How I was called to the Missions Field

We were asked to write a blog about how we were called on this mission trip. Here is mine…

I have always had a huge place in my heart for helping people especially those less fortunate than myself. Since high school I have had this passion to work with inner city kids. That’s why I was so excited when I received my job at Monessen and learned that I would be working with a lot of at-risk kids who need lots of extra love. The kids I love with all my heart but, the job was another story. Ever since January I knew that I was going to resign from my job as a teacher. I always promised myself that the week that I woke up everyday and did not want to be at school was the week I would seriously consider quitting my job. Well I considered it long and hard over Christmas break and by the end of January I was ready to be done. (On a side note it had not one thing to do with my awesome students!) Then the question… What would I do next?

Simple. I had been bitten by the travel bug ever since I went to Africa and that was all I wanted to do. Travel and help people. Oh man I just had this craving to help people and not just anyone . . .the poorest of the poor, down and dirty helping people. So that was it! I was going to travel the world and volunteer all by myself! No problem at all. I was such an independent woman that I could do that without anyone’s help… WRONG and boy did God hit me with that answer! Here is what happened…

I had gone up to Pittsburgh to visit one of my best friends for her birthday party and not that seeing her wasn’t enough, but this also meant I go to attend her church the next day! Woo I loved her church! It was so different from the Catholic Church I grew up in and I jumped at every chance to attend with her family. So there we were getting ready for worship when the worship leader came out and started to speak about his mission trip to Guatemala. Sweet! As he described his experiences he went on to say that we don’t really realize that “God is ALL we need, until He is ALL we have” WOW! All I could think about was how incredible it would be to just live out that statement. As he continued to talk I felt this desire to live out that statement in my life. It was like a light went on upstairs. Wake up! This is what you need. I am what you need in your life. As service continued I was overcome with this amazing rush of emotions. I got all hot and sweaty and just started to cry. The Holy Spirit was definitely moving inside of me! He broke me wide open and filled me with emotion. The rest of the service I felt like I was being spoken to directly. . .go into missions. I know you want to travel, travel through me. So I said OK God! I am at the point right now where I am ready to follow You and what You say so here we go! As time went on I prayed on this calling more and more and what do ya know?…here I am!

And that’s how I got here. . .pretty sweet I think! He is so good!