The Global Missions Convention (GMC) at CrossCulture has a special place in my heart. Not only because it is a time when I get to hear more widely about what God is doing through our global partners (GPs) but also because I have been challenged on several occasions to consider what my role is in God’s mission.

It was in my first GMC that I was convicted that God had more planned for me.

I think God has always been calling me towards more overt work in regards to teaching and sharing the good news of Jesus. However it wasn’t until I started attending the GMC that I started to see more clearly what that vision might look like.

Every time GMC rolls around, it serves as a marker for comparing where I was 12 months prior in relation to God’s mission. It always seems to be begging the question ‘What’s next?’ (or maybe I just watch too much West Wing!) and each year the answer changes and builds upon its predecessor.

This year was the 50th GMC and our guest speaker was James (Jamie) Hudson Taylor IV, the great, great grandson of James Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission known today as OMF international. Last year I read James Hudson Taylor’s biography and it was a source of awe, encouragement and comfort in a year of great uncertainty.

On Friday night, I was the MC for our youth & young adults (and those young at heart!) event Montage. Jamie Taylor shared about the story of David & Goliath (1 Samuel 17:1-10), in particular about David’s passion to serve God. That while David may not have been trained in battle, was not the obvious hero of the situation, God chose to use him to save his people. That ‘God does not call those who are equipped, He equips those whom He has called’. This phrase really resonated with me.

‘God does not call those who are equipped, He equips those whom He has called’

Smith Wigglesworth

It speaks to my insecurities; that I often feel like I am not good enough or skilled enough to be useful to God. It speaks to my hesitancy; that I often feel weak and not as brave as others. It speaks to my pride; that I falsely believe that I should possess all knowledge & abilities but rather it is God who will equip me with what is needed for the task.

With the benefit of hindsight, I’ve come to understand the various ways that God has been equipping me. By bringing me to Melbourne, He taught me what it means to trust in His timing, build a support network and to say yes to open doors even if I couldn’t see the end of the path. Through my love of working with youth & teaching, God has been training me in communication, empathy, patience, gentleness and more (still a work in progress!).

I am thankful for another year of GMC, another opportunity to benchmark how God is growing and training me. The answer to its question ‘What’s next?’ seems to get a little clearer and a little bigger each year. In 2019, I finished the Advanced Perspectives course and thought God was asking us to Go. In 2020, God asked us to stop, wait and stay in Melbourne a bit longer. Right now, I am exploring what it might mean to go to Bible college and seek more formal training.

I see this current chapter of my life as another season of training; becoming equipped for future plans and purposes. There is much to learn and experience, and honestly there are doors opening & closing all around me. It has been an interesting process of self-discovery, self-restraint and patience to submit them to God and say no to many of these doors. Above all, I hope that I can remain faithful and seek God’s will first; to save my yes for Him.

For prayer

I am so grateful for everyone who has been keeping Mark and myself in prayer during the year so far. We believe that prayer is our direct communication with God and has great power

Please pray:

• Praise God that Mark has settled well into a new job.
• God will continue to create opportunities to learn and become equipped for His work.
• I will have clarity around potential plans for Bible college.
• Mark and I are planning to move in the next few months. Pray that it will be a smooth process.

Want to know more about God’s mission or how you can be a part of what God is doing in the world? Leave me a comment below or drop me a line!

If you’d like to hear Jamie Taylor’s talks from the GMC, head to https://crossculture.net.au/online/ or CrossCulture Youtube

Header image credit: slon_dot_pics