A Growing Desire...

I don't know how to write this post. I want to share with you a developing desire, passion, if you will, that God has placed on my heart as of late, but I don't have any stories or analogies to help me this time. Not that I need one, because it is suffice to say that this is the Lord's hand over my life and working in my heart, but it just makes it easier for me to write and you to read if there is a fun story or whatnot to go along with it. But here goes (forgive me if the "flow" is not up to its usual par).......

Recently, meaning this summer, I have found myself falling in love with missions. You see, growing up, I never really knew a lot about missions. I mean, I knew what missionaries were and what they did, to an extent, but I never understood the concept of missions. I was one of those people that thought missions only existed in the farthest corners of the Earth and that the only way you could take part in missions was to sell everything and go into "the bush" and share the gospel with lost people. Pretty ridiculous, huh? But it was a matter of not being educated about the subject matter.

Now, I go to one of the nations most mission-minded churches and I have learned and grown to understand the truth of what missions are. My eyes have been opened and I now realize what it means to be a missionary. And this summer, I have grown to LOVE missions! I don't really know what that means at this point. I know two things. I know that right now, I am called to follow Christ anywhere He leads me and that right now that is Auburn, AL. I also know that He has a plan for my life and the ultimate purpose of that plan is to glorify Himself. But right now, I am so excited about the thought of sending laborers onto the field and even more excited about being one of those laborers!

So what am saying?! As of October 2005, I was dead-set in my way. I told several people that I felt no calling, nor had any desire, to be a life-time or an international missionary. At the time, and still presently, I had a very strong desire for our nation. But now, I really feel that God is opening my heart for the world, for the nations. I mean, it is to the point that I am in tears when I sing a song about "the nations" crying out one day. About "every tribe and tongue" bowing before the throne. I don't know what it means. I don't know if God is just softening my heart and making me aware how urgent the need is or if He is preparing my heart to accept a call to be involved in missions full-time. Am I one of the laborers of the harvest? Will I be one of the chosen to go to one of the unknown people groups in the world and make the Word of God famous among that nation? Am I the next Amy Carmichael or Corrie Ten Boom? Who knows...He does!

So now comes the fun part! I need your help in this matter. I sincerely ask that you make this a matter of prayer on my behalf. Pray that God's will for my life will be clear and that I will accept that without any questions. I know that it can be scary to step out on faith and go to the corners of the earth, but I pray that God will make my heart bold and will empower me with His Spirit to follow His calling for my life. I want Isaiah 6:8 to be a true reflection of my heart on this matter. I do not want to be found in disobedience to Him, and if He is calling me to be a worker for the Kingdom harvest, then I want to go! I want to do His work. Thank you for your petitions on my behalf. I am truly blessed by those of you that care enough to invest in my life. God is sooo good and He will be glorified.... :)

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying,

“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”

Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Isaiah 6:8