This week, a new class of missionary recruits attended their first training and introduction to CMF at its Indy office.  A year ago, we were in that class with five other nervous and excited future missionaries, each of us dreaming about what God had planned for us.  We each said an initial “yes” to God, and He was already changing us in imperceptible ways.

For me that week was a reality check.  After months of searching, praying, and completing all of the paperwork to affiliate with CMF, we were now squarely on the path to serving God on a different continent.  Our choice took on tangible contours and edges.  We had shifted from a zealous “sign me up!” to the realities of raising support, walking with family and friends as they processed our decision, and a fresh perspective on our life as we knew it to be.

On the final day of our training, we ended the afternoon in prayer together as a group, imploring Father to guide and sustain us in this latest step of faith and trust.  My heart was so full and I felt so overwhelmed that I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. Just as prayer concluded, my phone vibrated, signifying the receipt of an email.  It was from a dear friend in our house church who is also a dedicated prayer warrior.  She said that as she was reading through Matthew 24 that afternoon and conversing with God about His future coming, she heard our names spoken in verse 14, which says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”  God told her that He was sending us to Africa to be part of fulfilling His prophesy.

What a powerful proclamation from God’s lips to our ears!  Originally we signed up to be missionaries because we thought that God could use our specific skills and experiences to glorify Him in the ministry to which He had called us.  In all other endeavors, He had given us vision, drive, and determination, and we were applying those attributes to this pursuit as well.  But even then– when we believed that we could do it ourselves, that it was largely about our personal journey with Him– God was teaching us that His purpose is so much greater than we can comprehend, desire, or contrive by our own means.

He called us to proclaim His Kingdom throughout the world, starting here and then in Kenya.  He calls each of His disciples to do the same, wherever they may be in His world.

From those early days of our “launch” as missionary recruits to now, God has taught us innumerable lessons about who He is and who we are in Him.  We had no idea then what He had in store for us during this year.  But now we can attest to the glimpses of His glory that we’ve witnessed this past year as He works out His plan for our lives and for others that He’s joined to us.  Through His faithfulness and truth experienced and exhibited in our daily walk, we can now say wholeheartedly– “Here I am, send me!”