We were asked to write about how we were called to the mission field here is my story….
God has a great sense of humor. I have tendency to plan out where I want to go, but God has a way of stopping me right in my tracks.
It wasn’t till a recent case of, unfortunate some would say, fortunate events that I started to see the direction I was supposed to be headed in. My passion for swimming has carried me far and I, for the last two years, have been coaching a swim team. Just like during my younger years swimming came first and everything else came second. My entire identity was wrapped up in 25 yards, 8 lanes, and 176,000 gallons of water. (This is where Gods bigger plan comes into play) Although, I didn’t really love the team I was working for or the position I was put in while working for them, I hate to quite and so God arranged for me to be fired. Blessing, absolutely I was suffocating and unhappy just existing.
I at first was disappointed and perturbed at the events that led up to this fortunate event. An like any “normal” person would do I began to apply to other coaching jobs. I looked up connections and applied to places near and far, and although some doors seemed to be opening, they all eventually closed. What was I supposed to do? Where was I supposed to go? I was doing a Bible study by Beth Moore and it kept reiterating the message “I am who God says I am” and as I prayed about this I began to feel God leading me in a new direction.
The world race was probably the furthest thing from my mind, but as I was surfing facebook one day I came across AIM on a friends page. I thought back to those days that I longed so to go out into the field and clicked to see what they had to offer. I figured while I was looking for something better I would do a short term (definition in my book two weeks) mission trip. I researched some opportunities and even looked into the ComLife program they had to offer. However, God made it very clear that he didn’t want me to do those and so as I was about to give up on the mission trip thing I saw the World Race.
“God can perform a miracle in any one of us at any time, but amazing things happen when you and I are willing to get prepared for a mighty work of God. Included in that mighty work will most assuredly be what we need most- whether a fresh work, a repair, or a full-scale restoration.”
