Met Callie. She is the Mission Director of R3 Missions. I met her through her blog! Her service for God is a huge inspiration for me. This is how God is working in her life.
When did you get the call to be a missionary?
As soon as I made the decision to be a Christian, I received the call. As Sister White beautifully wrote, “The spirit of Christ is a missionary spirit. The very first impulse of the renewed heart is to bring others also to the Saviour.” GC p. 70. I gave into the Lord’s calling on my life at a Generation. Youth. Christ. conference. Immediately thereafter, I came back to my academy and preached my first sermon. I made the call for my peers to do door-to-door with me in the community. I also started Bible studies with my friends in the dorm. No one told me to do these things, except for Christ. I just knew He had given me a burden for others, and I sought to fulfill that the best way I knew how.
In what concentration do you feel called to work?
Hmm. Good question. That has been changing in the last year or so; but, that isn’t uncommon because I’m still quite young 🙂 Since becoming a disciple of Christ, I’ve had the deep conviction to teach others. However, I’ve learned that this is not confined to a classroom setting. When I preach, I sound much more like a teacher. I teach through Bible studies, conversation, witnessing to classmates through how to study literature, etc. Recently, I’ve sensed God calling me to greater leadership roles (which are farrrr outside my comfort zone, to be honest). For example, I serve as the mission director for R3, a movement of young people seeking to usher in the kingdom of God through Christ-centered service. I feel overwhelmed, unworthy, and in awe when I think of how the Lord brought me to this place. And yet, I am convicted and so at peace with being where God has placed me.
What’s the gospel according to you?
The gospel, the “good news”, is that Jesus has done for me (and you) what we never could have done for ourselves. He loved us when we couldn’t have cared less, died for us when we didn’t even notice, and is still wooing us even though we resist and fall countless times. The good news is that Jesus takes us just as we are, works in our hearts, and changes us into His glorious image. The good news is that we’re happiest in Christ, and all He needs us to do is walk beside Him in the best relationship ever. Simply, the gospel is that God is love and He proved it in rescuing us.
What missionary experience have you had so far?
That’s a big question, heh. I’ll include what I think falls within that.
I went to Argentina in the summer of 2010, where I helped build a house, did children’s ministry, and Christian drama. In 2011 I went to El Salvador and preached, taught English and Religion, and did children’s ministries.
I canvassed in Michigan for one summer, and then Bibleworked the next summer. I’ve been involved with a campus ministry at my community college since 2012, and I preach different places. I currently serve with R3, and I was privileged to serve in India this past January. Blessed experiences from our Lord…
How has God been preparing you for service?
Mentally
He’s taught me that natural giftedness is not the secret ingredient for success. It’s dependence on Christ. I used to think, “Oh, I’m not gifted in that area, so Jesus will never ask me to do that.” I could give about 100 examples of where I was wrong about this. I’ve learned that it takes self-denial, hard work, deep studying, constant prayer, and a mind that stops at nothing to know Christ as He is. I’ve expanded my Biblical knowledge, but God has also taught me that true Christians are smart about what they believe. Just because I can quip a verse and sound witty doesn’t mean I know what I’m talking about. I need to know the reason for the hope that I have.
Physically
I’ve only known about the heath message, in its verity, for a very short amount of time. Still, personally, it has been one of the hardest truths to obey. I’ve recently begun to eat at better times, better food, and exercise regularly. I feel so much better, so very much better. Thus, He’s been teaching me to take care of my physical body because it spills over into every other aspect of my life. It isn’t holy to overwork, and it isn’t righteousness to put off exercise or good nutrition.
Spiritually
The Lord has been showing me that I can trust Him with my heart, my plans, my fears, my insecurities, my life…He is so trustworthy. A lot of times I don’t obey because I don’t trust His heart. So I’m learning to come to Him even when I mess up (and to come immediately) and that He has all the answers, even though I don’t. As the song says, I’m learning He really is my all in all. And I love Him more each day. Thankful.
Emotionally
About a year ago, I told a friend that I think I’m emotionally unstable. He laughed and said, “No, you’re just emotional.” The Lord’s been teaching me that feelings do not lead to faith, and vice versa doesn’t always happen, either. He’s been teaching me to trust Him even when my emotions threaten to undo me. Emotions, the good ones and the bad ones, are a blessing in their context. But they don’t define me.
Socially
I’m so thankful for the friendships the Lord has blessed me with and I’ve been able to develop. Before I was a Christian, I broke many hearts, both romantic and friendships. It wasn’t because I was so popular, it was because I was…ach, just a terrible person. I was really good at getting people’s attention, luring them in, and then moving on as soon as I got bored. The Lord has forgiven me, and I’ve sought the forgiveness of these friends, but the Lord still had to transform my heart to actually love people and not just like them, to serve them and not just seek their attention. Now, by God’s grace, I can sense He is developing His love for others within my heart. And I have the greatest friends. The Lord is so kind.
What group of people do you have a burden for?
Young people. Hands down. My favorite are high schools-early twenties. I became a solid Christian halfway through my seventeenth year of life, and I know how volatile and formative that time of life that is. This generation wants meaning, purpose, and surety. After drinking from plenty of broken cisterns, I know these things are only found in Christ. I want so badly for the young people to know! He has transformed my life, and I know He can do the same for them.
Emissus 