We were asked to write a blog about how we were called to this mission trip. Here is my story…
This May, while talking to a friend of mine named Blake, I happened to mention how I had always wanted to go to Africa on a mission trip. He proceeded to tell me about a friend of his, Kevin, who was just getting back from a year in South Africa of doing missions work. During the course of that conversation, Blake, half-jokingly, said that I should take a year off before I go to college to go and do missions work. I laughed along with the joke. Little did I know…
I proceeded to start checking into two-week long missions trips for next summer. I thought that a trip like that would fulfill the calling that I was feeling but had yet to identify. Not quite. During a staff Bible study at Wind River in Colorado this summer, we had a former ranch employee who is now a missionary come and share with us. She did a very good job speaking, and I felt encouraged about pursuing a missions opportunity in Africa at some point. Boy, God must have been chuckling- or pulling His hair out, I’m not sure! The next day, while I was building fences and had a little time to myself, God really spoke to me. I heard Him clearly place Blake’s words on my heart, over and over for two hours. “…Kyle, you should take a year off before you go to school and do missions work. Kyle, you should take a year off before you go to school and do missions work…” Two hours. I would like to say that I said, “Ok, God. I’ll follow you”, right then and there. That didn’t happen.
Through more Bible studies, scriptures, and much advice from fellow believers, God continually showed me that this was His plan for me. I could literally write a novel with all of the confirmation that God gave me. (In case you hadn’t figured it out, I’m a bit stubborn at times!) I would, however, like to share a few experiences that stood out to me. At another staff Bible study, we looked at Luke 5:1-11, the calling of the first disciples. Verse 11 says, “So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed [Jesus].” Steve Stenstrom, the speaker, said in conjunction with that passage that if he had life to do over again, he would take more risk, jump in with both feet in spiritual matters, and drop his nets and follow more. Wow, thank you, God. Later that week, while I was praying in the shower and literally, for the first time in my life, fell to my knees (sorry if that is awkward to any of you, but hey, there is no more humble position before God than to be naked in the shower…). I surrendered to God’s plan- whether that was to go to school or to Africa, I wanted to be in the center of His will.
Well, by the time I left the ranch I was almost positive that God wanted me to go to Africa. There was just one thing making me hesitate: I had what equates to a full-ride scholarship at Texas A&M University. I felt like this was a gift from God, and I did not want to lose it by pursuing this opportunity with AIM (I had been researching trips and discovered the Novas Project), and I didn’t know what to do. So as I left the ranch for a week and a half to go on Choir Tour and spend a few days at home, I made this my prayer (and I’m sure this may not be completely theologically sound, but I think God’s too big to be defined wholly by our finite concepts of Him portrayed in our theologies): that if I was hearing Him correctly and that I was supposed to go to Africa, that He would provide a deferral for my scholarships. After I had been home for a few days, I pretty much gave up on the deferral because I had not heard anything positive from A&M, so I began to prepare myself to go to college in the fall. I already had my class schedule and rooming and parking assignments and all that good stuff. On my last day in Austin, I had lunch with my friend, John, who I was planning on rooming with and then went to the Apple store to get my new Mac Book Pro for school.
Then it got crazy (as if it hadn’t been already!). I got a call at four that afternoon telling me that I could have the deferral (which would mean I could just move my acceptance and scholarships back a year without losing any of the money). But, I only had until five to let them know my decision- one hour. Of course I knew my prayer and knew what I needed to do, but being the stubborn being that I am, I needed more confirmation. In that hour, twice I set my Bible on its spine and started reading wherever it fell open. (Again with the whole theologically correct thing, but God chose to use this in my situation). The first time, it fell open to Luke 5. Wow. The second time I did this, at 4:45, right before I was going to call A&M back and tell them that I would accept the deferral, it fell open to the book of Jonah. All I could do is laugh, “Ok, God. I get it, thanks. I’ll take an airplane- no need for a whale!”
So, I accepted the deferral, sent in my application, and the rest is history. This has been a very difficult summer for me, trying to work out all of the details with this trip and taking care of school stuff while I’ve been several hundred miles from home in Colorado. I’ve definitely run the gamete on human emotions. Even still, God had his hand on everything and provided all that I need. The other morning while I was running, I was thinking about the joy and fervor for life that I’ve had since I made the decision to surrender my life and follow the Lord’s call on my life for this year. I know that I feel that way because I’m in the center of God’s will for me, and there truly is nowhere else I want to be. It’s incredible, and I look forward to seeing what God chooses to do in and through me this year in Mexico and Uganda! It’s going to be an adventure!
