This is part 2 to my other blog titled “Inside my Head”
When I was 17, I was on my very first mission trip with my HS youth group. I had just graduated from NHS in June 2003, and was in the process of preparing for the transition to college at Capital University.
It was during that mission trip that while I was sitting quietly having my devotional time, I was reflecting on my time serving God. I found out that God had given me a passion for serving others that I didn’t know I had, and I really enjoyed doing that. So I talked to God right there, and told him that “if it was his will for me to serve others, then I would promise do his will once again if called to serve in a more long term mission service.”
Then life happened, and I had forgotten that promise that I had made to God 15 years ago until
July 2017
I had been going through a bit of a rough patch as I was putting in crazy hours at Target in areas of the store that I really wasn’t thrilled to have to work in, and on top of that it was also the 4th of July so we were busy with guests buying last minute supplies for their BBQ and such, and to add to it all it seemed like our store leaders were more demanding then normal, and add in the fact that I also hadn’t been feeling that great for the past few months just added to my mood so much so that I was ready to throw in the towel. After my shift was over I went and grabbed dinner and then headed home to relax & watch the PBS Salute to America and crashed on the couch for the night.
The next day I headed up to my cottage to meet up with my parents who where already up there for the holiday week, and I was ready to join them as I needed a break and to get away for a couple of days. I arrived there, grabbed my ipod to listen to music, and went to lay out on the back of our pontoon for a bit.
While I was laying there, I began to think to myself as I knew my 5 year work anniversary was coming up that November, and that was when God had told me after my one year work anniversary to wait and work there for 5 years. I prayed to God about very thing for I felt beaten and broken, and worned down from working, and I knew that I was ready for a change.
But what God told me was something that I was not expecting.
For not only did God reminded me of that promise that I had made to him 15 years before, but he also told me that it was time for me to fulfill that promise. I was shocked for I had totally forgotten about that promise, but I learned that God never forgets a promise that is made to him by his children. I finally asked him what it was that he wanted me to do, and he responded to me by saying
“You remember your “sister, my “daughter” who served me by going to serve my people in 11 different countries last year?” I immediately knew that God was talking to me about my friend from BSF named Emily who went on the Race in 2016. I was speechless for while I had supported her in prayer, and followed her journey by her blog, I never dreamed in a million years that God would call me to also go on the World Race.
At first I was defensive as I had finally gotten my life back on track, had a job that I was good at where I was one of the most dependable and hard working team members our store had, and I was pushing my leadership at my store to start the process of training me to be a team lead myself, not to mention the fact that I was finally pursuing God once again, and now God wanted me to leave it all behind to serve him and his people for a year.
Plus I was 31, and felt like I would be too old to on a mission trip, plus my parents were older and I was worried about leaving them for a year.
God you are crazy! was my first thought
But God doesn’t take no for a answer, and I gave in and obeyed his command to me to fulfill my promise to him for I knew that I could not say no to God especially after all he was doing to pursue me once again after I had been working on our relationship for the past 4 years. I still had my doubts especially when it was time for me to pick when I wanted to go in either August or October 2018. I had found a route that piqued my interest for the August 2018 route, and was ready to apply right then, but I could sense that God was telling me to wait, so that was what I did, I waited until the October 2018 routes were reveled before I made my choice.
October 2017
The month of highs and lows for me. I had been up north to Traverse City for a conference and then off to Harpers Ferry WV for a Civil War event that my group was a part of, and then I took a photography trip to Canada to photograph birds of prey. These were the highs of my month. The lows were the fact that I was working overnights at my store doing the remodel for the 3rd time in 5 years, and my Aunt’s sudden passing.
At the end of the month was the big route revel webcast and I was excited for I didn’t know what to expect. I sat down at my computer and watched the routes being reveled one by one, and to be honest the first 2 routes did not appeal to me at all, and I was about to give up, and check the availability of the August routes, but I waited for the third and final route to be reveled before making up my mind.
As the countries were be reveled, at first I was not impressed, but then came the southeast Asia & Eastern European countries, and it was then that I knew God was calling me to leave in October on route 3.
Long story short, that was prob one of the best decisions that I have made in my life.
Til next time your fellow sister in Christ,
Bonnie
Team SC
P Squad
Psalms 18:2
YOLO
