“How many are there who seem capable of anything for the sake of the Church or Christianity, except the one thing its Lord cares about—that they should do what He tells them. He would deliver them from themselves into the liberty of the sons of God, make them His brothers…”
-George MacDonald
Life Calling to Ministry
As early as my freshman year of high school I had a desire to go into ministry. That year I had begun to lead a prayer meeting in response to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and also became a source of prayer, advice, and encouragement amongst my peers. This spiritual-shepherding role continued to grow, and yet I struggled with whether I should go into ministry—feeling I needed to be called to that occupation.
So as I started college I kept my doors open by double majoring in Communications (something broad I was good at) and Mass Media (another passion of mine was filmmaking). Yet as I advanced in film production it became clear to me that this was only a hobby—not a daily passion. I began to ask myself what was my passion, what was worthwhile even when muddled in the day-to-day red tape of ‘reality’? The Bible study I was leading at the time immediately stuck out to me.
During the summer of 2005 I interned with the youth group at Blue Springs Christian Church. During this time I clearly realized my gifts and passions came together in ministry. I also realized my relationship with God was most fulfilled when He was using me in ministry. At the time, I thought I would go straight from college to seminary and then to youth ministry.
Over the course of the next school year a passion to help the poor with their physical needs grew in me. I discovered an opportunity to facilitate high school mission trips and build houses for the poor in Croc, Mexico for the summer. During that first summer I changed a lot. I saw ministry as a much broader term and I also began to desire living simplistically in a Christian community.
As graduation drew near in May of 2007, I was unsure what God wanted me to do. I had several options, but after reading Jeremiah 23 (where false prophets are condemned for running with their own messages instead of waiting for God’s word—with which they could have healed the land) I decided to go home and be mentored by Pastor Joey Butler.
Calling to Croc, Mexico
Once again many options lay before me when I came home (after spending another summer in Croc) in August of 2007. Till the middle of February I sought what God wanted me to do. I looked further into seminaries, discussed training under my mentor to prepare to help launch a church plant, and also looked into how I could serve fulltime in Croc. This last option slowly began to rise in my heart. Then, following my mentor’s advice, I called together a meeting with seven Christians I was very close to and respected to ask them to help me seek guidance. Through their prayer and advice I felt a peace that God was calling me to go to Mexico as my next step.
