A Call To Missions

When I signed up to go to Ireland in 2008 with Royal Servants, I could not have imagined the impact the experience would have on me and my future.  I had felt God calling me to go but had resisted for some time.  Because of another missions experience, I was not sure if I actually wanted to follow the Lord’s call on my life to pursue full-time missions.  However, in His sovereignty, God had a plan for me and guided me to what He wanted me to do.Everywhere I turned that spring, God gave me a sign or word or nudging to “go.”  I did, and I will never be the same.  While I grew with my team and traveled to Ireland and England, I was changed and challenged in remarkable ways.  I learned through my time away from home that the Lord provides the strength that each of us need at the time we need it.  There were times when I didn’t think I could carry on, but God answered my prayers, reminded me of his love for me, and blessed me beyond belief.

I had known for quite some time that the Lord was calling me into ministry of some kind, but was scared away by the stereotypical issues that missionaries face.  During my time in Ireland, when I saw the hurt on the faces of children with absent parents and the pain felt by the homeless alcoholics and the struggles faced by every young teenage girl, I realized that these people were no different from anyone I knew and loved back home.  They, too, were simply seeking love and hope from God–a Father who will never leave us, a Friend who will never walk away, and a perfect Love.  This was when my calling was confirmed and when I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that no matter what difficulties I faced, God would provide for me the strength and determination I needed.  It showed me that my heart was created to be shared and that the Lord has a purpose for every human being…and that He wants me to be part of that.

I returned to serve with Royal Servants in 2009, traveling to Sierra Leone, West Africa.  Not only did I grow spiritually, but I further discovered and developed my passions in missions.  I had felt called to be a missionary when I was nine years old but wasn’t completely sure how to go about developing and preparing myself for my future.  Years later, I realized that the best way for me to do that was to get my feet wet and my hands dirty and grow in my own relationship with God.  My experience in Sierra Leone did just that and more.  Seeing the way that millions of people live, in poverty and pain, broke my heart.  It gave me perspective on what I have been blessed with and the faithfulness of the Lord in my life.  It revealed to me that my enjoyment in the Lord was in serving others and loving them unconditionally.  My time with Royal Servants taught me how to share my faith with people who are lost, give of myself, and serve in a way that no other experience could have.

As I move forward, I plan to follow the Lord wholeheartedly into the mission field. Because I have realized that we can walk away from God and try to forget his call on our lives–He’ll keep nudging us towards Himself, calling us back, teaching us and forming us, until we are ready to follow His plan for our lives–why not go ahead and say, “Here I am, Lord.  Send me!?”  This summer, I’m moving to rural Tanzania in eastern Africa to teach primary school at a Christian development center for a year.  I also plan to work at the medical clinic across the river.  God has shown me that He, as my loving Father, wants me to find joy in serving Him, using my passions and personality to His glory.

Because I am passionate about increased access to healthcare for people in underdeveloped countries, my plan is to attend nursing school when I return to the United States next year and then pursue medical missions.

I am so blessed to have been able to serve overseas for two summers with Royal Servants.  The organization, passion, and growth associated with Royal Servants provided preparation for me and gave me indispensable experience in the mission field.  It confirmed in me the calling the Lord has placed on my life and impacted my heart for reaching the world.

I went to Scotland for both my years in 95′ and 96′. And the memories I have are still very vivid. The impact that Royal Servants made in my life is major. I can still recite the 4 spiritual laws by heart and many of the verses I memorized while there. It’s been a long time and the foundations you helped me build are still strong.I just wanted to say thanks for your ministry in my life! 14 yrs later and I can still remember much of my trip. I still have pictures in my home of my time there. I kept all of my things from both years. All the folders and keep sakes that I was given. I still every few years pick that up and read through it. I am currently married, I have 3 boys and I am a Chaplain for the Police Department here in my City. I have the opportunity to use the foundations I built up in Royal Servants to minister to not only the police but many many victims in my city. I still keep in touch with one of my friends from those trips and I know he is a Theology Professor. I am not sure he has seen this on FB but I will let him know. It is so good to see Royal Servants still going strong helping young adults to build their faith and learn about being a disciple! How great our Lord is!!

