Knock. God Can Redeem the Time!

By Susan , a mission worker in Russia.

My goal in my teaching career was to work and save enough money t o t ravel around the world. What I did not know, though, was that God was also working in me and growing my heart for cross-cultural ministry.

Over several years I attended numerous mission con ferences to learn from missionaries and to hear about their experiences. The se missionaries affirmed that there was a place for me in mission work and encouraged me to not let self-imposed barriers , such a s being single , be a hindrance to getting involved.

The Missions Director at my church heard about SEND and was pleased to learn that the organization is Christ - and prayer - centered, is all about the kingdom of God, and is team - ba sed . He felt confident recommending SEND as an organization I could work well with.

Soon after, a SEND mission coach reached out to me . I admit I was afraid to respond to the e - mail; I had not yet sorted out what I wanted to do in missions and so put off my reply. That didn’t stop God though. He continued to remind me about SEND.

By the time I was ready to talk to the coach, I figured it was too late to go overseas that year and that I had missed my chance. However, a godly friend encouraged me to just “knock”. “God can redeem the time, even though you think it is too late.”

When I finally reached out to John, the mission coach, I realized I was communicating with someone who loved God. And, even though I did not know exactly what I wanted to do in missions, I felt safe talking with him. I could see that John cared about me and what God wanted for me, so I could trust him to guide me well.

Since I am a teacher, John directed my attention to a teaching opportunity in Russia. As I prayed about that ministry, I became convinced I should take the next step.

So, o n May 11 of that year I ap plied to SEND and on May 31 , I resigned from my teaching position! Even though I thought it was too late to do anything that year, God flung open the doors and by September I was in Russia!

I am so thankful that my friend urged me to “knock” and watch for what God would do. If you’re serious about serving God, even though you may f eel f earful, take th e first step ! You c a n tr ust God for what comes next !

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