Living in North Africa as a missionary, Rebekah has taught English at a nearby preschool for the past year and a half. Growing up in upstate New York, her favorite subject has always been English. Her hobbies include writing poetry and anything art-related. Before beginning her mission trip to Africa, she attended Belhaven University and majored in intercultural studies while also earning a double minor in teaching creative writing and English as a second language. For a total of five years, she took various classes at TPS, graduating in 2017.
What are the keywords that would sum up your TPS experience?
Rebekah: TPS was one of the highlights of my entire high school experience. I met some of my best friends through TPS, and the trip to China with TPS was so memorable. I think I would sum it up by saying the relationships that I built through TPS are lifelong and that my teachers really helped shape and equipped me for my calling. Through this experience, my teachers showed me so much about who God wants me to be and what He wants me to do.
What are some college experiences that really influenced you?
Rebekah: I got to live with one of my best friends–that was awesome especially because up until that point most of my friends were online. Getting to have a friend in college that I could live with and do in-person things with was really special. My professors were incredible. So many of my memories were just sitting in my professor’s office talking about life, classes, God, and everything. They really helped guide me, and my global studies professor is one of the major reasons why I am working overseas now.
If you had another chance, would you still go back and change something during your high school or college experience?
Rebekah: I definitely have regrets about the things that I did, but I think everyone does. Seeing what I’ve learned through my mistakes and seeing God use hard things makes it challenging to say that I would go back to change it. I have no idea who I would be if my past was different, so I don’t know.
Why did you decide to work overseas and live in different places, experiencing different types of cultures?
Rebekah: I went on a trip with TPS when I had just graduated high school, about to start college. The TPS China trip really helped me to see that living overseas was what I wanted to be doing. I’ve thought about living overseas before then, but back then I wasn’t sure what it would look like. I went on the trip with TPS and did some English camps in Chengdu, and it was really eye-opening for me, realizing that life overseas connects all everything I want to do.
What is something that motivated you to continuously write and fueled your love for English?
Rebekah: Yes, I think there are a couple of reasons. The reason why I love English is because stories are so important to me. I grew up reading and just feeling so immersed in my stories, and they helped me engage with the world around me. I read Lord of the Rings when I was eleven, and that helped shape my worldview and built my understanding about light in the darkness, fighting for the truth, and good prevailing despite everything. In terms of writing, it’s how I process my emotions and life. I cannot imagine myself not writing; if I couldn’t write, I would not be able to process things the way that I do. I’ve also seen my work encourage other people, which has been such a gift and blessing to make something and watch God use it. So that also fuels me to keep writing and creating, sharing it with others.
Do you ever experience the fear of trying new things and adjusting to a completely new culture?
Rebekah: The short answer is yes. Graduating college and moving here was a giant step, and it was scary. I was going to a country I had never been to before, immersed in a culture that I wasn’t familiar with. I’ve never been to North Africa, and there were a lot of times when I felt like I can’t do this, or I’m not equipped to do this, and I still feel like a kid. But though moving here, one thing that I’ve learned is that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. We are not called to be equipped or capable because His grace comes out of our weakest points.
When you moved to North Africa, you had to leave a lot of things and start somewhere completely new to you. How did you feel about giving up such things for an unknown future?
Rebekah: It was really hard to say goodbye to the friend I made at college and to live so far away from my family and to adjust to a completely new culture with very different things. I think some of the emotions were just a lot of processing that loss and grieving the things that I missed and just trying to adjust to a very new “normal.” However, I knew without a doubt that this was where God wanted me to be, and that made the difficult times worth it because there were definitely seasons that were really hard when I wasn’t sure about whether this was what I was supposed to do. I was also able to build really sweet relationships with people here, and they helped a lot when I was missing people at home.
What are your plans for the future?
Rebekah: Right now, I am in a space of trying to figure out what my next steps are. I would definitely be open to staying in North Africa a bit longer because I do love it here. I want to stay overseas somewhere; I don’t see myself living long-term in the States again. I’m still trying to see where God wants me to go next. I want to go to Bible school at some point and get a master’s degree. I don’t have anything concrete figured out yet, but I’m trying to.
Photo Credit: Rebekah Rosamilia