At Miss*on ConneXion 2009, I was standing in line to buy a coffee (actually, I ended up ordering a soy vanilla chai latte), and the guy in front of me asked what I was going to get, then paid for my drink. What was particular is that I’d been planning to do the EXACT same thing for the couple behind me. They were this cute older couple and I was listening to them figure out what they going to get! I paid the cashier for their drinks, but I don’t think he understood what was going on… Maybe he just ended up with an extra large tip! But if that’s the case, that’s OK too.
This was my 3rd or 4th time attending the annual conference in Portland. It, along with the conference on my family’s farm, is probably the most encouraging weekend of my year (they're tied, so I can't make that sentence plural in my head!). I really missed going last year when I was in Rome – I’d even tried to figure out if I could attend the conference and get a flight out Saturday night, arriving in Rome Sunday night right before classes started on Monday. I didn’t end up doing that, but it might have been worth the extreme jet lag going into classes!
These conferences are my twice-yearly re-calibration points. As a young lady with my eyes set on serving overseas, each time I hear stories of people who have “been there, done that,” or remind me of what God is doing all over the world, calling people to Himself, I can’t help but want to pack my bag, hitch a ride to PDX, and hop on the first plane to a far-off land to join the action! Sometimes it’s hard to be patient and commit myself to working on the “assignments” before me now. But I know that, when following God’s orders and working on His schedule, no time is ever wasted.
I was talking to one of my students today after class, explaining my last couple years and how I came to be here, doing what I’m doing. Whenever I relate the story, I’m always awed by how God has blessed my socks off in providing opportunities for me to live out some of my dreams, and rather stunned by how it feels like I’m living inside the most adventuresome amusement ride ever imagined! Among the many reasons why I felt God prompting/allowing me to return to the NW this year was to set aside time to work on spiritual disciplines that I might not otherwise focus on developing. There are many areas of my life that need to be brought under His authority and I need to develop a consistent habit of submission to His will and obedience to His voice.
While I do look forward to the day when God will release me to return overseas, I also am thankful for this time of living somewhat “settled” and His reminders through conferences and biographies and conversations of the character I need to continue nourishing. My African-dad emailed me 2 Peter 1:5-8 this weekend, which has become part of the passages I’m working on memorizing while I drive up and down the freeway. I want to be in a position to be the most effective worker I possibly can be when I eventually get to the far-away field, and I believe that means I need to become the most effective worker I’m capable of being in THIS field. One of the things I realized during Pastor Tim’s sermon yesterday was that I want to develop the habit of beginning and ending each day in the presence of the Lord. What an honor and privilege and delight it is to have access to the throne room of God through Jesus. I don’t want to waste that! It’s part of that process of “keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus” regardless of what is around.
Perhaps that’s the most exciting thing about the annual ConneXion – the chance to interact and observe and listen to so many people who are sold out for Jesus – life, death, persecution, blessing: come what may, they are committed to walking the talk and loving the lost. That’s the kind of person I want to be. One of the things the speaker said on Friday night resonated with my heart and life motto (which is “I want to love in a way that changes the world - at least for one person.” for those of you who don't know): he said, “Love is irresistible.” Sometimes I don’t think I have much to offer the world - I'm just a simple, silly girl from rural WA with a stubborn streak, love for words, and the desire to touch the dirt all over the world - but with Jesus, I have everything to offer. I have the endless depth of the love of God at my disposal, and I know that wherever I am, whatever I’m doing, I can pour that love out on the people around me. Maybe some day that will mean performing surgery in refugee camps ravaged by civil war, or teaching village kids how to read and write so they can receive more of an education than their parents ever dreamed of having. But for now, in this time and place, be sure to talk about your drink order while in line, because loving on people just might materialize in little things like random acts of kindness at the coffee bar…
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