.: Tayo’s Race :.
I remember when my beautiful friend Tayo went on her race. One of her Instagram posts caught my eyes: she had reviewed the financial statements and performed an audit for her ministry contact that month. To say that I was surprised that she served in that capacity on her race was a understatement. Fast forward to almost 3 years later, I am now on my Race. Even though the thought did cross my mind, I knew the odds of being given the same opportunity were slim to none.
.: Or so I thought… :.
One afternoon, our ministry host M stopped by our hostel. As he was telling us about his day, he casually mentioned that he worked at his mentor’s local business and did some accounting work. My ears perked up and I immediately thought: “Business… Accounting… I want to help.”
And it is exactly what I told him two days later when we met him on our way to the grocery store. “You know M, I studied accounting and finance in college. Should you need help with anything, let me know!” Right away, his face lit up. He smiled: “Ok.” And I thought: “Oh snap! What did I just do? My last accounting class was more than 5 years ago. In my line of work, I did not necessarily use everything I learned in school. Man! What if he does ask me for help and I don’t have the right answer… Hmm… Maybe his smile didn’t mean anything. He won’t ask.”
Well, I was wrong. The very next day, he came over and I asked for my help with this accounting course that he was taking online. I acquiesced, and we got together a couple of times. During our first meeting, we went over multiple accounting concepts that he did not fully understand. And man! Did he take me back in time with his questions!!! Way back. Back to Accounting 101 (debits and credits, financial statements, adjusting entries, accounting principles, etc…). In our second meeting, we took his final exam together. Can I say that he successfully passed it with an A? Praise God!
.: The Full Circle Moment :.
Never in a million years did I think I would share the above story. And here is its accompanying “full circle” moment. I struggled with comparison a lot during my Race. I remember during my very first month in Indonesia, I would look at my squad and I see the worship leaders, the youth pastor, the English teachers, the musicians, the youth leaders, the camp guides, etc… I couldn’t help but feel less than my squadmates. “I audit banks for living. There is nothing that I can possibly add or offer this team/squad. I don’t belong here.”
Photocredit: Yours truly – When ALL your teammates are musical and you’re sooo not….
I did not know that 5 months later, I would meet M in a small town called Ölgii in Mongolia, and we would be studying accounting together. What a sweet treat! God didn’t have to do that for me, but He did. It felt awesome to be able to use my educational background to serve M. And this goes to show that God does use everything for His kingdom and glory. If you are in Christ, nothing you do will ever do go to waste.
You’re awesome for reading. Thanxies so much!!!
One more thing:
Two of my squadmates are still fundraising for this trip. Please prayerfully consider supporting them and head over to their blog and click on the “Donate!” button located at the top right corner of the page. ANY ANY ANY amount does count!
1. Whitney – $2,837 http://whitneycragun.theworldrace.org/
2. Tandi – $2,742 http://tandipatton.theworldrace.org/
