My Call to Mission
Psalm 27
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
your face, LORD, do I seek!
As I was beginning to discern a call to mission (especially foreign mission), the Lord gave me comfort and a joyful beckoning through the above Psalm. I begin this blog recalling the beautiful work that God has done through my discernment to serve with Finca del Niño.
I have gradually begun to experience the truth that discernment is not really about where I go or what I do; it is about relationship. God has used this time to show me that He is trustworthy. In a simple way, He showed me this through a road trip I took with four friends from Kansas to Louisiana. We stopped in Arkansas to camp beside a beautiful river surrounded by cliffs. The first night was semi-sleepless due to a very cold and wet thunderstorm (the next day we found out there was a tornado 1.5 miles away from our campsite...no wonder the winds were so fierce). We had a beautiful day the next day - hiking and picnicking. However, that evening I was not looking forward to another poor-college-kid feast of bread and summer sausage and was wishing for the comforts of home.
Enter kind southern couple. A middle-aged couple strolled into the campground and began talking with us, telling us about a cute place to eat in town where we just "had to go." We said we had brought in food and probably wouldn't, but thanks anyways. At the end of the conversation the gentleman said, "I have one more question for you." We glanced at each other nervously. He continued, "Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?" We all breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh yeah, yeah for sure!" At that, he went into his car and came back with a stack of cash. He told us to go out to dinner at the place he had suggested on his dollar. We went out that night and feasted like kings and queens.
It was a simple gift, but it spoke to me of the Lord's providence, trustworthiness and that He cares about the little things of my life. I had not asked for a meal out, and did not even quite realize that I really wanted or needed it, but the Lord gave it to us anyways. He worked through that whole trip to show that He would provide for me. Oddly enough, another person gave us $100 for gas and whatever we wanted to use it for...who gives five college kids on spring break cash? Again, this was huge for me - the Lord provides so far beyond what I could come up with or what I ask for. He provided in the beauty of the conversations with friends, the beauty of nature, and safety on our long journey. He provides in my family, the births of new nieces and nephews, in wonderful friends, in waking me up for another day in the morning, in letting the sun shine or the clouds move just so...are these things monotonous, or do I see the miracles unfolding before me? Lord, let me look with new eyes on your provision!
Anyways, back to the story. The whole point of going on this road trip was to visit Family Missions Company (FMC) in Abbeville, Louisiana. It ended up being a wonderful visit where the Lord made it so clear that I could choose any of my good options, and He would be so pleased. I am not really powerful enough to mess this up. Wherever God abides is the best place to be. I could go to FMC, Saint Paul's Outreach, or the Finca. But as I sat in the silence of a Louisianan field, I begged the Lord - "OK, I understand (kind of) that where You are is where I want to go, and You will be with me in all these places. But I still have to choose one of these options, so where are you leading?" The age-old question of many earnest young adults. In that moment, I tried a little thought experiment - if I was to pull FMC out of a hat, how would I feel? Very simple - you can try this one at home, folks.
Somehow, God worked through that simple little prayer. I had gone to visit the Finca back in January, and so I had met the kids and experienced the mission firsthand. As I sat there and had "picked out" FMC, I knew those kids would no longer be in the picture. My immediate reaction was, "Wait, no! I have to, I want to go back!"
I have gradually begun to experience the truth that discernment is not really about where I go or what I do; it is about relationship. God has used this time to show me that He is trustworthy. In a simple way, He showed me this through a road trip I took with four friends from Kansas to Louisiana. We stopped in Arkansas to camp beside a beautiful river surrounded by cliffs. The first night was semi-sleepless due to a very cold and wet thunderstorm (the next day we found out there was a tornado 1.5 miles away from our campsite...no wonder the winds were so fierce). We had a beautiful day the next day - hiking and picnicking. However, that evening I was not looking forward to another poor-college-kid feast of bread and summer sausage and was wishing for the comforts of home.
Enter kind southern couple. A middle-aged couple strolled into the campground and began talking with us, telling us about a cute place to eat in town where we just "had to go." We said we had brought in food and probably wouldn't, but thanks anyways. At the end of the conversation the gentleman said, "I have one more question for you." We glanced at each other nervously. He continued, "Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?" We all breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh yeah, yeah for sure!" At that, he went into his car and came back with a stack of cash. He told us to go out to dinner at the place he had suggested on his dollar. We went out that night and feasted like kings and queens.
It was a simple gift, but it spoke to me of the Lord's providence, trustworthiness and that He cares about the little things of my life. I had not asked for a meal out, and did not even quite realize that I really wanted or needed it, but the Lord gave it to us anyways. He worked through that whole trip to show that He would provide for me. Oddly enough, another person gave us $100 for gas and whatever we wanted to use it for...who gives five college kids on spring break cash? Again, this was huge for me - the Lord provides so far beyond what I could come up with or what I ask for. He provided in the beauty of the conversations with friends, the beauty of nature, and safety on our long journey. He provides in my family, the births of new nieces and nephews, in wonderful friends, in waking me up for another day in the morning, in letting the sun shine or the clouds move just so...are these things monotonous, or do I see the miracles unfolding before me? Lord, let me look with new eyes on your provision!
Anyways, back to the story. The whole point of going on this road trip was to visit Family Missions Company (FMC) in Abbeville, Louisiana. It ended up being a wonderful visit where the Lord made it so clear that I could choose any of my good options, and He would be so pleased. I am not really powerful enough to mess this up. Wherever God abides is the best place to be. I could go to FMC, Saint Paul's Outreach, or the Finca. But as I sat in the silence of a Louisianan field, I begged the Lord - "OK, I understand (kind of) that where You are is where I want to go, and You will be with me in all these places. But I still have to choose one of these options, so where are you leading?" The age-old question of many earnest young adults. In that moment, I tried a little thought experiment - if I was to pull FMC out of a hat, how would I feel? Very simple - you can try this one at home, folks.
Somehow, God worked through that simple little prayer. I had gone to visit the Finca back in January, and so I had met the kids and experienced the mission firsthand. As I sat there and had "picked out" FMC, I knew those kids would no longer be in the picture. My immediate reaction was, "Wait, no! I have to, I want to go back!"
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