Have you ever had a moment in your life that you knew you would never forget? Something that told you it was going to change your life forever?
Let me take you back in time and paint the picture of that moment in my life.
Traveling Through Time
It was a very ordinary summer day in my small town in Arkansas. I sat on my brown carpeted floor, cross legged, cleaning my room (by cleaning my room, I mean listening to my radio and fidgeting endlessly to avoid working). Then, it happened. An ad came on the radio and a man shared a story of a fourteen year old girl in Nepal who was rescued from human trafficking (a form of forced sex slavery).
I was fourteen…
This girl was my age but our lives were vastly different. My eyes were opened to a world filled with injustice, abuse, and exploitation, that my small town self never even knew existed. At that moment something in my heart started to beat for this nation I had never heard of and these people I have never met. In this moment, knew that I was “called for such a time as this.” - Esther 4:14
At that moment something in my heart started to beat for this nation I had never heard of and these people I have never met.
Now, twelve years later, I'm working in full-time ministry with YWAM Louisville.
The Journey
I have learned so much about how life is a journey. Sometimes I just want to skip ahead to the end and for a long time, that's how I saw my calling. I wanted it to be instant like a microwave dinner and know all the answers "right now". I wanted to pack a bag, jump a plane and just go! As heroic and romantic as that sounds, I’ve realized the beauty in building things in me that will last. While I could grit my teeth and dive in and see how far my stubbornness alone could take me, I could also let God cultivate something in me that will last. I don't want to move to Nepal just to do something. No part of me wants to build a wobbly frame, plant a flag and be done. I want to see the nation changed.
While I could grit my teeth and dive in and see how far my stubbornness alone could take me, I could also let God cultivate something in me that will last.
Power in Waiting
Just like Jacob waited for Rachel, Nepal is worth the wait. She was worth the years of work it took to marry her. It's clear to me that my position here is strategic. Everyday, I get to serve under and with pioneers. I get to serve with people who are going to go and start things in other places, similar to me.
I read a book and it had this quote: “To learn to slay giants, you need to follow a giant slayer." This was life-changing for me.
David’s men watched him in the wilderness and watched him on the throne, and they must have taken notes because many of them went on to slay giants themselves. I don’t want to just do “good things." I want to slay giants. I want to pioneer something new. So, I'm letting the Lord build something in me worth multiplying. I'm letting people multiply things in me because I see the beautiful thing God created in them.
So, I’m willing to wait.
Like Jacob for Rachel,
Abraham for Issac,
David for the throne,
Hannah for Samuel...
Nepal is worth the wait.
So we’ll said.
Very impressive!