Judea

before He ascended into heaven, Jesus left His disciples with these words:

"And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8)

Sometimes He calls us to witness in our own cities--at local churches, in local ministries, among our neighbors and co-workers.

Sometimes He calls us to the "ends" of the earth--in my case Mexico City; for others of us Haiti, Ireland, Kenya, the Phillipines, and everywhere in between.

but the imperative idea is He calls...

It's not a question of where I want to go, where I think I'd best serve, where I discern people who need my witness. He does the calling, He does the sending. He is God, after all.

So this summer, He has called me forth to serve & witness in my Judea--Hyde County, NC. With YouthWorks I'll be working in a rural, coastal community across the water from Ocracoke Island.

And while the other end of NC is not on the top of my list of a far-off summer adventure, it's not my adventure that's in question. It's the adventure of service, leadership, & love that He's taking me on, and I'm absolutely thrilled to know that this location is not gratifying any of my perceived desires--God is making sure this isn't a vacation but a mission. I was thinking urban ministry--He had other plans. I was thinking the other side of the country--He kept me in Judea.

And I have great faith that my experiences serving a community of fellow North Carolinians alongside the youth participants will be fruitful, and that by the end of the summer I will leave a piece of my heart in this rural coastal community.

Tomorrow I'm off for my first round of training--back to Minneapolis. So there will be plenty more to share come next week. With this and several other things (mostly grad school-related) swirling around in my mind, would you pray for peace & trust in God through my upcoming decisions & experiences?