T&J
For us, our calling to serve abroad was clear; the calling to WEC was clear. However, we were still praying and seeking wisdom as to where to go. Before embarking for the field, there may be misconceived “mission hotspots” – places that attract more people, having the appearance of a place where missionaries can reach the world. I even had a dream about one such place.
One evening, at a prayer gathering of likeminded ones for the Middle East region, I had a vision of a minaret, the tower of a mosque from which the Islamic call to prayer is sounded five times a day. While praying for the region, my heart started to burn for one closed-access country, and I saw a minaret built of brick and stone, and heard Christ’s voice, as if broadcast from speakers at the top of the minaret, saying: “even the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40) – with His praises and worship.
What was strange was that we were not headed to that country. We finally chose a place perhaps not so popular with those who had invested years in language training. We were going to another country with a larger city. WEC Singapore respected our decision to choose a city that would be more accessible for our young family.
So I cherished the vision in my heart, saving it for some time in the future, maybe twenty years ahead, when the children would be much older. But some months after the vision, a job opportunity opened up – a virtual opportunity, allowing us to serve that closed-accessed country from outside – something unimaginable before virtual offices came about.
Father blew away my misconception – He is always a few steps ahead of me. He is all-knowing; He is all-present. He can be found anywhere, bringing me to the furthest place I thought possible from my dreams, only to find myself right smack in the middle of it. His plans are greater than mine, often taking months or years to pan out. But when you look back, how immeasurably greater they were than you had imagined!