March 9, 2004

• Confirmations
  
  Had lunch with my senior pastor today.  Had to keep myself from crying as he shared with me three things he sees:

  
  

  1.  "God has been leading you and calling you to be a missionary."  There is confirmation that it is a true leading and calling because it hasn't faded after all these years and has survived opposition and resistance.  If the "feeling" is just youthful fancy, then opposition would snuff it out, but if it is a true calling, then opposition confirms it even more.  He wanted to testify that he has seen how I have withstood opposition and resistance.  That it's still a desire and burden after all this time demonstrates that it's a call.

  
  

  2.  "You have a love for people - in caring for them and seeing them grow.  This is a sure sign of confirmation for God's call on you toward ministry."  He wanted to testify that he has seen evidence of it in me.

  
  

  3.  "You have struggles."  The struggle between a regular job, lay-ministry, or full-time missionary service.  The struggle shows desire.  Where there is no desire, there is no struggle.   The struggle is good, he said.  He has seen me struggle and he knows that it has helped to define and clarify God's true call for me.

  
  

  What's more overwhelming and powerful than having your senior pastor confirm that he believes God has called you to be a missionary??

  
  

  Three desires he has for me: 
  1.  that I would make Vietnam my place of ministry.
  2.  that the boy thing would work out for me - i.e. that God would give me a husband/partner in ministry.  (i can't believe he brought this up!!)
  3.  that I would take some seminary classes as part of my prep for going overseas.

  • 5:05 pm
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