The Call

Warm sunlight fell gently on an open book in my lap. The pages gently fluttered every few minutes as a light breeze swept through the valley. A quiet peace surrounded me as I sat, soaking up the words as much as I could. My mind was racing to keep up, my heart asking question after question, with one that shook me to my core. 

 

What does it mean to walk as Jesus did? What does it mean in my own life to walk as Jesus did?

 

1 John 2:3-6 lay before me on the open page in my Bible, with my trusty journal off to the side as my hand worked fervently to copy the passage in my own hand. I could not get the words out of my mind. They echoed with a sense of deep urgency in my heart.

 

“We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”  

 

That particular Saturday in January 2011 found me gathered with a group of dear women from my church for a monthly time of fellowship, prayer and sharing. That Saturday, God began to stir my heart out of a contented slumber. Things in my life were finally starting to settle down, and God, in his infinite wisdom, was starting to shake it up again. Adding a little spice to my life. Little did I know it would lead me to begin the greatest adventure of my life so far: the adventure known as the World Race.

 

But to really tell this story, I must back up. Because this is not where the story began. This is only a new chapter.

 

Every day it seems I am beginning to recognize a deep and passionate call that God has placed in my heart for missions. It is difficult to pinpoint an exact moment of calling. I didn’t see a lightning bolt flash “missions is for you!” in the sky, or hear God’s booming voice call out in the thunder. I haven’t had a singular defining moment that said “Yes. This is it.” 

 

I find though, that there is a thread that has been woven throughout my entire life that speaks to the stirring and growing passion in my heart for missions. When I was young, I was always fascinated with the world around me, and with different cultures and people, even though they were foreign to me. I always felt a tender pull in my heart for other people, and for people who were hearting. I loved to serve and to help.

 

In high school, my youth group took monthly trips to a local homeless outreach ministry, and I was first truly exposed to helping people here. It changed my life and my outlook on the homeless. It gave me an understanding and helped me to see the faces and know the people behind the signs on the streets. God gave me a love for them. 

 

I was also given the opportunity to go on two short term missions trips with my youth group: one to Los Angeles, California, and the other to San Francisco, California. Both changed my life, and wove the thread of passion for missions tighter into my heart. 

 

I recently found a note from high school from one of my best friends. It was stuck in my Bible, and brought a smile to my face as I read it, and a deep peace to my heart. Apparently I had written to her of my desire to become a missionary, and reach out to other people. She responded asking a lot of questions, and also asking why I picked Kenya the country for me. I do not remember writing the letter, or what exactly I said. But I found this after I had been accepted on the World Race, and I do not think it is a coincidence that the first country I will be going to with my team is Kenya. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me in this! 

 

High school came and went, and I found myself thrown into the college world. I still had a deep desire to help people and share the love of Christ with them, but other things were holding my attention captive, and my drive for missions was put off. 

 

Fall of 2008 changed that as God orchestrated a chance for me to be involved in missions once again. I was working at a preschool, and had just been promoted to a position where I would have the summer off of work. I didn’t want to waste that time, but rather do something helpful and productive. So I decided to apply for a summer staff position with YouthWorks, one of the missions organizations I went on a trip through in high school.

 

I was accepted, and became the “Kids Club” staff member for the summer of 2009 in Delbarton, West Virginia. This summer changed my life forever. It threw me out into a position and level of leadership I had never been in before, and I found that I did indeed have a voice. It was wonderful. I was able to meet about 70 high school kids a week from all over the country, all the while ministering to precious kids in Delbarton, West Virginia. These kids will forever be in my heart. 

(Some of the kids from Delbarton)

 

While I was in West Virginia, I was told about a year long program that YouthWorks offered, called GreaterWorks. This was a year long “internship” where sixteen people in four different cities would volunteer full time and have a ministry of presence in each community. I didn’t give it much thought when I first heard about it, but it kept coming up. I prayed about it, and felt God leading me to apply. So I did, and was accepted!

 

September 2009 found me packing up and getting ready to spend a year in a small community called Monessen, Pennsylvania. I would live with three other people I had never met, and spend all of my time with them ministering to a community I had never been to before. I can’t even begin to tell you how much that year blessed my life. 

(My team from Monessen, PA)

 

That year held great growth for me, and opened my eyes to what living out my faith looked like. What it meant to live in community with others. I loved my time with my team and with the community. The people of Monessen are also forever in my heart, and hardly a day goes by that I don’t think of them and smile at the memories. 

