Part Two: "Change, Challenge, and Courage..."
Change never comes without challenges, and I knew this when I decided to listen to the Lord’s calling to move to the Miriam Center at NWHCM. It was a challenge just preparing to move, but it happened and there I was. Would it be easy? No. Would it be worth it? Yes. After all, if it is His plan, it is always worth it!
As soon as I arrived at the mission, I knew things were
different from my visit in January.
Missionaries were coming and going, leadership was being revamped, and
there was a noticeable “change” in the air.
There was even a sense of tension among many, and I would be lying if I
didn’t say I thought about packing us back up and returning to Ouanaminthe
within my first week of being there. But,
certainly that was not God’s plan for us, the mission, or the children of the
Miriam Center. I prayed so much that
first week, and God gave me glimpses of the future and that gave me hope and
encouragement. This would simply be a
season, and I had to know that He had already prepared me for this season of
life.
Two weeks before I made the move, I found out that Courtney
Pierce (the director of the Miriam Center for the last 4 years) would be moving
stateside to advocate for these beautiful children on that end. This would change my role drastically, and I
would no longer be solely focusing on severe/profound and infant care. The Miriam Center would now be home to 48
special needs children, and our family would also consists of many
outreach/school children as well as 39 faithful staff! WOW! Was I really ready for this? YES, but not without my awesome God!
This was just not going to be possible without supernatural
strength, grace, and blessing. I became
completely submissive to my Savior, and placed everything in His hands. This was not something I could nor did I want
to do without Him! The best part, Stephanie
Mosier, was feeling the same way.
Stephanie had lived at the Miriam Center for almost a year before I
moved there. Her heart and passion is
for the education development of special needs care, but she was also feeling
God’s tugging to do more. Together, we
decided we could co-direct the Miriam Center and this would allow us to remain focused
on our individual gifts. This was a God
ordained connection, for sure. We had a
lot to go through and talk about. We had
to come up with a proposal for the Miriam Center which consisted of explaining
where we were at in the present time, what needed to be addressed immediately,
where we needed to be in 1 year, and what “in a perfect world…” would look
like. It was all exciting, but also
overwhelming at times. A lot of BIG and
HARD decisions had to be made.
A month before I moved to the Miriam Center, I really
focused my prayers. I asked daily for
more discernment. God granted this, for
sure! I still have a long way to go, but
one of the most challenging parts of co-directing the Miriam Center is using
discernment on priorities. See, it is
easy to think everything is “crucial” or “urgent,” but the truth is…it ALL can’t
be! I have had to really rely on God to
work through me, and let Him prioritize.
Of course, there is a ton of administrative duties, but the children
will always come first! The paperwork
will not magically get done in the middle of the night, so if it doesn’t get
done before bed, it will still be there the next morning. If a child is very sick, this is not always the
case, so that naturally takes priority. Forming
relationships with our staff and tending to their needs is also priority. We have to keep them healthy. The place simply could not BE without
them! We all come together to put the
Lord at the top…nothing is possible without Him and we all recognize and
receive this.
There will always be changes and challenges, but after 4 months
of serving the Miriam Center, I know I am able to commit to these changes and
challenges. It was all mapped out, and I
was prepared. I didn’t know it, but my 2
years at Danita’s Children really served as a platform for this next chapter of
life. I could not do what I am doing
without that experience. I am grateful
for what was and what is to come…
“For where two or three come together in my name, there am I
with them.” Matthew 18:20
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