I had to chuckle this morning at church when a missionary repeated the question that his family had asked him years ago after he told them that he would forego the expected, “safe” route of becoming a businessman, choosing instead to become a full-time evangelist. They asked, “Do you have a backup plan for when God fails you?”
About a week after I returned home from Spain in March, I went for a stroll downtown with a friend. As we chatted under the warm spring sun, I explained how God had carefully rearranged my plans over the past few years, preparing me to teach in Spain.
I held my hand straight out in front of me and said, “I’ve learned to hold my plans in an open palm.”
God must have laughed out loud in that moment.
The burning question that most friends are asking me right now is:
With all the chaos that COVID-19 has caused, will you still move to Spain in August?
To be honest, that’s the question that I’m asking too.
On Monday morning (March 9), I copied these words from Oswald Chambers’s My Utmost for His Highest into my journal:
“Showing no concern for the uncertainties that lie ahead is the secret of walking with Jesus.”
I recently made a new Spotify playlist using songs (both new and old) from some of the artists that I loved as a child, which is why I am currently listening to a series of Switchfoot tunes from the past two decades. Let me tell you — nothing makes me more sentimental than listening to “This is Your Life.”
This is your life.
Is it everything you dreamed that it would be
When the world was younger, and you had everything to lose?
My favorite author, Lemony Snicket, writes,
The table of elements does not contain one of the most powerful elements that make up our world, and that is the element of surprise.
During my lunch break today, I decided that God uses the element of surprise better than anyone else.
About 10 months ago (February), I learned that a missionary school in Spain needed a secondary English teacher. Because I have always had an interest in missions, and because I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in English education, I began praying about how God might use me at the school in the future.
Fast forward four months (June), and I was having serious conversations with the mission board about where I could serve.
Fast forward another five months (November), and I was completing an interview with the school in Spain.
Fast forward to today (December), and I am doing pre-field ministry (formerly called deputation) to teach secondary English in Spain. If you aren’t familiar with pre-field ministry, it basically consists of three tasks: (1) attending trainings and workshops to prepare for life as a missionary, (2) doing everything possible to learn about the people and the culture that you are about to join, and (3) raising prayer and financial support for your international ministry. As I prepare to move to Spain next year, I want to give you regular updates about my pre-field ministry.
Joy Serving Jesus 