The Adventure Begins

And the Adventure Begins...
I have to admit that I am a mystery novel junkie. Not “deep” mysteries, certainly not scary ones; but put me in the corner with Miss Marple, Hercules Poirot or Lord Peter Wimsey and I am set for a good afternoon. It is because I am stepping into an adventure that could twist or turn in any direction. Just think how exciting it would be to step into a real adventure of our own better, than any Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers could have written. We can! God has written our adventure, every day of it, before we were born. As we cling to His Word, as we obey His Spirit we enter the adventure He has planned for our lives, with twist and turns and eternal finale beyond our wildest dreams!
In any good story seemingly small details have significance later on; the same is true in our lives. Surprising blessings, painful experiences, pointless losses lay foundations that God builds on to produce gratefulness, patience, mercy and more. For me, God used a family full of love and humor to prepare my heart for the South American culture. He used short term mission opportunities in Mexico, Israel and Puerto Rico to introduce the joy of different ways of doing things. Though I was not raised in the Gospel He brought godly men and women into my life to not just teach me but show me what it means to walk with God. Their prayers, support and encouragement have carried me for many years and they are a source of joy as I step into the next chapter of God’s great adventure in my life. I was recently accepted as an AFLC Missionary and I am hoping to be in Campo Mourao, Brazil by the end of this year. I will be working in the Miriam Infant Home on the campus of the AFLC Bible School.
I had a chance to visit the home about 15 years ago, when I was serving with Youth With A Mission in Belo Horizonte. I went to visit Dave and Sarah Nelson and fell in love with a lovely ministry to children in need. There have been changes over the years; a home that once primarially cared for babies and little ones now receive children of all ages. The house will often receive two or three children from the same family, no matter the age. Right now the Miriam House has 12 residents from infants to 16 years old. The time I spent with YWAM, working with teens, suddenly has a greater relevance to the ministry God is calling me to. Now, could that have been part of God’s story line for me?
It is so exciting to know that there are no surprise for God, no accidents, just His gracious hand leading us in the adventure He has planned for each of us.Where are you in your adventure? If you don’t know it yet God wants you to see the plans He has for you - eternal plans with a great end! Ask Him to show you how he has moved and how He is moving and join in the adventure He has just for you