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The Lord showed up in the most unexpected ways. The first was through my grandfather, Donald Erb. While I was young and didn’t know Jesus personally, my grandpa did, and he poured His love over everyone around him. I would sit on his lap in his office, and while I was probably goofing off, my grandpa would pray. For me, for himself, for our family, for people he had met once—it didn’t matter. He prayed for everyone. Looking back, I think that little office was one of the first places where God began showing up in my life.

My grandfather unexpectedly passed away when I was little. In a season marked by grief and confusion, God continued to show up, but quietly. Looking back, I laugh because I think He knew that if He chased me down, I would have run full speed in the opposite direction. So instead, He sprinkled His love throughout my life in small ways—through friends, family, sunsets, the sky full of stars and the moon, elephants (yes, elephants), and most importantly, by sparking in me a fascination with Africa. The people. The culture. The children. I wanted to know everything.

As I grew, so did that desire, along with a quiet voice reminding me of the importance of Jesus and encouraging me to never stop being obsessed with Africa. High school was where things changed. I went from knowing about God to experiencing Him. A friend invited me to church, and although I was hesitant, God showed up. Sitting in a church pew, I knew that I belonged to Him. I knew He had created me to serve. And I knew that the dream He had placed in my heart as a child, to serve in Africa, wasn’t just some random idea.

Amazing, right? Also very terrifying.

There is something slightly alarming about being sixteen years old and being absolutely certain that Africa is where you’re supposed to be. Before that, telling people I wanted to serve in Africa felt like a fine answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” After that moment, it became real. It wasn’t something I wanted to do someday. It was something I couldn’t imagine not doing if God was calling me to it.

So naturally, I thought, “Great! Straight to Africa!”

Oh boy, was I wrong.

This is where I thought I had lost the plot. Where everything went sideways. In reality, God was just preparing my heart. Confused as to why I wasn’t boarding a plane immediately, I started college and earned my degree in social work. I worked supporting refugees resettling in America, with at-risk youth, and poured my heart into foster and adoptive families and the children they welcomed into their homes. Then God called me into higher education, and gosh, was that a whirlwind. Not a day went by without me wondering what He was doing. I wanted to go to Africa. I was ready. I had a plan. But apparently, God had His own…how rude. 

He kept saying, “Wait.” And while I was waiting, He was preparing.

He brought incredible people into my life—people who believed in the calling God had given me. People who didn’t question it. People who simply said, “Run toward it.” Through every season, God was building something deeper than experience. He was growing my faith. Teaching me to love unconditionally. Strengthening my confidence in Him and in the calling He had placed on my life. Teaching me how to be still and trust Him to lead.

Throughout all of this, orphan care continued to appear at the forefront. In 2015, I went on my first mission trip to Bolivia, where I had the opportunity to help build a church and love children in local schools. For the first time, I realized that the world was bigger than I could have ever imagined and it was important for me to share God’s heart. Then in 2018, I spent a month serving at an orphanage in Guatemala. That month changed me. I saw the beauty and complexity of caring for children. I met people who shared the same passions I had. For the first time, I could picture what my future might actually look like.

And still… God said wait.

Fast forward to 2024. Working in higher education, receiving a promotion, stepping into larger leadership opportunities. Outwardly, life looked great. Internally? I was asking God the same question every single day – “Am I staying here? Or are we finally doing the Africa thing?” 

Then in October 2024, during a work trip to Baltimore, I sat overlooking the Chesapeake Bay and asked God the same question yet again. And He said, “Go now.”

To which my head and heart responded with something along the lines of: “Yikes. Excuse me? Go now? Are you sure? Am I ready?” I felt every emotion imaginable. Fear. Excitement. Anxiety. Relief. But sitting there, I remember saying out loud, “I will go where You call me.” And peace fell over me. It was as if God was saying, “You don’t have to have every answer. You just have to trust Me.”

So I returned home and began searching for organizations. I wanted somewhere that would pour into me, become family, and help build a foundation for a lifetime in orphan care. I took meetings, sought advice, and explored every option I could find. For months, nothing felt right. Eventually, I stopped searching. 

By May 2025, I was preparing for my first solo trip to Thailand. Somewhere between temples, islands, and amazing food, God met me in unexpected ways. He reminded me that all He required was trust and a tiny bit of faith. So on the edge of a beach on a random island in Thailand, I prayed one simple prayer for the Lord to show me the organization I should partner with. And He answered. Shocking, I know, right? 

The day I returned home, exhausted and jet-lagged, I was lying in bed scrolling TikTok when a video from Oak Life popped up. A video from 2023. Sharing four reasons to partner with them. When I tell you I panicked and shut my phone off immediately, I mean immediately. Apparently, sometimes we pray for answers and then act shocked when God gives them to us. 

So, after regaining my composure—and remembering that God had, in fact, been invited into this process—I went back, did my research, and scheduled a meeting with the team at Oak Life. And it was obvious. Oak Life was where I was supposed to be. After two meetings, an overwhelming sense of peace, and a desire to learn and serve, I committed to spending four months with Oak Life in Mexico.

And there was no looking back now. So, I packed up my life in Ohio, moved it all to my parents’ house in Pennsylvania, and jumped on a plane the next day.

What happened next? Well, that deserves its own headline. 

Enjoy your next read: “Jessie’s Journey Part 2: Life at Oak Life”