About one and a half years ago, I sold just about everything I owned, stored the rest in boxes at my parents’ house, and moved across the world to become a missionary. 


Despite the fact that I’ve had about 500 days on the field to process the fact that I left my comfortable job, loving community, and all the amenities America has to offer, it still shocks me and humbles me that Jesus chose me to be a witness overseas.


It was never on my radar to get involved in missions, though I knew about it from an early age. I grew up in a Christian household and attended a church that held an annual missions conference. It was the biggest event at the church. Missionaries from all over the world flew back to Lansing, Michigan for one week to give a report of God’s work through them. The climax of the week was a missions banquet. For one night, the unpretentious gym transformed into a dazzling banquet hall, complete with ice sculptures and fancy waiters. Even more amazing were the testimonies told by the missionaries. It seemed like every person who talked mentioned persecution, hardship, and poverty, either for themselves or the people they served. Nonetheless, each person witnessed that God was at work, waking hearts to life and ushering people into His kingdom. I was in awe. I respected and admired them but didn’t consider pursuing missions in my own life.


God led me on a path that one might call typical for a young person in America. I graduated high school, attended a Christian college, and got an entry-level job as a high school French teacher. 


The deeper I waded into the waters of American work & hustle culture, the more I loved it. I enjoyed being at work from sun-up to down, and reaping the benefits of my salary. Material possessions, Netflix and its companion networks, and going out kept me busy and focused on my life. I continued to go to church and pray. God was a part of my life but He wasn’t at the center. 


That was, however, until Jesus interrupted my life. The disturbance wasn’t one single hurricane-like event, tossing everything in my life around faster than I could process it. It was more like a rainy season. Little by little, over a stretch of a couple of years, God tended to and watered the mission grounds of my heart until it bloomed into a lush garden.


The more I learned about the 3 billion people who have never heard the name of Jesus, the more my heart broke. I’m going to repeat that because that fact is worth repeating: billions of people alive today have never heard the name “Jesus.” They have no idea that they were made in the image of God, that His son came to set them free, that they have hope for their lives today and forever, and that they don’t have to be slaves to sin. No clue. I felt convicted and stirred to do something about it. Jesus gave us a clear commandment in Matthew 28:18-20:“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” (NKJV). This mandate, also known as the Great Commission, was the final words Jesus spoke on earth before he ascended into heaven. 


On His last opportunity to address His disciples, He told them to multiply and spread His message everywhere. He could have chosen to say anything. He could have told them to love each other fully, strive for peace, maintain an attitude of prayer, or serve each other humbly, but He didn’t.


I believe Jesus decided to end his earthly ministry with the Great Commission because he wanted to share His heart one last time, and His heart beats to capture the hearts of all people. 


Something I learned in my garden-growing season was that the Great Commission was not only for the greatest,“Godliest Christians.” Jesus didn’t say, “I only want the best of the best to go out and make disciples.” His word, “go,” was addressed to anyone who surrendered their life to Jesus, then and now. That includes me, and you (if you’re a follower ofJesus).


When I realized that this call to action fell upon my own shoulders, I felt moved to move. I know this isn’t an option for everyone, nor is it what Jesus is calling everyone to do.The global Church needs senders and goers. Without the financial support of dozens of individuals and churches, I wouldn’t be on the field today. They are involved in my ministry work just as much as I am. 


When I felt His gentle nudge to look for places to serve, I did a Google search one night at 11 pm in February 2021 and found an opportunity that was at the intersection of my greatest passion and industry skill set. As one door after another opened, I walked through them. I found myself a few months later as an approved missionary with an organization, moving forward to relocate my life to Africa.


I’m not special. I don’t have incredible talent or exceptional knowledge. I love the Bible, but I’m not a theologian. I’m a sinner whose only redemptive quality is that I’ve been saved by the Redeemer. 


Throughout the application process to become approved, I didn’t know what I was doing. If I had known the road ahead of me, I probably wouldn’t have done it. I put one foot in front of another and followed Jesus as He led. When things got hard during support raising or sorting out the details of moving my life across the globe, I asked Him to make a way. He did every time. 


Because of my “yes” to Jesus’ interruption, I’ve had the time of my life serving Him for the last year and a half. He’s been so faithful to meet all of my needs: physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. Is my life perfect? Of course not. Do I have hard days when all I want to do is cry on my couch and hide from the world? You bet. 


What keeps me going through it all is knowing that nothing is an accident with Jesus. His interruption wasn’t that at all; it was a divinely-timed event, shifting my life journey in a manner that would bring Him ultimate glory.

 

Originally published in Every Little Seed - Interruptions