 

Going to Monessen also brought about what can only be a divine appointment. When we arrived in the town, we set out to meet with different organizations and began to figure out where we would spend our time volunteering. Knowing my love of art and kids, I had been referred to go to the local high school to help out in their art classroom. Upon arrival, I learned that there was a new art teacher because the old art teacher was leaving on missions trip around the world.

 

That art teacher was Katie Hannon, and she was going on, you guessed it, the World Race. Our team had the chance to meet her and go to a concert with her before she left on her trip. I am constantly in awe at how God orchestrates things and lines up things on our paths. He baffles me at how detailed he is!

 

When Katie told us about the World Race, I thought, “Wow! That’s so cool. I don’t think I could do that, though. That’s a long time, and a lot of money to raise.” I wished her well, but never really gave thought to ever going on the race myself. I just thought it was a cool thing for someone really adventurous to do.

 

My year in Monessen flew by, and boy did I have some incredible adventures! God is moving in that town. There is a lot of brokenness, but there is also great hope. I am so thankful that God allowed me to be a part of it. The thread of passion in my heart began to weave ever tighter into my core.  I learned many things, and found a new, more adventurous side of myself. I found a deep longing to touch the hearts of people. To reach out. 

 

I touched back down into my beloved desert home in Tucson, Arizona in May 2010. Re-entry was difficult, even though I had never left the country. It was a long period of transition, and a lot of wrestling with God on where He wanted me, and where he what he wanted me to do. 

 

By the time I found myself sitting in that women’s prayer meeting in January 2011, I was content. I felt I had readjusted to life in Arizona. I was happy, working at a preschool with beautiful babies, loving on them all day long. I was going to take two new classes. I was growing with my church body, and finding beautiful fellowship there. 

(Some of the women from my church at our prayer meeting)

 

But that thread of passion was beginning to tug at my heart. God was preparing me for some big news. He was guiding me to the next step. 

 

“Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

 

Those eleven words turned my world upside down. I wondered, am I walking as Jesus did, or am I just enjoying where I am? Certainly, there is nothing wrong with where I am in life. I am reaching out to people, I am loving on people and sharing God’s love. But I felt that God had a deeper call for me. A call to go out and love people.

 

I have always longed to see the world. To travel and make a difference in people’s lives all over the world and share God’s love. Why shouldn’t I use that? Some people are called to stay, and some are called to go.

 

I knew deep down that I was one called to go. It was scary, but exciting. But I didn’t know what to do with it. 

 

Then, I began to see Katie Hannon’s name begin to pop up a lot on my Facebook page. I hadn’t talked to her in ages, but I remembered the World Race. I looked at the page, and was intrigued. I felt a tug on my heart.

 

Everywhere I went, every word I heard, all the songs that came on the radio seemed to be whispering, then shouting, “GO!” Follow. Trust. Obey. GO.

 

“Me, God?” 

 

Yes. You. Go. Follow me.

 

I came across a sermon by the Ugandan pastor Jackson Senyonga, a recording of one that I had heard a few years ago, but had always stuck with me. I listened to it, and was captivated, and felt God’s calling go deeper.

 

The World Race kept coming up.

 

“God, are you really calling me to this crazy trip?” 

 

Follow me. 

 

As I was praying about what to do, and if I should apply, I contacted Katie Hannon to ask her about the World Race. I prayed some more. Then, one Sunday, one of the dear women at church was setting up a table with some information on it. I walked over to find out what it was all about.

 

“Is this for a missions trip?” I asked.

 

“No, honey, it’s for a missions class. It will turn your world upside down.” She replied.

 

I picked up some information, and went on my way. I was intrigued. Could this be another step you want me to take, God? Indeed it was. The church provided me with a scholarship to help cover some of the expense of the class, and before I knew it, I was registered and sitting in on my first class of PathWays. 

 

During the first class, the speaker kept saying, “Seek God’s call, trust him, and be obedient.”

 

The words “obey” and “follow” kept popping up throughout that night, and that week. I prayed some more, and sought counsel from some of the spiritual leaders in my life. My heart and all the signs were pointing to “yes, go.” 

 

So, I took the leap of faith, and applied for the World Race, and was accepted. 

 

God has done so much to bring me to this point in my life, and done some incredible things. His fingerprints are all over the place, and I love seeing the evidence of his work and the thread of his heart running through my life. 

 

I can’t even imagine what He will do through this journey to 11 countries in 11 months. I can’t imagine all of the people I will meet, all the people I will serve and serve with. I can’t imagine all of the adventures. I can’t imagine all of the tears. I can’t imagine all of the joy and love. I won’t even try to imagine it all.

 

But I do know what God has called me to, and I will follow wherever He leads me, because I know that He is good, and He is Truth. 

 

Here am I Lord, send me.