Freedom Part III
A few weeks ago, Dr. Michael Oh from Christ Bible Seminary of Japan came to our church and spoke. His words were like lighter fluid that erupted when they hit my smoldering heart. He got me thinking about missions. Not just tithing to mission work but going. Maybe short term, perhaps long term? After Large Group, he had a coffee house where he spoke more of what he was doing in Japan. Afterward, I asked him some questions. Japan is an incredibly dark country and there’s an tremendous need for counselors. They have plans to buy a multi-story building and they want to open a counseling center. I asked him more about it and he told me to check back with him as it would probably take a few years to develop.
All of a sudden, counseling as missions became an option. Who would be crazy enough to send a Christian counselor to Japan as a missionary? I gave my friend at Pioneers a ring. From his mouth:
Me: Are there any Pioneer missionaries in Japan? Would you send people there?
Him: YES! And YES! – Actually, the Japanese are the largest unreached people group in the world! There are 125 million people, most following Shintoism and Buddhism, but there are strains of Confucianism and Taoism there too. We can send you TOMORROW!
I asked him more about counseling and what I could do with it as it relates to missions. There is whole group in Pioneers called Member Care. They counsel missionaries and help them in their struggles, be it marriage issues, family, cultural adaption, or whatever. He also pointed me to a Mental Health and Missions Conference that will be taking place in November in Indiana. Needless to say, a slew of doors flew open whether it is actually doing counseling as missions in another country or even supporting our missionaries and working out of Orlando, Florida.
So what does this have to do with Freedom and my previous posts? There are so many options right now. I could end up staying here and finishing my online certifications. I could end up going to Philly and getting an MA or MDiv in Counseling. I could end up in Japan, Orlando, or some other country. Doors are flying open as I pray and consider what God would have me do.
One of the biggest questions I had when praying for a spouse was if it matter or not if I knew what I was doing long term? All I know is that I’ll be here for another year. When I talk to my roommate about the future, he has so many questions about where to live and what kind of ministry that he and his future wife will be involved in. It’s not just about what God is calling him to do but he and his wife together. As I go through this fantastic transition of discovery, I might end up anywhere. It’s much easier to plan and pray about the future when it is only my future I need to consider. I have the freedom to go and do anything. There are less things tying me down to any specific location or occupation. Perhaps this is another reason God has seen fit to keep my single a little longer.