My Calling to Germany

For one week each summer of 2007, 2008, and 2009, I went with a team to Kharkov, Ukraine, to work work with children and conduct VBS programs. In January 2010, the church in which I grew up held a "Missions Fare" to promote the outreach opportunities available, and I was there to represent the mission trips to Ukraine. I don't even remember what made me, but when one of the ministers was praying, I asked God to tell me what to do with my life. Not expecting something immediately, I felt God speak to me and say, "Go be   missionary in Germany."

It's funny how we always say "Lord, give me guidance" or "Thy will be done" but always have some reservation. I was a Germany nerd; I loved the language and wanted to spend some time in Germany, possibly as an exchange student. Going to Germany as a life-long missionary, however, wasn't exactly what I'd expected or wanted to hear, and it definitely was something I didn't think I could do. I pushed the idea to the back of my head.

That September  I went to hear the evangelist Perry Stone preach in a nearby city. The first night, Perry preached on God's plans for your life. Using Genesis 22 and Acts 27-28, Perry explained that when God calls you to something, He gives you the four P's: the plan, the place, the provisions, and finally, the purpose. During the alter call that evening, you could really feel the Spirit moving. I hadn't really thought about God's calling since He gave it to me, but I again felt God call me to missions in Germany. I knew I had to take the call seriously now, but I still wanted some sort of confirmation that this was indeed what God wanted me to do. Ever faithful in His pursuit, God sent the mailman a few weeks later to confirm this was indeed what He wanted to to do. Thirty minutes before the he arrived, I had been talking to my mom for the first time about feeling the call to missions in Germany. As I was walking to my truck to drive to work, I passed my mom talking to the mailman. My mom introduced him as Jeff, and Jeff said to me, "God told me to pray with y'all about something that's going to happen in your life." As Jeff prayed over us, I knew now beyond any shadow of doubt that the Lord wanted me to do full-time missions in Germany.

You can view my long-term website here: www.auftraginbremen.info.