The Next Step
"They're here!"
Everyone hopped up from the couches and stepped away from the kitchen preparations to fill the entry way with a welcome party. A cold breeze rushed in as the Richters walked through the open front door, but the warmth of excited greetings and hugs was so strong that I hardly noticed. I had been looking forward to this moment ever since I first met the Richter family in Burkina Faso this summer, and now our families were finally getting the chance to meet.
There were seventeen of us in all - my family, the Richter family, the Harris family, and Emily (my missions partner and travel buddy in Burkina Faso this summer). My family knows the Harris family from church, but the Harris family is related to the Richters, which I found out when I went to Burkina to visit them and their mission team this summer. It's a small world, and you don't have to go far to find connections in the family of God.
We filled the kitchen table and overflowed into the dining room, and the dinner conversations were filled with warm laughter. After dinner, we migrated to the living room and gathered into little groups as various conversations began to develop. Some of us were just getting to know one another while others were catching up on recent life events. Soon, all the separate conversations began to merge as the topic that unites us came to the surface: Burkina Faso.
The Richters filled my parents in on a history of their missionary team in Burkina Faso. Then they explained the work that they are doing and their dreams for the future. When the Richters return to Burkina Faso in January of 2014, they plan to focus on three things: leadership training, language learning, and land development. Originally a church planting team, the team is now starting to focus foremost on leadership training. This is because the original church plants are planting churches that are planting more churches. Second, in order to better minister to the Dagara people group, the Richters also need to learn the Dagara language. Third, they will start to develop a large piece of land that has been provided for them. This is where they plan to construct buildings to enhance the programs and ministries of the team.
One such building could be a pregnancy center that would focus on prevention of maternal deaths through prenatal care, education, safe labor and delivery, and infant care. Burkina Faso has a very high rate of maternal and child deaths. Burkina also has a significant orphan burden, and many children are orphaned because of maternal deaths related to childbearing. A pregnancy clinic would have a huge impact on preventing maternal death, infant death, and the number of orphans. At the same time, the clinic would be a ministry and a way to introduce people to Jesus and His church.
That is where I come in. After connecting with the Richters this summer and seeing how God had given us similar passions, I prayerfully considered joining their team. As I prayed about whether to take the next step or not, I asked God whether it was His will or just my own. The Lord reminded me to look at my life and see how everything was lining up. He doesn't do that kind of thing to tempt and trick us, but rather to show us where to go. He plants passions in our hearts to direct us toward His plan for our lives. He has given me a piece of His heart for the nations, and He has paved a way and opened doors for me to go to Burkina.
After the Richers explained all this to my family, I expressed my desire to join their team in the near future, possibly around 2015, and to assist with the development of the pregnancy center. As we shared our dreams for the future, we did not make any concrete plans. That's because we both know that God's plan is what we ultimately want to follow (not our own) and that our role in following His plan is to have a spirit of openness. Yes, God has given us great excitement as we envision the future, and we love dreaming and planning, but we also trust that His plans may be slightly (or even drastically) different than our own and that He will guide us one step at a time. And so we will trust Him one step at a time. I believe that gathering our families together that evening to discuss all these things and pray together was exactly the next step we needed to take.
The party then moved from the living room to the piano room, where we broke out guitars and the cajon and worshipped together to the God who calls us to mission, makes paths cross, opens doors, and creates circumstances that could only be brought together by Himself.
I am in absolute awe of how God has directed my life towards missions from the first time I said I wanted to be a missionary in the fourth grade until now. God took me to Burkina Faso this summer, introduced me to the Richters and the team, and gave me a rare job in labor and delivery as a new grad for a distinct purpose. I don't think it is a coincidence, but rather a divinely-directed path to prepare me for living life on mission...and from the looks of it, probably in Burkina Faso. All of these little things are stepping stones as I follow the footsteps of Jesus, the Great Physician, Healer, and my medical missionary hero.
So what's the next step?
For me, it will be keeping in touch with the Richters, continuing to develop competency and confidence as a labor and delivery nurse, learning some French, and preparing to move to Burkina Faso in 2015 if the Lord keeps providing stepping stones in that direction.
For you, it will be to pray in these ways:
Pray for the Richters as they work on leadership training, language learning, and land development
Pray for God to provide new team members for the Richters as the team goes through a transition
Pray for the people of Burkina Faso to be hungry and thirsty for the gospel
Pray for the churches to grow in depth of faith in God and love for Him and his people
Pray for the effective spread of the gospel among the Burkinabe people
Pray for me as I prepare to go long term
Pray for my family as they prepare to let me go (or go with me! That's a prayer request too!)
And for all of us, the next step is openness. Could it be that God is calling all of us right now to a spirit of openness so that we will be willing to listen to His voice and obey His call in our lives? For some that means moving to another place, but for most of us it means staying right where while moving into a new place spiritually. No matter where we are, we are called and commanded to proclaim the good news about Jesus, our Friend and Savior who has changed our lives and offers abundantly full life to all who believe.
