Today marks exactly one week until I pack up my life in the United States and make Africa my home. What an exciting time to be alive!

I’ve been wanting to sit down and write about this new journey into full-time missions for the past three months. And if I’m being honest, as thrilling as this next step is, it’s been a real struggle to quiet my scattered thoughts long enough to put words on a page.

There’s so much joyful anticipation—and also a fair share of anxious unknowns. I’m nervous and ready all at once.

For those of you who’ve been following my missions journey, you know how deeply Mozambique has captured my heart, and how full of faith my “yes” is in this season. I feel like I’m finally stepping into a dream the Lord gave me two years ago—a dream that, at times, felt like it was being painfully ripped from my hands again and again.

It’s been a process of surrender, of being stripped down and reshaped—a de-layering of myself. The truth is, it has been a messy, stretching season of maturing in Jesus that has brought me to this point. And now, I find myself in awe that I actually get to devote my life to full-time missions.

God didn’t just send me to Mozambique two years ago to ignite a calling. He brought me there to begin maturing it. More than that, He brought me there to deepen my love for Him and His children. I truly came alive there. In the years that followed, He walked me through seasons of preparation—seasons like the one I’m in now. He began teaching me what real trust looks like. Not just me trusting Him—but Him trusting me. Trusting me to carry the dream of missions with open hands. To nurture it, yes—but also to be willing to lay it down.

Needless to say, I’m not as good at trusting Him as I thought I was.

There’s a quote by Corrie ten Boom that I heard years ago and have found myself returning to often lately:

“I have learned to hold all things loosely, so that God will not have to pry them out of my hands.”

There were moments I had to lay this dream on the altar, like Abraham with Isaac—times I truly believed it might die there. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been confused or even angry with the Lord. Why would He give me something I never asked for, only to ask me to let it go?

But that was His intention all along. It was never just about the mission field. It was about Him.

As beautiful and important as the dream is, it can never take the place of the One who authored it. And that’s where God met me most deeply—in the surrender. He needed to grow me, refine my character, and teach me to follow His timing, not my own. He had to strip away even the things He once gave me a glimpse of, so I could see Him more clearly.

I often say that Jesus Himself is the ultimate dream—and it’s true. In Him we live, move, and have our being. In Him is the purpose for living. Everything else is secondary.

Now, as I prepare to return—not just for a visit, but to live, to serve, to be—I carry a deeper confidence. Not in myself, but in the One who has authored this journey. Mozambique is more than a destination. It’s become a safe haven, a home, a space where I know I’m walking in the will of God. I’m going with an assignment from heaven—until He releases me. And I’m ready!

I know God is with me, even as I walk blindly into the unknown. He has taken me by the hand and is leading me—guiding my every step. I’m choosing to yield myself fully into His careful hands. I’m reminding my spirit that I was made for a life like this. I was created to live a life of trusting Him even without understanding.

Right now, I’m gathering people—churches, businesses, friends, and monthly sponsors—to partner with me in this journey.

If you feel the Lord stirring your heart to run with me—whether financially, prayerfully, or both—then let’s lace up our running shoes and begin this race together.

Wherever you are and whatever season you’re in, the Great Commission is not a suggestion—it’s our shared calling. Let’s pursue Jesus with everything we have and carry His love to the ends of the earth.

May we never tire of offering our lives and dreams back to Him, no matter how many times it takes.

https://my.farflungtincan.com/jayliene