Acknowledging the Call

Receiving my call to China last week can only be described as a whirlwind! Within 48 hours I had received my placement, interviewed with Amity, responded to this call, and then hopped on a flight to North Carolina. The serenity of the Appalachian Mountains was just what I needed to center my heart. As I met new faces in North Carolina, conversations usually went like this:

• Person: So you are in school?
• Me: I actually just graduated in May!
• Person: Oh, congrats! What are your post-grad plans?
• Me: Well, I am heading off to China to serve for 2 years as an English teacher.
• Person: Wow, China!? Do you know Mandarin?
• Me: Nope.
• Person: So I assume your degree was in Education?
• Me: No, not quite.

You can only imagine how insecure I felt answering all these questions with responses that didn’t seem to be adequate! The truth is that my call to China has been shocking. While I had no expectations or aspirations for my placement, I somehow did not expect China. It has been easy to pick out the barriers (as seen in the conversation above). I don’t have a teaching degree nor do I know anything about Asian languages. Additionally, I have minimal time to prepare mentally and physically for this challenge! But yet I trust God’s plan.

While in North Carolina, I had the chance to visit a church camp called Glory Ridge; a camp in which my friend Emily attended as a child and later worked at. Youth groups from all over North Carolina to stay at Glory Ridge for a week of service. Every day the students drive to various parts of the county to serve families and communities. Work projects range from painting a room and building a handicap ramp to re-roofing a house and rebuilding a bridge. In the words of their vision statement, Glory Ridge “is a place of welcome, worship, work, and simplicity where the presence of Christ heals lives and transforms communities.”

In the midst of this peaceful place, I was reminded of our role as servants of Christ. I listened to the prayers of these young middle and high schoolers, who were striving to be the hands and feet of Christ during their stay, and realized that I had not yet prayerfully recognized my call to China. Before leaving for NC I was so caught up in the excitement and stress of what this call meant, that I had not truly given it up in prayer. Glory Ridge allowed me a space to enter into solitude prayer and a burden was released.

This week I pray for peace in my call in the words of Mother Teresa:

“Silence births prayer, Prayer births faith, Faith births love, Love births service, and service births joy.”

Annoucement

The waiting has been real, but I am finally announcing where I will be serving with Global Mission Fellows….

CHINA!  I will be serving with a non-profit called The Amity Foundation as an English Language Teacher in Western China. I am thrilled for this opportunity and eager to finally begin my research and preparation process!

To learn more about the Foundation, please see the Tab at the top of the page or click here.

Please pray for peace of mind as I prepare for travel to the Philippines, tackle paperwork for China, and prepare my heart for service.

There are lots of questions out there, but for now, wait for more updates to come!

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” -Jeremiah 29:11

The Power of Waiting

From the my first experience with Global Mission Fellows, the Lord has been teaching me to be patient.

At the beginning of March I attended an interview weekend in Virginia. The time was very powerful as I discovered what it meant to serve in mission in the 21st century, met young adults like myself, and dialogued about the issue of charity and justice in our world. By the time we had our interviews with had also gone over the details of the GMF program.

My interview was a blast! I enjoyed chatting with members of the Board of Global Ministry about where how Lord is calling me in mission. It was really more of a conversation. In order to discern whether a placement was possible, there was a focus on the type of work the Lord was calling me into and whether any certain place was on my heart. I was grateful that the Lord guided my heart and words throughout the conversation. But I was struck by a final question I received. One member commented that, from his first impression, I seemed to be a very organized and in-control women. How then, does this program, which essentially places you anywhere in the world, feel to me? I realized in this moment, that my call to mission was much more than serving within the world and connected with others, it was about giving up control.

I was surprised how this member could read me so well–I am a planner and always have been. I like to have routine in my day, a scheduled week, and stay timely in all manners. This interview weekend allowed me to engage in a relational discernment process with the United Methodist Church. The strong values of engaging, growing, and connecting in the world allowed me to put trust in The Board of Global Mission. And in that moment I knew that I was giving up control and instead putting trust and faith in this board and God’s plan for my placement.

This was was incredibly empowering as I headed into the last few months of my college career. In the midst of these months my heart was calm, knowing that I would not hear about a placement until May. However, as May rolled in, anticipation began to set in. Finals passed, then graduation. Soon I was back home, still waiting patiently. I dreaded the question…”have you been placed yet?” Last week I received 2-3 text messages or emails a day with this question. Honestly, this question began to really annoy me and stir me up. I realized that people were worried that I would forget about updating them! But additionally, people really cared about this opportunity- what an honor!

This week (amidst Music Camp at First Presbyterian) I am reminded of patience, a fruit of the spirit!

The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. –2 Corinthians 12:12

Timing is so important! If you are going to be successful in dance, you must be able to respond to rhythm and timing. It’s the same in the Spirit. People who don’t understand God’s timing can become spiritually spastic, trying to make the right things happen at the wrong time. They don’t get His rhythm – and everyone can tell they are out of step. They birth things prematurely, threatening the very lives of their God-given dreams.  – T. D. Jakes

Don’t worry folks! I will find out my placement when the time is right…and I will let you ALL know 🙂