We were asked to write a blog
about how we were called
to the mission field.
Here is my story…
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
Stewing in rush hour traffic on the 405 going southbound from Los Angeles is the last place I thought a complete stranger would begin to earnestly pray for me. I’m from a small town in Wyoming and so traffic, the kind where you sit in one spot for hours, was an odd and stressful concept to me. It was January 2006 and I had just moved to the LA area after graduating college in Hawaii. After coming from the beauty and serenity of the islands, I thought, “Why would human beings want to live this way?” I was jobless, homeless, churchless, and friendless in this new, big, overwhelming world.
While sitting there fantasizing that I had a George Jetson flying car, my phone rang. I had put an ad on Craigslist describing my criteria for an apartment and roommates. As I recall, it went something like this,
“I’m looking for female Christian roommates… However, I just decided to follow Jesus, but I don’t know what this really means yet, and I’ve gone to church only a handful of times, and I still like to drink on occasion and basically I don’t want to be judged or preached at, but I do need all the encouragement and guidance I can get…”
I know, not a typical ad one might see on Craigslist, but I was determined to stay as far away from the Hermosa Beach motto of “work hard, play harder” lifestyle. I was just as determined to stay as far away from my stereotype of the judgmental, preachy, list checker-offer Christian. Turns out I was the judgmental one!
Anyways, Dawnie’s talking a million miles per hours, breezes by the reason she’s calling me – the room – and launches into her life-long love affair with Jesus. She’s incredibly excited while singing the reasons she loves her Lord, His beautiful qualities, what He’s done for us, how much He loves us, all the missions she’s gone on around the world to serve Him through serving His children and on and on. Her excitement is contagious, but I feel myself getting even more overwhelmed as I stare at all the people in the surrounding cars. I mean, I knew I hadn’t been doing a stellar job of being in control of my own life and that I needed Jesus, but I was still trying to figure out where evolution, human suffering, and a multitude of other questions still figured into to all of this. 
As we made plans to meet at the apartment, I was secretly pondering whether or not this living situation might be a little to hard core Christian for me. Then Dawnie asked me a simple yet shocking question. “Can I pray for you?” Now? While we’re on the phone? Aren’t you supposed to close your eyes when you pray? I can’t; I’m in rush hour traffic and we might move soon. But I say, “Ah, okay, sure.” The prayer that came forth is one I’ll remember forever. It was deep, sincere, calming, hopeful… thankful. She was actually thankful for me, a total stranger!
After saying “Amen” with my eyes open, I knew. God had brought this women into my life to help nurture this growing longing within me. I was no longer stuck, but being held up above the traffic, fear, and doubt in the beauty and peace of this prayer. Three years later, she is without a doubt the person who has had the most influence in my faith walk and my growing passion for missions and the lost. I was lost, but she helped me come to know my Lord and Savior in a personal and life-changing way. Now, my deepest desire is to introduce Him to others who are lost and in need of what only He can provide.
While Dawnie is the one who loved me and guided me ever so gently in the beginning of my faith walk, there has been countless others God has brought into my life who have affirmed again and again this building, insatiable passion for the Lord and His creation. Erin, a sweet southern bell from the Carolina’s moved in with Dawnie and me a month later and helped get me a job at the clothing company she worked for. Again God is sooooo good! Not only did I have a challenging (for me- I wasn’t familiar with fashion or business) and stable first post-college job, but the CAbi corporate office workforce is predominately made up of believers including the designer, the CEO, and the president! The Lord had properly insulated me.
Additionally, about a year ago, Chelsey, one of my co-workers and best friends told me about a course that was being offered at our church in Torrance called Perspectives of the Christian World Movement. The course is designed to help believers learn more about God’s heart for the nations and how believers worldwide can play an active role in the Great Commission. Those 15 weeks changed my life, strengthened my relationship with the Lord, challenged my beliefs about the Kingdom and the Great Commission, and solidified my desire to introduce Jesus to the lost and broken.
That night I began researching random Christian mission agencies, as I didn’t feel God was drawing me to a specific organization, country, or duration. All I knew was that I was being called to simply GO! Suddenly a brilliant thought came to mind – how cool would it be if there was an organization that served multiple countries over several months and incorporated some extreme, adventurous good old fashion fun. I thought it was going to be a bust, but I Google’d “Christian world mission adventure” anyways.
Whalah! The World Race!
I began the application process then, but God called me to another special people in another mission field – my family back home in Wyoming. I’ve been in the wild west for the past 5 months, but will be heading back to my apartment and church community in Redondo Beach, CA on Monday. It’s been a blessing for me and my family and I’ll write more about this in another blog.
So, a year later God has steered me back to the Race and my heart’s desire in His timing.
I’m going fishing for men and I can hardly contain my excitement!
