savannah found out she was accepted.
We kept in touch through out the rest of high school and through my Freshman year at Geneva while she was on the road. I attended many shows in that time frame when the team was close by, both to see Savannah and to help out with set-up and tear-down while I was there. It was at one of those shows that she asked me if I'd ever considered applying for tour myself. Up to that point I really hadn't. I just enjoyed helping while I spent time with my friend and got to know the team. However, once she'd suggested it...my wheels started turning. I loved everything about the ministry. From the experience I'd gained so far, I'd gotten used to how things worked and how the show was run, from start to finish. Through Savannah, I'd been exposed to some of the behind-the-scenes aspects that gave me an idea of what life on the road is really like.
I spent about a month really praying hard about it as I gradually filled out the application. Despite my dear friend's impatience (she would have loved for me to have the paperwork in the mail the day after that show), I took my time. I didn't want to rush this kind of decision. I mean, think about it - simply signing my name and putting a stamp on that manila envelope could change everything for me. Was I really ready to withdraw from college after only a year, live on a bus with a bunch of strangers, travel the country for 10 months, spend every day in a different city, and all the while not be able to hop in my car and commute 2 hours back home to see my family at the drop of a hat? This was big. But the longer I mulled it over, and the more encouragement I got from great friends, my wonderful mentor, and my amazingly supportive mother...I finally decided in November to send in the application.
Fast forward once more...it's now June, 7 months since I applied and 3 months since I had an interview. Let's be honest here - at this point, I'm going CRAZY. The longer I waited to hear whether or not I was accepted, the stronger my desire grew to join the team. I knew if it was God's will, it would happen. But you try convincing yourself of that after not hearing a peep about it for that long! Looking back now, I realize that the whole waiting game was just God's way of testing my sanity and teaching me a much needed lesson in patience. Finally I let go of my own desire to map out my life (or least the next year of it) and relinquished the control that I was so tightly holding to (driving myself crazy). It was then that God gave me this inexplicable peace, followed by that wonderful phone call inviting me to be a part of the 2012-2013 National Tour Team.
And so...my life changes in August. Instead of heading back to Geneva for the fall semester, I will be traveling to Pittsburgh August 6 where I'll meet the other 11 members of the team. We'll train together for a week, then hit the road to spread the message of purity, share God's love, and be a light in cities and towns all over the country. I am so incredibly excited for this next chapter of my life, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me and for my new "family." So if the title of this blog I've started still has you a little stumped, and you find yourself asking, "To where, exactly?" I can't give you a straight answer to that. God put me on this crazy train, strapped me in, and now I'm just along for the ride, asking Him each day, "Where to next?" He's prepared me for this journey, and I'm ready to travel "there," wherever that may be, "and back again."
The ministry: http://www.silverringthing.com/
My bio: http://srttourteam.wordpress.com/chelsea-bio/
Meet the fam! http://srttourteam.wordpress.com/tour-team-bios-landing/
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