I know my last blog was about letting go of the old, scheduled, DC Melanie but I still have the same passion for government, business suits, and reaching those in leadership positions. Just to be clear, my point in the last blog was that I no longer depend on schedules, not that I would never have them 🙂
Ok, with that cleared up…..today I felt more like the old Melanie than I have at any other time since I started the race. Actually, for a fleeting moment I forgot that I was traveling the world, living out of a backpack!
Here’s how it happened… At church yesterday I met a professor of American Studies who teaches at a local university. Turns out that she lived in Tucson, Arizona (where I grew up) so we got to talking about Tucson and family and that led to the students at her university, the material she teaches (American government, politics, culture, etc.), which lead to me talking about my work history. And all of that lead to her extending an invitation to come see the school and, specifically, the American library. Being the nerd that I am, I said of course, I would love to come see the library on my day off! She then asked if I was free around 2:00 pm because the interim American Ambassador to Bulgaria was going to be speaking to Bulgarian students and touring the American Library. Being the double nerd that I am, I jumped at the opportunity!
So I showed up in my jeans, north face fleece and tennis shoes (this was a tough moment for me, by the way….I longed for access to my old closet! But letting go of security in ourselves in exchange for God’s strength is all part of the process…sigh!). I was eager to share about the World Race and my reason for living out of a backpack for a year so I prayed and introduced myself to the assistant. It didn’t go as great as I had hoped… i.e. I didn’t have a super spiritual conversation with the Ambassador, but I did get to share about why I was in Bulgaria and I know God can use even the smallest seeds.
Also, I got another glimpse of the dream that God is planting in my heart. The Kingdom of God needs to be taken to the poor, hungry and least of these, yes, and I absolutely want to be part of that. But it also needs to be taken to influencers and leaders and I also want to do this. It clicked in my heart that we don’t just need Mother Teresa in the streets of India, but we also need Billy Graham in the White House. I hope that God continues to show me how I can combine my passion for government, dress suits, and dignitaries with a passion for spreading His light around the world.
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see you good deeds and praise your father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16
