Hello! My name is Jacob LeRoy. I believe that the Lord has a path for every being on this Earth, that eventually ends with him in eternity! From the day I was born, I was raised in a supportive, Christian household, with two happy parents, and eventually ending up with two younger brothers. Having been raised in the Lord’s house, I believe that all of us should strive to go to all corners of the earth and spread his word. In the summer of 2019, I was blessed with an opportunity to go on a mission trip to Mazatlán, Mexico for 10 days to work in local feeding centers and help lead a kid’s soccer camp. It would be cliche to say that it changed my views on the world, which is why I say that my heart broke to see such poverty among others. To see the happiness on those kids’ faces when they had so little, made me realize that I didn’t need much to be happy either. Since that trip, a desire in my heart has been growing to serve the Lord more further across the globe. I feel very blessed that I am able to go and serve the Lord in South Africa and Eswatini this coming January through April, and I hope many others can see how God is working through me on this trip! Follow along my blog page as I embark on this journey with the Lord in January!
A 22 year old from Bremerton, Washington… That’s me! But that’s about all I am certain about myself right now. I have felt a bit lost in life for the past year and I believe that God is guiding me back home in open arms like he did with the prodigal son.
My story of becoming the prodigal son, leading up to when I ran away:
In the fall of 2019, I was very blessed with the opportunity to attend a 4-year university, right in the middle of my home state, Central Washington University. I had begun to feel lost as soon as God threw the curveball of 2020 at the world. For the first time in my life, I was angered at the Lord. I had felt like he took everything away from me that he had just very recently blessed me with. One minute, I was on my own without my parents giving me direction, then I felt like I was back where I started as I sat in my childhood bedroom less than a year later. I had a hard time seeing that God didn’t take away my blessing of obtaining a full, higher education. The Lord had taken something away in order for me to see the true purpose and the way that he was moving in my life. I guess, oddly enough that I didn’t truly realize his purpose until I started writing this. However, I was still angered at the lord for two years too long.
My story of becoming the prodigal son, running away:
Throughout the Pandemic, I was doing online school through my university. I had decided to declare my major in Filmmaking, which is where I decided to turn my head away from the Lord and put my trust in the wrong crowd. I befriended people who put their trust in addictive partying and actively away from the Lord. Eventually, when they decided to stop talking to, and being friends with me, I had never felt so alone in my life. It was then that I realized that I was putting too much trust in others who don’t trust in the Lord, and not enough trust in God.
I got very lost this past year by putting my trust in the wrong crowd thinking they would be a solution to all of my problems. I ended up trying things I shouldn’t have, and wound up lost because my gaze was not fixed on the Lord.
My story of becoming the prodigal son, running back to the lord:
The moment that I had lost my core friend group at my university was the moment that I had begun my spiral. I let myself sink into a depression and started skipping a mass of my classes, causing my grades to suffer greatly. Weeks later, I would find out that had to move back home near Seattle because my GPA was under the minimum for my university. I truly felt like I had hit rock bottom, having to move home with my parents. I tried continuing my education in film immediately after returning home at my local community college for the remaining academic quarter, but I was still in a deep depression processing the gravity of what had just happened. My parents were growing more and more concerned for me as my grades were still tanking at my community college. Finally, my aunt Hannah stepped into the picture, suggesting that I go on a mission trip and attempt to collect myself, walking with the Lord. My aunt Hannah works on the board for a missionary foundation, so I trusted her with her suggestion. For a few weeks, I considered my options of returning to school in the fall, or taking a gap year, preparing for a mission trip in the start of the new year. It was very clear, the path that the Lord had laid out for me to walk upon. I thought back to how the Lord had changed me on my mission trip to Mazatlán, Mexico in 2019 and felt a very strong desire in my heart to go on another mission trip. This time, I felt that I needed to challenge myself a lot more and take the longer road, that being 4 months instead of 10 days. I was looking for a big reset button in my life and I know that the Lord would provide that in full if I fixed my gaze upon him. After thinking about it for a week, I eagerly applied to World Race for the 4-month South Africa and Eswatini trip and was very blessed to have been accepted.
Having known the story of the Prodigal Son from the Bible, I knew that once I came running back to the Lord, I would be accepted in open arms without question.
I would be extremely grateful if others would follow along my progress of this trip, as it means a lot to me for others to see how the Lord is working through me to bless others at another end of the globe from myself.
Jacob, thank you for sharing your struggles, and I’m so happy for you that you have this opportunity to go on this mission trip. I had a similar experience to your’s. Twenty some years ago I was having a very difficult time and I got angry at the Lord. I turned away from Him for a time, but when I turned back to Him, He was right there waiting for me with open arms. I pray this will be a life changing experience for you, and I’m sure it will be! God bless you!