This morning I was reflecting, yet again, on how God works to line up the pieces of the stories of our lives. About a year ago, I wrote a blog about how vision is like a puzzle. When I wrote it, I knew I had a blind spot. I didn’t know what was coming up and I didn’t know what my long-term vision was. As I’ve come to see my vision a little more clearly, it’s exciting to see how each piece of the puzzle fits together.
I know that the call to “go” to another nation physically isn’t for all. But the call to “go” by participating in reaching the unreached is something that all of us are called to. Our earthly lives are expendable. They are running out. We all have the opportunity to spend our earthly lives on things that will last for eternity – things that fulfill the Kingdom’s purpose.
We are all called to follow Jesus step by step. He brought me here to Colombia – and it’s a part of the puzzle. He’s bringing me back to the US for a few months – and that’s part of the puzzle, too. He’s sending me to the other side of the world… another piece of the puzzle.
I wanted to share briefly how the pieces of the puzzle fell into place in 2012 regarding my move next year.
June – I begin coaching language learners, and happen to be placed in the Arabic section.
July – I go to a Carman concert (yes, really, I did) and happen to see an advertisement in the church’s magazine for a conference the following December. There’s no way I could go, I’m going to be in Colombia. But I write down the website – just in case.
August 5 – I receive an invitation to join LD to help with language coaching.
August 6 – A friend shows me a life-changing journal she’s been working through – (surprise) the LD journal.
August 9 – On a 3-hour drive, I listen to a podcast I found by the author of the LD journal. I am challenged to the core. I listen to another message and hear reference to a conference. I find the website I had written down at the Carman conference. You’ve got to be kidding. The same conference.
August 10 – I find out that the couple who invited me to work with them will be at the December conference. Too much of a coincidence?
September – I put the whole idea on the back burner and focus on ministry in Colombia
October – I consider the conference and talk to my leadership in Colombia – but it just didn’t seem like the right fit for me to leave in December just to attend the conference.
November – Colombian Immigration in Bogota denies the renewal of my visa. I decide the best option is to return to the US in December to renew my visa. I register for the conference.
December – God does a work in my heart regarding passion for the unreached – before the conference. I renew my visa and they only give me six months. I go to the conference and meet the people I would be working with. My heart beats fast as I share about language learning strategies with full-time workers who are already on the field that never received the tools they need to learn the language. I also wrestle with big questions: Do I want to leave Colombia? Spanish? Relationships? Ministry?
Through this whole process, I’ve come to one conclusion over and over again: He is worthy to be trusted. He holds all things in His hands, and He can fit the pieces together just right.
It’s a beautiful thing to follow him step by step.