The Path Begins

In December of 2012, I attended a missions conference called URBANA with two of my closest friends and Sisters in Christ. 16,000 people from all over the world gathered in St. Louis, Missouri to learn more about missions in every aspect. The conference is held by Intervarsity and happens every 3 years. I had heard from people that it was a life changing experience, but I didn't fully realize what that meant until the conference was over and my life really was changed forever. 

On December 26, 2012, I wrote my first entry in my URBANA journal. Some of my journaling included the following: I pray that you may prepare my heart, body, and soul for this experience Lord. I pray that I may feel your presence close to me at all times and really get to enjoy every single moment. I pray that you will guide me to where you want me. Lead me Lord, I want to do your will. Help me realize and see the path you have laid out for me. Let everything that I do be done for you. I love you Lord. Thank you for this incredible opportunity. 

2 Thessalonians 1:3, 11-12 
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may take you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your ever deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

On December 29, 2012, I wrote the following: 
Lord - I am so confused. 
      I need you. 

Please guide me. Lead me to where you want me. 

My heart is heavy. 

I feel like you want me somewhere. 
          More so Africa specifically. 
But I don't know if that's you or me making things up. 

Please open my heart. 
     Let me be in tune with you. 
Guide me Lord. 

 I love you. 

It was there, on that day, that I first felt God's call for me to Africa. I've been praying about it ever since, and the Lord keeps opening more and more doors that are verifying that call.

Every fall, the Music Business Colloquium class at Lebanon Valley College puts on a music industry conference that brings in professionals from all over the country to talk on panels. I was in charge of the class for two years because I was the president of MISA (Music Industry Student's Association) for that long. I was going to class one day last fall and happened to pass by President Thayne. He stopped me and asked how the conference planning was coming along. I told him we were in the process of reaching out and asking people if they would be willing to be part of the conference. He told me that I should reach out to the Lorenz brother's because they were coming out to the college and would be here the weekend of the conference. I didn't know who the Lorenz brothers were at the time, but I thanked him and said I would reach out to them. 

It turns out that Geoff and Steve were the Lorenz brothers and own The Lorenz Corporation, a large music publishing company, located in Ohio. We invited them to be part of the conference and they said yes along with their wives! The President invited the leaders of MISA and Snyder, my advisor and second dad basically, to eat lunch with them in the President's suite the day before the conference. Geoff sat across from me and was asking about my plans for after graduation, because that's the question that everyone asks at this stage in life. I was honest with him and told him I'm feeling called to mission work in Africa when I graduate. He stopped me from continuing and made me repeat myself. Then he proceeded to stop conversation between his brother Steve and Snyder and told him to listen to what I wanted to do when I graduate. I repeated my calling and he said, "Oh, well I happen to own my own missions organization. We need to talk." At that point, my mind was pretty blown. What were the chances of that? 

The next day, I pulled Steve aside after his panel and asked him to talk to me about what his mission organization does. Is is called Missions Development International and he explained that he works mentoring, consulting, and equipping leaders ministering throughout the world. He then asked what I was feeling called to and I explained that I am feeling called to working more so with children in Africa. He started explaining organizations that he works with in Africa that work with children. One of them was called HEAL Ministries and when I looked at all of them later on, that was the organization that I fell in love with. 

"HEAL Ministries vision is that every abandoned woman and child find his or her value, purpose and hope through the transforming love of Jesus Christ. The programs at the James Place in Jinja, Uganda are tools to create opportunities for women to feel loved and find hope and know their potential. Through this empowering process, women and children are seeing for the first time that they CAN change their families and community for the better." If you'd like to learn more, check out their website: http://heal-ministries.org 

Over Christmas break, I reached out to Steve via email and let him know that I had fallen in love with the organization and was wondering what my next step was. I had done my research and saw that they offered mission trips and internships but I wasn't sure if they would accept interns after they graduated. I emailed him a day or two before Christmas and after Christmas he immediately got back to me saying he had talked to Tina, the director of missions, about me and that she would be contacting me. She contacted me within a couple hours telling me to fill out an application and we would talk after that. I took a little bit of time to pray and fill out the application. On January 1st of this year, I submitted my application. Tina almost immediately got back to me and was asking me questions so that we could both be praying more specifically about this opportunity. 

Right now, I am currently waiting to FaceTime Tina at some point shortly in the future to find out more about this internship. I would be going shortly after I graduate in May and would be going for a year if I do get the internship. I really feel that this is where God is calling me, and I just keep praying about it every day and putting my trust in him.