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Me? A missionary?I was a pretty normal half and half Christian. I went to church, and was the go to guy for my pastors and friends. But secretly, I hardly ever spent time with God, nor in His word. I was also one of the first and always the loudest to mock those in relationships. All this changed at Summer Camp 08.
I was invited to go to Camp by my youth pastor, Phil. I almost tried to get out of it, citing my intense fear of large amounts of movement. But by the grace of God, I went anyway. At camp, my life was changed. I spent the first half of the week focusing on my own thing, not really paying attention to God. Anyway, the biggest spiritual change I thought I was going to make was maybe buy some Christian t-shirts. That's how high my pride had grown in my growth as a Christian. But boy, when God knocks you off of your self built pyramid, you land hard.
Thursday morning, one of the pastors gave a devotional about missions. This got me thinking, and by Thursday night's service, I was engorged with the idea. I could feel God's call, but I refused to accept it, because I thought I could never do it. I thought to myself, I'll be lucky if I even make it home from camp, much less become a missionary.â God hears our thoughts though, and Brother Jennings was guided by the Holy Spirit that night. Every time I thought of an argument against being a missionary, Brother Jennings would give a verse from the Bible about how that argument was not true. The one that finally pushed me over the edge was when Brother Jennings said these words. “I want everyone to look around the room. I want you to look at the person you think is least likely to ever accomplish anything for God, or maybe not ever make it home from camp.†With that, God broke my heart. It was the final blow, and I was first to the alter.
There in that chapel, I prayed to God to use me as He saw fit, even unto missions. My Pastor, Kevin Kolb came to me, and asked me what God was saying to me. I told him that I was going to be a missionary. And I am sad to say that I do not remember the prayer he prayed, but at the end I remember him saying these words, “Lord, thank you for Andrew's tender heart.†I know what he meant, that I was willing to give into God. But I was already self-conscious about balling like a baby in front of everyone I know. This made me start laughing. I then went back to crying, not surprisingly. The Lord is gracious to put up with me, of that I have no doubt.
I got home from camp, and told my parents and friends, and got the congrats that people always get when they make camp decisions, and honest ones from my parents. I gave a testimony in Sunday School that week, and said that God had called me to missions. Pastor Phil said these words, “Well, the Bible says, 'God will use the base and simple things to confound the wise'â€. I know what he meant, that anyone can do something for God, but that is not how the class took it, and now I am a simple man.
My new life verses: 1 Corithians 1:26,27
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]:
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
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