“Uncertainty is everywhere. But I am living in the midst of the uncertainty and risk, amid things that can and do bring physical destruction, because I am running from things that can destroy my soul: complacency, comfort, and ignorance. I am much more terrified of living a comfortable life in a self-serving society and failing to follow Jesus than I am of any illness or tragedy. Jesus called His… followers to be a lot of things, but I have yet to find where He warned us to be safe. We are not called to be safe, we are simply promised that when we are in danger, God is right there with us. And there is no better place to be than in His hands.”

Excerpt From: Katie J. Davis & Beth Clark. “Kisses from Katie.” Howard Books. iBooks. This material may be protected by copyright.

This is an excerpt from the book “Kisses from Katie,” which I am currently reading thanks to a dear friend that heard “the call” to send it to me.  I am only in the first fifty pages but WOW is this young woman an inspiration to me.  She heard the call and answered without hesitation.  If only all Christians could respond in the way that she has done.  Katie is a young girl and at the age of 18 heard Gods call to help the orphans in Uganda.  She decided against her wonderful life back in the states, left her friends, and a college education to go care for the sick and needy.

I will be honest and tell you a story of my struggles.  I have been praying about my purpose and how I can better serve my God in fulfilling His ultimate plan and I have heard the call to help others but I was not very tuned into my faith for a few years.  I’m sure many can relate to this and mine were the college years when most of us fall away from our religion simply because I didn’t have anyone telling me I had to do it and I was being a “big independent adult”….. Well now that this is out of my system, I came back to my faith and still had the feeling in my heart that I was to help others.  This isn’t something I pray for once in a while but honestly every day multiple times a day for God to show me the way that will ultimately help accomplish His goal.  I thought I was going to be helping people through government work with my MPA, you know helping “change the system” to make it better for the people and someday I still might do this (at least I hope so).  Then this whole Thailand thing came about and I started praying even harder.

I’m human and I obviously get my panties in a twist just like anyone else would when their “plans” are changed.  I mean I wanted whatever God wanted but did I really?  Instead I start to think “what a huge waste of time to get a masters!”, “I can’t believe how much debt I am in with student loans just to go around the world to NOT use my degree!” and “what in the heck am I doing going to Thailand this is clearly not the plan that God has in store for me and it will change and we won’t end up going.”

My prayers at this point in my journey are ramped up because I didn’t want to go to Thailand especially Bangkok!  (I saw the Hangover 2 and I made it very clear to Chris “I will never ever go visit that city it seems awful!”)  As I pray for months over this I am hearing God calling me to Bangkok but I choose to ignore it and think “no this can’t be right.”  I pray harder and because I am a simpleton, I ask for signs and affirmations that I am seriously supposed to go to Bangkok and I continue to get the same feeling but now the orphans of Bangkok are being put on my heart.  I decide to listen a little and say “okay God if this is what you want please make it very clear to me” and within a week I get three different, random answers by three different people who do not know each other and do not even live in the same state.  All three individuals tell me about mission work with orphans in Bangkok.  “Alright Lord I hear you!”

I arrive in Bangkok and start to see the homeless street children on the street begging for money and to be completely candid with you I try not to look because it hurts my heart too much.  I start to waver in my thought to help the orphans.  I keep thinking this is going to be too hard emotionally, physically, and mentally.  I start to think well I will just put it off for a while and not think about it and maybe it will go away.  Well it didn’t and the other day I asked God again for a confirmation that this is what He is calling me to do.  A few hours later, I receive an email about this book from a friend that (later she tells me) heard about it a couple of years ago and for some reason she just had the random thought to send the title to me in an email.  Thank the good Lord she did because that is the push I needed to get off my butt and man up to answer “the call.”

God is good.  His plan and timing are perfect.  I am so blessed to be able to answer His call here in Bangkok.  Next week I have my appointment with the orphanage that I hope to be working with during my next several years in Bangkok.

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps.”

1 Peter 2:21