INvisible

| October 25, 2016

…Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.”  – Zechariah 4:6

INvisible… INtrovert… INcognito… INside… IN over my head. INtroducing me. 

I love God’s sense of humor. As a girl I was afraid to raise my hand in school, played 2nd chair in band, and always volunteered for the crowd scenes in drama class. Now, as an MAF missionary, I’ve stepped into a life of presenting to churches, learning a new language later in life, and living in a fishbowl base.

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Almost in our 50s, my husband and I felt God calling us back to the mission field. (More about that, here). As an introvert, set in my ways and longing to work in the background, I wondered if I was losing my hearing as well.

But God made it clear as we took steps toward serving with MAF in Indonesia. We were a team of two homebodies who now needed to start on the journey of speaking to congregations about how God was leading us. We were thankful for video’s and PowerPoint presentations and God’s constant grace.

Language school was another hurdle for those of us trying to live invisibly. “Get out and talk to at least 20 people in Indonesian,” our teachers said. Inside, I was thinking, What?! I don’t even talk to 20 people in a day in America! But His grace led us again, helping us finish nine units of language and culture study. We are now able to communicate here beyond just smiling and charades.

Someday I will write that book about surviving as an introvert while living life as an open book in a country where there is nowhere to hide. I love how God uses us and how He made us. Some say, “I could never do what you are doing.” I say, “You are right, I can’t but He can.” It’s not the location that matters, it is our availability and obedience. The God I serve is INcredible!

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