Our Callings

A few months back, a good friend of mine Courtney asked if I would go to Boone with her during the last week of December and meet with some people from INCALink, the mission organization that she is planning on working with in 2012. At the time I said sure, not really knowing what I was getting myself into, but as the time grew closer, and the idea of going to spend a weekend with a  bunch of people that I had never met grew in my head, I realized how odd and awkward and vulnerable the situation could be. Everyone there would have met, and were all interns of the same organization, and Courtney plans on being a Intern, so she had a link to them, but I was going to be just there. But after a bit of thought, I decided that I wouldn’t change my mind, and that I would go. So, this past Thursday, I packed up, gassed up, and Courtney and I headed up the mountain towards Boone. After turning around a few times, we finally made our way towards the house that we would be meeting at. At first, it was awkward, but as the time went on, as we ate together, and as we all played “Dutch Blitz”, I began to feel like more of the group, and by the end of the night, I felt like I had known them all for a long time, and by the time the guys headed to the house that we would be staying in, any previous uncomfort or uneasiness on my part had passed.

Friday morning a missionary of 38 years in Africa came to speak, and he encouraged us to stay focused, stay open, and to encourage others to serve, but what he emphasized most was the importance of serving the Kingdom. It was a truly inspiring message, to hear stories of his time in Africa, and to also hear stories of the other missionaries from INCALink. In the afternoon, we all headed up farther into the mountains to a home of a couple who have been struggling both physically and financially, and we did a service project where we got to clean up, and help to organize and even build a few stairs on the outside of the house. It was awesome to be able to hang out, and do missions in the state, among people who have a heart for missions and for Christ. That night, we all ate together, hung out, played games and watched a movie, and on Saturday morning, we all went out towards Grandfather mountain, and the mile high bridge.

The mountains of NC are incredible, and while standing out in the freezing weather, bracing myself from the 60 mph winds, I looked around me, and saw firsthand the glory and the beauty of God. Later, as we hiked, and got ice cream, I had time to sit and wonder how anyone could look around them, and see such beauty and such wonder and not believe, which is a disheartening thought.

I arrived home a minute after midnight, a minute into 2012, and am now writing to you- anyone who reads my occasionally coherent ramblings. Though I know fully what I am supposed to do from here- serve full time in youth ministry, just being around a group of people with the same heart, a heart of service and  a heart for others was incredibly encouraging as I move into the new year. I think of friends like Casey and Sarah Prince (check them out here), and Wyatt Bruton (check him out here), and now friends at INCALink (check them out here) and the incredible work that they are doing for the kingdom, and I am encouraged, and know that though I may be called to serve most of my time here, there are those serving abroad, preparing the way for the Glory and the Grace of God to permeate, and to overwhelm the people of the world, and to bring peace to the nations.