For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth. Colossians 1:16

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The Beginning

I suppose I should begin with how I was called into this ministry.

Last Fall, I had the chance to study abroad in France, as many already know.  My Mom, being the ever-caring person she is, used her resources to find a church near my town.  These missionaries knew of a church in my town and directed my Mom there.  She contacted the Moyers, one of the families that leads the church, and they immediately invited both my Mom and me over for dinner on my first night in the country.  There, I met the Gorrells, another family that leads the church, and the Hadleys, a British family that attends the church.  Though I was running on about 5 hours of sleep over the past 48 or so, I was able to talk with them and felt very comfortable.  I began attending le Groupe Biblique de St. Etienne (GBSE) and absolutely fell in love with the people there.  About two weeks after my arrival, the church went for a retreat at Camp des Cimes in the Alps.  It was there that I realized that I wanted to work more with those people and do ministry with that church.  I began speaking with Randy Moyer about interning with the church and I looked up the application about a week later. 
This past May, I received the official letter informing me that I had been accepted to be a short term missionary.  I received this letter three days before I left for a class in Greece and Turkey, following and studying the ministries of St. Paul and St. John.  I had my reservations about returning to France for so long and decided to wait until after my class to think about it.  While sitting at a theatre in Miletus, my professors and classmates began a discussion on Paul's call.  Paul never knew if he would see the people he loved so dearly again, or if he would return to the places he loved so dearly; yet, when God called him, he simply went.  He always had hope that he would be reunited with his friends, but he never truly knew.  It was at that moment that I had a moment of clarity and I knew that I would be returning to France, and I could not stop smiling from that moment on. 
The details of returning are overwhelming, but I have full confidence that the Lord will provide.  I am so thankful for the people in my life who support me through action, prayer, and finances.  God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good.