When God Lays a Burden on Your Heart…He Will Always Make a Way!

It was career week over 12 years ago, the place; freshman English, the project; our future career and me with a whole lot more guts & faith then I seem to have now. I stood before my class; I was a new convert, been in church maybe 6 months at this time but more likely less time. I can still see my report so vividly in my mind, I remember the desire I felt and the amount of faith that was so overwhelming. My career choice was a bold one, one that I would question over the next several years and maybe even for years to come. It took guts to stand before my peers and share this, it was not the easy path or the path well liked but it was my dream, my burden, my desire. So I began my introduction like this,

“My career choice is to be a missionary to Africa.”

It would be over the next several years that an opportunity would be placed before me to go to Africa, but every time the door would close. Youth mission trips, personal invitations by missionaries, and other chances. I would keep in touch with missionaries, I had several MK friends but over time we lost touch. It began to feel like my dream slipped though my hands. Before long it was a dream of my past, something that I forgot about and laid aside for a time. The only time it would flutter so strongly in my heart was when I hear the stories Bro. & Sis. Ikerd would share former missionaries to South Africa and surrounding countries. I would push it aside knowing I would not have a chance.

I don’t remember the first time I had met them, my best friend, Mary had already started working with several of the ladies and then they began to come to church. The ladies then the kids, they were African refugees. Slowly their dark chocolate eyes, melting smiles, wild energy, and tenders hearts, the children had begun bring back that desire.

I began to pick them up for church, stuffing several children in my little beat up old Toyota with no a/c in the middle of a blazing Phoenix summer.

I would kneel down to their level and beg for sweaty smelly hugs & messy kisses

. I was able to look past the dirty clothes, mismatched outfits, and barefoot feet and see a soul in need. I would teach them about God and teach them kid’s songs; they would teach me words in Swahili and songs in their language. I would talk to them about problems and they would play with my hair attempting to braid it.

One kid’s church service I was asked to do an object lesson, after much prayer I kept having an old song go though my head, “I am a promise, I am a possibility, I am a promise with a capital P…” An idea came though my mind and with the help of my friend Elizabeth we put it together. I took the pictures of the Sunday school kids and church kids and told the kids to imagine with me. I told them I had gone into the future with Elizabeth and her and I took pictures of the kids as adults. We had simply Photoshop the kids doing great things for the Lord. Showing they had the potential of being anything they want but if the do it for the Lord, no matter how small of a deed that if they did for the Lord is was a great thing.

For weeks the kids talk about how when they get older they will do great things for the Lord.

They talk about being missionaries, bus drivers, kitchen help, pastors, construction workers building churches and so much more. Most of all the adults cried when they saw the potential that each child had, and the investment they could be apart of.

After every one of the little African children received the Holy Ghost or be baptized, I would cry long into the night, Thank God for His goodness and grace. I watched as they spoke in tongues and have such joy! I held them as they cried & prayed in my arms! I felt at such peace in those moments.

When I couldn’t go to Africa, God brought Africa to me.

Now here I am, 12 years later from when I stood before my classmates and declared I would be a missionary to Africa. I’m working with African refugees, my little babies, I feel at peace but God began to tug at my heart once again. I want to go to Africa, I want to walk where my little ones ran from, and I want to reach out to those who are in need of a Savior.

Does this mean I’m packing everything and heading for the mission field, I haven’t felt that calling yet? I do feel another tug, a short mission’s trip; a couple weeks maybe even a month. What part of Africa? I don’t know. But God showed me something today, Am I ready? Do I have the faith like I did 12 years ago? Are you ready to take up your dreams once again?

You may spend a lot of time waiting for God to open the door of opportunity, but the really question is... what are you doing while you wait? Will your bags be packed when that door is opened?

So that what I’m going to do! I’m going to start packing, well not literally but I’m going to get ready for that door to be wide open once again. I’m getting my passport, start getting all my shots to go to Africa, saving money and all the other details. So when that door is open there I will be experience with working with my little African refugees and traveled ready! I may not have been ready before but now I’m going to get ready for what God has in store!

Packing my bags for Africa,

Jacqueline