It was a fine summer evening. We had been visiting my parents in Virginia and Chip and I were about to go on a nice walk around the neighborhood. Some months ago, we had had our discussion in a restaurant about my feelings of dissatisfaction with life in Kenya and my role (or rather lack thereof) in it. The conclusion had been that we needed to pray for God to give me a vision – to help me discover my passion and how to go about fulfilling it (see my blog of Jan 7th for background). The interesting thing is that due to our very diverse and busy schedules, while Chip was pursuing his PhD, we had precious little time to pray together. Therefore, I had been praying on my own and listening intently to what the Lord may be saying to me. I had no idea if Chip was praying or not, but I was taking this seriously because it was my frustration, and I wanted out of it!
Over the months, something had been forming in my mind and heart. While Chip was in classes, we needed something to supplement our support to help pay bills and put food on the table. So, I went to work. I was blessed to land a part time job as administrative assistant to Chip’s supervisor at Florida State University (FSU). The flexible hours and location suited me well as a mother. Typically, at least initially, my boss would work from home, and I would work in his closet of an office (two people could not work there at the same time!). Later, the roles changed, and I worked from home, as I began teaching the kids at home full time. During the days when I was office-bound and often working on the computer, students would frequently come by, looking for my boss. Invariably, we would end up in conversation about school, life, faith, matters practical and philosophical. FSU is not a Christian institution, so we had a wide variety of students who expressed vastly diverse opinions, ideas, and beliefs. Some of these conversations were quite animated and challenging. I began to enjoy and look forward to these encounters. One particular young Haitian man was especially interesting as he was a voodoo fan and was not fond of Christianity – yet he kept coming round to challenge me. I suspect he enjoyed the repartee. I could sense that though he often attacked my faith, he was also intrigued and he never disrespected me as a person.
Through these encounters with students of all stripes, I began to notice a passion evolving and to see a picture forming in my mind – a mentoring work with university students wherein we could engage them in meaningful and challenging discussions and interactions, to challenge their faith and to help those who did believe, grow.
Back to the summer evening walk…Chip and I strolled down the street and once again, I broached the topic on my mind, only this time, instead of frustrations and dissatisfaction, I was sharing a growing excitement and dream. As I shared, I could see Chip growing more agitated, as if eager to interject, but he waited and heard me out. Then it was his turn to speak. Boy, was he excited. He proceeded to share what he felt God had been showing him during these past months (yes, he had been praying too). The reason he was so animated was because God was showing him a hospitality ministry with young adults (particularly university students) – a place where they could come for discussions, to learn things you don’t necessarily learn in university – a place where they could feel free to express themselves and receive guidance. We could both see how the 2 dreams dovetailed; however, details were lacking. God did not give us the blueprints or a step-by-step plan. All we could see was a vague, rather fuzzy picture of a possibility.
We never did get those blueprints. Over the years, we would discover that God would lead us step by step. As we took one step in obedient faith, then the next one would present itself. Sometimes God leads like that. Perhaps He knows that if we saw it all from the beginning, we would run away, never start. Maybe sometimes He, knowing our lack of confidence, presents things in bite-sized, more digestible portions. But I have come to trust in His wisdom and His way of doing things. I still may not like it that much (I tend to like to have everything laid out clearly in a step-by-step, clear plan so I can know what to expect and be prepared for it), but I have to trust God’s way, as it invariably turns out to be the best way!
So, now, we had a nascent vision. How was this to begin? We’ll have to wait until the next blog entry to find out…
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