I have been waiting for this day, for well, a little less than a month but it has felt like forever. Like an eternity. Knowing there's a call coming but not knowing exactly when is pretty torturous. Knowing today is definitely the day it will come is overwhelming. I couldn't get to sleep last night. Not so much from nervousness, but just from expectation. From a heart overflowing with praise. From prayers that my heart would always say "wherever, whatever, however, with whoever, for Your glory." Praying for the people of a country that stole my heart a month ago. Praying for the orphans whose faces I've looked at countless times online. Praying for the family I was hoping to be working with. Reflecting back on the path that brought me here. Praising God for His faithfulness in the times when I so didn't deserve it. Praising Him for shutting every other door and opening only one. And trusting Him to continue to be faithful when I answered the much anticipated and long-awaited for phone call from the IMB in the morning. Knowing that in answering the call from the IMB, I would really be answering the call from the Lord. And being completely humbled by that. That God would choose to use me in His pursuit of the nations is incredibly humbling.
And so I woke up this morning with a heart still overflowing with prayers and praise. And I told Jesus a phone call should come before lunch. I kept my phone within a arm's reach glued to me all morning long. And lunch came. No phone call. I pulled out my MP3 player and reorganized playlists, added new songs, downloaded new music. 1:00 came. 2:00 came. 3:00 came. I was beginning to think maybe tomorrow. And then at 3:39, the familiar chorus of Matt Redman's "Never Once" began to play from my phone. I thought about taking a moment to let those lyrics sink in, but quickly answered instead. And in a 2 minute and 46 second phone call, I got the news I have been waiting forever a month to hear.
Ladies and gentlemen, this girl is moving to Zambia!
I gave my verbal acceptance on the phone and in a few days I'll submit my written acceptance to the IMB. I'll write another post later with more information about what it is I'll be doing.
But for now, suffice it to say that my heart is overflowing with joy and completely humbled to go and join in the work that the Lord is doing in Zambia.