Everyone hopped up from the couches and stepped away from the kitchen preparations to fill the entry way with a welcome party. A cold breeze rushed in as the Richters walked through the open front door, but the warmth of excited greetings and hugs was so strong that I hardly noticed. I had been looking forward to this moment ever since I first met the Richter family in Burkina Faso this summer, and now our families were finally getting the chance to meet.
There were seventeen of us in all - my family, the Richter family, the Harris family, and Emily (my missions partner and travel buddy in Burkina Faso this summer). My family knows the Harris family from church, but the Harris family is related to the Richters, which I found out when I went to Burkina to visit them and their mission team this summer. It's a small world, and you don't have to go far to find connections in the family of God.
We filled the kitchen table and overflowed into the dining room, and the dinner conversations were filled with warm laughter. After dinner, we migrated to the living room and gathered into little groups as various conversations began to develop. Some of us were just getting to know one another while others were catching up on recent life events. Soon, all the separate conversations began to merge as the topic that unites us came to the surface: Burkina Faso.
The Richters filled my parents in on a history of their missionary team in Burkina Faso. Then they explained the work that they are doing and their dreams for the future. When the Richters return to Burkina Faso in January of 2014, they plan to focus on three things: leadership training, language learning, and land development. Originally a church planting team, the team is now starting to focus foremost on leadership training. This is because the original church plants are planting churches that are planting more churches. Second, in order to better minister to the Dagara people group, the Richters also need to learn the Dagara language. Third, they will start to develop a large piece of land that has been provided for them. This is where they plan to construct buildings to enhance the programs and ministries of the team.
One such building could be a pregnancy center that would focus on prevention of maternal deaths through prenatal care, education, safe labor and delivery, and infant care. Burkina Faso has a very high rate of maternal and child deaths. Burkina also has a significant orphan burden, and many children are orphaned because of maternal deaths related to childbearing. A pregnancy clinic would have a huge impact on preventing maternal death, infant death, and the number of orphans. At the same time, the clinic would be a ministry and a way to introduce people to Jesus and His church.
That is where I come in. After connecting with the Richters this summer and seeing how God had given us similar passions, I prayerfully considered joining their team. As I prayed about whether to take the next step or not, I asked God whether it was His will or just my own. The Lord reminded me to look at my life and see how everything was lining up. He doesn't do that kind of thing to tempt and trick us, but rather to show us where to go. He plants passions in our hearts to direct us toward His plan for our lives. He has given me a piece of His heart for the nations, and He has paved a way and opened doors for me to go to Burkina.
After the Richers explained all this to my family, I expressed my desire to join their team in the near future, possibly around 2015, and to assist with the development of the pregnancy center. As we shared our dreams for the future, we did not make any concrete plans. That's because we both know that God's plan is what we ultimately want to follow (not our own) and that our role in following His plan is to have a spirit of openness. Yes, God has given us great excitement as we envision the future, and we love dreaming and planning, but we also trust that His plans may be slightly (or even drastically) different than our own and that He will guide us one step at a time. And so we will trust Him one step at a time. I believe that gathering our families together that evening to discuss all these things and pray together was exactly the next step we needed to take.
The party then moved from the living room to the piano room, where we broke out guitars and the cajon and worshipped together to the God who calls us to mission, makes paths cross, opens doors, and creates circumstances that could only be brought together by Himself.
I am in absolute awe of how God has directed my life towards missions from the first time I said I wanted to be a missionary in the fourth grade until now. God took me to Burkina Faso this summer, introduced me to the Richters and the team, and gave me a rare job in labor and delivery as a new grad for a distinct purpose. I don't think it is a coincidence, but rather a divinely-directed path to prepare me for living life on mission...and from the looks of it, probably in Burkina Faso. All of these little things are stepping stones as I follow the footsteps of Jesus, the Great Physician, Healer, and my medical missionary hero.
So what's the next step?
For me, it will be keeping in touch with the Richters, continuing to develop competency and confidence as a labor and delivery nurse, learning some French, and preparing to move to Burkina Faso in 2015 if the Lord keeps providing stepping stones in that direction.
For you, it will be to pray in these ways:
Pray for the Richters as they work on leadership training, language learning, and land development
Pray for God to provide new team members for the Richters as the team goes through a transition
Pray for the people of Burkina Faso to be hungry and thirsty for the gospel
Pray for the churches to grow in depth of faith in God and love for Him and his people
Pray for the effective spread of the gospel among the Burkinabe people
Pray for me as I prepare to go long term
Pray for my family as they prepare to let me go (or go with me! That's a prayer request too!)
And for all of us, the next step is openness. Could it be that God is calling all of us right now to a spirit of openness so that we will be willing to listen to His voice and obey His call in our lives? For some that means moving to another place, but for most of us it means staying right where while moving into a new place spiritually. No matter where we are, we are called and commanded to proclaim the good news about Jesus, our Friend and Savior who has changed our lives and offers abundantly full life to all who believe.
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