As I type, it is 137 days, 9 hours, and 6 minutes until I leave for Africa.
Over the past two weeks, a team from my church has been over in Tenali, India on a mission trip, sharing the love of Christ with the people over there. Out of the group, four of the girls are some of my closest friends here. It has been so exciting to keep up-to-date with their trip through their Facebook posts and pictures, and now that they're back, to hear their amazing stories. Every story I hear and smile I see on each and every one of their faces just gets me that much more excited to go to Africa this summer.
I can't help but be so proud of these young ladies for taking this step of faith in going to a country so far away and letting God use them to minister to those around them. As I've been following their trip, I can't help but realize how extremely lucky we are to have the freedom here in the United States to worship God as freely as we want. In India, the people there face persecution everyday for openly worshiping God, yet they don't let that stop them. Instead, they thrive on it and praise Him all that much more! I can't help but feel so convicted over that. It is so easy for me to live life day to day, just focusing on myself, instead of focusing on showing the love of Christ to those around me. I get worried that I'll be judged and my co-workers will think I'm weird, or I get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of things that I lose focus on the most important goal... to tell others around me about God.
I pray that in the coming months leading up to Africa, God will help use this trip as a venue for me to share my faith with those around me. I pray that in my workplace, it will give me a way to bring up what God is doing in my life and open up people's hearts around me. I hope you will join in praying for my team and me as we spend the coming months preparing for this trip. I have been so blessed already by so many people who have not only said they would be joining me in prayer, but have also supported me financially. I am still only $700 away from reaching my goal of $3200 to go to Africa. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me in this trip and how he is going to use me to reach those around me for Christ. Thank you for your support! :)
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
My job... My Mission Field!
Each day I wake up, get ready, and head my way to a job that is extremely exhausting, yet rewarding at the same time. The life of a teacher does not always have its perks. Although people argue that we get summers off and numerous breaks, it definitely has to be a job you feel called to.
I was in the seventh grade when I decided I wanted to be a teacher. I remember my 7th grade English teacher, Mr. Glasbrenner, who showed me how fun learning could be. It was at that point that I decided I wanted to do exactly that. It was nice when I was starting college and knew exactly what I wanted to major in. Others around me struggled to find their niche, going back and forth between numerous majors, yet I had my focus all figured out. I got through my classes, did my student teaching, graduated, and was ready to start my first actual teaching job.
Four and a half years later, there have definitely been some ups and downs in my career. There have been many laughs and tears as I sometimes wondered if teaching was really something I was cut out to do for the long haul. I have prayed so many times about where God wants me to be and have finally come to the conclusion... I am where God wants me to be. It doesn't matter how exhausted and hurt or happy and satisfied I feel, because God has placed me in the exact place he wants me to be serving.
This past summer, I was home and hanging out with my dad at the local IHOP. We have a tradition where every time I fly home, we go there afterward, no matter how late/early it is. This is always such a great bonding time with my dad as we talk about every possible topic imaginable. While we were there, he said something that will forever ring true in my mind. I was talking to him about how I wondered if I was where God wanted me to be. I think about the various dangerous paths I have taken in my life and about how disobedient I have been to God in the past, and I wondered if somewhere along the way, I didn't listen to God and missed the turn. I was so focused on doing what I wanted to do that I lost track of what God wanted me to do. My dad simply said, "Erin, it doesn't matter what job you have. God can use you anywhere. Your job is your mission field." It really got me thinking about my past jobs and the focus I had. I had been so wrapped up in teaching the curriculum, improving test scores, grading papers, making class fun, etc. that I had lost track of my reason for being there... to reach those around me to Christ and be an example of His light in my life.
I am extremely lucky to have a job I enjoy. Yes, on days it is exhausting and I come home having a panic attack over all the essays I have to grade and the planning I have to do, but God has a reason for me being there. It wouldn't matter if I were an insurance salesman, waitress, journalist, guidance counselor, or Broadway actress, God would use me just the same. I have to look around where God is working and join Him in that work, no matter where I may be.
I pray that is same for you. Whether you hate or love your job, I pray you will find where He is at work in your life and join Him there. We work everyday with people who do not know the love and joy a relationship with Christ brings. They are screaming inside for the hope we, as Christians, have. I hope both my colleagues and students can see there is a difference in me. I have a hope in me that can only be explained through the miraculous love of Jesus Christ. I hope years down the line as my students look back on me, they will not only see a wacky teacher who had a fun class, but one that was different because she had the love of Jesus in her heart. I may not be able to tell them straight out, but I hope they can tell there's something different from my actions.
I was in the seventh grade when I decided I wanted to be a teacher. I remember my 7th grade English teacher, Mr. Glasbrenner, who showed me how fun learning could be. It was at that point that I decided I wanted to do exactly that. It was nice when I was starting college and knew exactly what I wanted to major in. Others around me struggled to find their niche, going back and forth between numerous majors, yet I had my focus all figured out. I got through my classes, did my student teaching, graduated, and was ready to start my first actual teaching job.
Four and a half years later, there have definitely been some ups and downs in my career. There have been many laughs and tears as I sometimes wondered if teaching was really something I was cut out to do for the long haul. I have prayed so many times about where God wants me to be and have finally come to the conclusion... I am where God wants me to be. It doesn't matter how exhausted and hurt or happy and satisfied I feel, because God has placed me in the exact place he wants me to be serving.
This past summer, I was home and hanging out with my dad at the local IHOP. We have a tradition where every time I fly home, we go there afterward, no matter how late/early it is. This is always such a great bonding time with my dad as we talk about every possible topic imaginable. While we were there, he said something that will forever ring true in my mind. I was talking to him about how I wondered if I was where God wanted me to be. I think about the various dangerous paths I have taken in my life and about how disobedient I have been to God in the past, and I wondered if somewhere along the way, I didn't listen to God and missed the turn. I was so focused on doing what I wanted to do that I lost track of what God wanted me to do. My dad simply said, "Erin, it doesn't matter what job you have. God can use you anywhere. Your job is your mission field." It really got me thinking about my past jobs and the focus I had. I had been so wrapped up in teaching the curriculum, improving test scores, grading papers, making class fun, etc. that I had lost track of my reason for being there... to reach those around me to Christ and be an example of His light in my life.
I am extremely lucky to have a job I enjoy. Yes, on days it is exhausting and I come home having a panic attack over all the essays I have to grade and the planning I have to do, but God has a reason for me being there. It wouldn't matter if I were an insurance salesman, waitress, journalist, guidance counselor, or Broadway actress, God would use me just the same. I have to look around where God is working and join Him in that work, no matter where I may be.
I pray that is same for you. Whether you hate or love your job, I pray you will find where He is at work in your life and join Him there. We work everyday with people who do not know the love and joy a relationship with Christ brings. They are screaming inside for the hope we, as Christians, have. I hope both my colleagues and students can see there is a difference in me. I have a hope in me that can only be explained through the miraculous love of Jesus Christ. I hope years down the line as my students look back on me, they will not only see a wacky teacher who had a fun class, but one that was different because she had the love of Jesus in her heart. I may not be able to tell them straight out, but I hope they can tell there's something different from my actions.
So, I'll go on teaching and trying to be that light to those around me. Because after all, my job is not just a job... it's so much more! It's my mission field! God calls us to be on mission for Him. That does not always mean going on mission trips around the globe. Each one of us has a mission field that we report to everyday. It is just up to us in how we are going to impact it.
My mission field! :)
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