What are you doing this summer?

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The Journey of a Student Missionary

Students & Parents,

Just like what college you'll attend after high school graduation, it's never too soon to start thinking about how God will use you to reach the world for Christ this summer, three years from now and even after college!

Former Atlanta resident Meredith Day served throughout high school and college in a number of summer missions endeavors. Now, shortly after graduating from college, she finds herself in New York City assisting with the work God is doing there through New Hope, New York.

High School students can serve in the summer as Soujourners. After high school college students serve as summer missionaries, Innovators or semester missionaries.

Each year, college graduates following God's leadership pursue the opportunity to serve as a US/C2 missionary through the North American Mission Board.

Meredith is now at the mid-point of her two-year term of service in New York City, NY. Here, Meredith shares the journey of her first year on the mission field. --Tim

Meredith Day . . . in her own words:

I'm writing this from Passion '06 in Nashville, Tennessee, a gathering of 18,000 students from around the country and the world who want to live their lives for God's name and His glory. I'm here as part of my job; in fact, this week marks one full year of serving as a US/C2 missionary in New York City. It's kind of perfect that I'm here now, talking to people about how I got to the city and what God is doing. Talking to other people my age who are in search of what God has for them next has given me lots of opportunity to reflect on where I was a year ago, and where I am now, after a year of becoming and (kind of) being a New Yorker.

It took about 20 minutes for me to fall in love with the city, which I knew would happen. After all, what's not to love? It has an energy like no other place I've ever been; you can understand why so many people think of it as the center of the world. And for a city that contains 22 million people within a 75-mile radius, it's really beautiful. The stereotypes that I've grown up with about New York City-that it's dirty and that its people are less than friendly-haven't rung true for me. In fact, living in New York feels like being in a special club with 22 million people from 22 million different backgrounds, most of whom have come to pursue something bigger than what they could find at home. It feels like everyone is constantly looking for something else, whether it's a bigger apartment, better job, or faster way to get where they're going. Most of all, people seem to be looking for something to connect to, something to be part of.

All my life, I've heard people talk about having a heart for a specific place or people group-a desire that God would be glorified in that place and that people there would come to know Him. My prayer has always been that He would lead me to that place, and that He would show me how to love people there. Eventually, after my head stopped spinning from the pace of the city, God began to open my eyes to the potential for His renown in New York City. He is working in so many ways, drawing people to Himself and giving believers fresh, creative approaches of expressing who He is in their lives. He is developing in me and in many others a deep love for the city and its people. It's a supernatural thing, to love people in a way that motivates us to share Jesus with them, and He is putting that desire into so many hearts in New York.

He's at work in a mighty way, and He's teaching me that I have to view my time in New York as an invitation to join in His work, not pursue my own ministry agenda. It would be very easy to try to chart my own path; there's so much good stuff to be involved in. But He's showing me that my purpose is specific, and He is daily blessing me by aligning my purpose with the passions He's given me. I work with New Hope New York, which is part of the North American Mission Board's Strategic Focus Cities initiative. My job is to work on our Mobilization/Communication team, using writing and photography to share the story of ministry in New York and encourage people in the metro area and around the country to be involved in God's plan in the city.

Part of me has always limited God when it comes to what He would call me to do. I never imagined that He could give me something to do that would be so perfectly aligned with what I've always dreamed of doing. It makes sense when you think about it: of course the God who created us knows exactly where we should be and how we fit into the big picture. Of course He has carved out a place for us, and that's been the most important lesson for me throughout the past year. My time in New York has shown me how God loves other people and how He is drawing them to Himself. But He has also reminded me of how perfectly He loves me and knows me. I am thankful that He calls us as believers to do the specific things that He has equipped us to do, and that He invites us to be part of increasing His fame!

Meredith is from Atlanta, Ga., and serves as the Strategic Focus Cities Communications Associate in New York City. Meredith's responsibilities include research and writing stories about ministry in Metropolitan New York, maintaining the New Hope New York Web site, producing New Hope New York's newsletter, maintaining The PowerPack e-newsletter and www.PrayNewYork.com web site, and managing evangelism projects.