———- Forwarded message ———-

From: Diana
Date: Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 10:04 PM
Subject: Crazy story, it’s very much of God!
To: royalservants.director@gmail.com

Hello,

My name is Diana and I was on the Ireland 2009 mission trip this summer, and I have a story to tell you that just happened this week. I’m a sophomore in college, and I’m taking a course called biochemistry (basically the chemistry in your body). It’s a tough class. I’m not sure if you ever had to take it, but it’s hard. Well previously I’ve been having an okay time with it. Not really doing great, but I was passing. Well, Monday I had an exam, midterms, and I studied for it all weekend. I was trying really hard to get a good grade on this test. So, I decided that I was just going to give it to God and I told Him “let your will be done God. It’s out of my hands once I walk into that test.” So Monday morning 11:00 was my exam.  Before she passed out the exams I was thinking and I was getting nervous, not sure if I can do it. So then I hear a voice in my head, it was your voice, from day one of Training Camp when we just got there. You said (as I’m sure you remember) “We believe in you more then you believe in yourself.” And I heard it over and over again, and I thought to myself, “Well if Tom believes in me then I can do this. Okay God we can do this. Here we go.” So I took the test. Today I finally got the grade back. The class average was a 66% and I got a 104! (There was extra credit). That’s insane because I could never imagine doing that well on my own! It definitely was from God and God working through what you said at Training Camp to help me! So, thank you for giving me encouragement that clearly stuck with me and helped me do well on the test.

So once again, thank you.

All for the honor and glory of God,
Diana

The Kairos [Discipleship School] Experience

Last spring, God did something in my heart; he revealed to me his relational side which I had been longing to see. Eight months later, I started Kairos [Discipleship School], which would completely change my life. Day in and day out, God has grown, changed, and challenged me. Every week, it seems, I get to a point where I can’t imagine one more thing God could possibly change or grow in my life, but the next week, he shows me something else! God has reached out and drawn me close to his chest, where I can hear his heartbeat and where I’ve begun to understand his love for me and for the world. I’ve developed a heart for prayer like I’ve never had before. As I’ve partnered with God, I’ve heard him speak to my heart and seen mountains moved in response to prayers. I would have never imagined anything like that before Kairos. Although it may sound cliche, Kairos is life-changing, because you are brought face to face with the creator, who shapes us into the image of Christ.

The last two years of my life since embarking on the significant faith journey to Nepal in 2007 have been the most life-filled years of my short existence. Going on Nehemiah last summer further grew me in ways that I was ignorant to my need for filling. So, in short, my Nepal year started my life in the sense that I live it now.

Before Nepal I knew who God was and I had knowledge of Him, but in Nepal and [at] Training Camp, I saw Him for the first time, right there beside me. And I realized that I had never taken the time to seek Him. So, going on Royal Servants for the first time helped me realize my need for God and my lack of trying to get to Him so far.

One last thing, I sense God’s joy in me most when I am writing. I am aspiring to become an author, and I would like to be published before I graduate high-school. I am attempting to publish a short story that I wrote and I will be sending it in to a contest in May. So, writing is a way that I feel that I glorify God.

On Nehemiah we made our personal Mission Statements. Mine is short but I think it sums up what I am on earth for (as far as my limited vision can see).

“My mission is to reveal the spiritual realm to the secular community, revive the lukewarm believers, refresh the followers, and to spiritually challenge people through literature.”

I hope that God can use my writing to further His kingdom and to glorify Himself through me.

From: Laura [mailto:????@westmont.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 2:15 PM
To: Louie Inks
Subject: Re:

Hi Louie,

I also wanted to say a heartfelt thank you for inviting me to be a part of the Nehemiah Team in 2005. God taught me the importance of continual surrender to his plan, and I am reminded of this as I pause to pray once again in the Garden of Gethsemane. I am currently in Israel, studying abroad with Westmont College: Geography, History, and Religion of the Holy Land; and ran into the tour guide at the Garden Tomb, who remembered your visit two/three weeks ago! Ever since the Nehemiah trip to Israel, I have really felt a burden for the lost, and, as of now, my passion is to serve Him after I graduate (2010), as a elementary school teacher at an international school, wherever He leads me. This summer, before Israel, I spent two weeks in Japan, observing/volunteering at an international school there, gaining valuable insight into the profession and discovering that an international school is truly where my passions meet and what God has prepared me to do! Thanks again to the Nehemiah experience that showed me the incredible/surprising ways that God works, and led me out of my comfort zone in being bold for Christ!

Thank you again to your faithfulness to Reign Ministries, In’tl, and your investment not only into this powerful work of God, but the students who have the opportunity to take part in a Royal Servants trip!

Keep serving Him wholeheartedly! 1 Cor. 15:58

—Laura
Nehemiah Alum 2005

Rom.12:2