I currently find myself in a season of transition. There is a large part of me that craves the onset of fall- the changing of the temperature and the leaves- so I can see and feel the landscape transitioning around me- but soon enough it will be here.
Two weeks ago I had to say goodbye to my life in Ligonier, PA- working at Ligonier Camp and Conference Center- a place I have called home since graduating from college in May 2014. I said goodbye to my closest friends, my church, my community, and my work. Transition is uncomfortable and sad, but this one in particular has been hard. In the midst of change and new things, God is reminding me of His constancy within change.
I now live at home with my family in Olmsted Township, OH- just west of Cleveland. I work part-time as my Mom’s receptionist at her hair salon, while I continue fundraising for the World Race, visiting friends, and traveling to churches twice a month on weekends that are partnering with my ministry. The change of pace was alarming. I went from working at camp- which included leading Bible Studies with my staff, meeting one-on-one with women, and organizing community events- to being a receptionist. My job now involves answering the phone, scheduling appointments, cleaning hairbrushes, and doing inventory. I found myself, on one hand, struggling and asking myself the question, ‘how do I find purpose in this?’, while simultaneously, extremely grateful that this was my part-time job before leaving for the Race.
I kept coming back to this word: purpose.
I was reminded of a story of Nehemiah and the building of the wall in Jerusalem. Nehemiah is called by God to help restore and rebuild the city of Jerusalem- the city God had given His People- which had been destroyed by the Babylonians. The state of Jerusalem is described in Nehemiah 2: 13, “I went out by night… and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates had been destroyed by fire.” Despite this, God blesses Nehemiah in his pursuit of rebuilding the wall of the Holy City. Nehemiah calls His people to his side in building the wall with him.
Can you imagine what it must have been like to rebuild a stone wall around an ancient city like Jerusalem? It must have been an arduous task. In addition, there are enemies, the Samarians, fighting against the work Nehemiah and his people are doing to rebuild the wall. It describes how while half of them worked building the wall, the other half stood by with weapons to protect them if they were attacked. Also, other Jewish people were coming to the builders begging them to come home because of the danger and perceived ‘pointlessness’ of the work. If I was them, I would be questioning my purpose and the Lord’s purpose.
Yet, God blesses Nehemiah and the people working alongside him in this hard work. Scripture describes, “So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.” (Neh. 4:6).
While fighting to rebuild the wall, God blesses these people with a desire to do the work. He blesses them with a deep rooted sense of His purpose. At the end of the story the wall is successfully rebuilt and the Lord calls them to celebrate, to ‘rejoice with great joy’, and to dedicate the wall of Jerusalem. The Lord is faithful in helping Nehemiah and the people to rebuild the city.
One of my favorite parts of this story is that it was about so much more than rebuilding a wall: it was about rebuilding their faithfulness to God. The Israelites were thrown into exile and away from Jerusalem because of their unfaithfulness. They had begun to worship other Gods and forget their identity in Him. In their return they are called to rebuild the wall and renew their covenant with their God.
God had so much purpose in Nehemiah’s challenging call.
As I look forward at the next three and a half months before the World Race, I see that the Lord has a wall for me to build: to work as a receptionist, to fundraise, to be devoted to relationships, to rest. It is a challenging call. I want to be faithful to do the work God has called me to. At the end I know I will see that He was doing more than that- God is building a faithfulness I need to Him in the midst of challenge that I will desperately need on the World Race. He is teaching me of His purpose in every season- even the seasons of transition and change. I am excited to look back and celebrate at the end of these four months, seeing the incredible work God has done.
With all of these things, I would like to invite you to come with me- to do the work with me. I leave for the World Race at the beginning of January, and my head spins with the many tasks and things that need to be done before that moment.
Thank you for letting me share some pieces of my life. In transition, I would like to invite you to join my body of supporters!
First and foremost, in prayer:
Prayer for my preparations- in buying gear, getting vaccinations, resting, spending time with friends & family. Prayer that the Lord will prepare me, in ways I can’t even begin to know, for what lies ahead in the next year. Lastly, I need prayer for financial support.
The Lord has knocked my socks off with the amount of financial support provided. Currently, in my funding account, I have $7,500. I have two churches partnering with me- First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh and St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. First Presbyterian Church (FPC) has pledged $4,000 dollars to me at the end of the year. With monthly donors and the pledged money from FPC, I am at about $13,500. I am still in need of $3,000 of support. Would you prayerfully consider partnering with my ministry? Whether it is through prayer or financial giving?
With this season of life, I am hoping to visit people and share more about my upcoming experience with friends & family! Please, please, contact me if you would like to host me for an evening! You can invite friends who you think would be interested and I can share with them as well. Let’s bring more people into the Body of Christ and the work He is doing! My contact info is on my blog for getting in touch with me on any of these ways of join me.
Thank you for listening & reading! If you haven’t subscribed to my blog yet, please do! Just click on the tab on the left hand side that says, ‘Follow My Journey.”
Come join me in doing the work.
Until next time,
Emily
