I was asked to write a blog about how I was called to the missions field… so here I go:
Well, I don’t really know where to start with this. My story is wonderful, but it is a little long, and although I would love to write the whole thing… you would be here awhile reading, so I will give you the general idea, and if you would like to know the specifics (and have about 30 minutes to spare) let me know 🙂
I grew up in the church, and although I have family members and friends who are missionaries, my heart has never ever desired to pursue missions. I have always enjoyed talking about Jesus, but to go to another country is way out of my comfort zone.
I have always had a plan of going to college, getting a job, having a family… what I thought to be normal stuff, and even though that is still apart of “my” plan… God has altered the view a little. Around September of 2008 God began to speak to my heart about the World Race, and at the time I told God “no”…. and God in all his glory gave me time, of which I thought He let it drop…. However, My Daddy once told me “God is a perfect gentlemen and will not force you to do anything”…. WOW did I learn that lesson. God listened to my “no” and in his soft gentle way began to gently work the idea of the WR back into my heart…. and low and behold…(through quite a process I might add) God brought me to a place of saying “yes” with all my heart.
So as I realized that the WR might be a possability I began to really seek God as to His will and timing. I asked a half a dozen people to be praying, and to my frustration…. nobody came to me and said “yes.. Go”…but everyone said “We will support you no matter what you decide”. This decision had to mine and God’s. God, as a perfect gentlemen, began to speak to my heart softly, yet directly…. but I continued to worry that I wasn’t hearing correctly. So God told me to rest. (which was the exact opposite of what I was doing)
In my time of resting is when peace settled upon my heart. There was no bolt of lightening…. there was no piller of fire… just the peace of God and a knowing in my heart that I was supposed to go on this journey with the Lord. Since that time, no doubt, fear, or insecurity has been able to shake the peace of God.
I don’t know what it will look like… and I’m a little scared, but I am so excited to go, and I feel so blessed that God chose me!
Thank you for reading my story… there are so many other parts… and I genuinely wouldn’t mind sharing, but for now I should probably just let this be it.
“In CHIRST” (Eph 1)
Jo
