My role with AIM is in the Admissions department. This is the team that begins talking to a person the very first time they express interest and helps find the right trip for them and then prepare for that trip. A big part of the Admissions process is a phone interview. After an applicant fills out an application they have a phone call with one of the staff for that program. This is the point where we really ask the deeper questions and make sure this applicant is a good fit with this trip. As I was preparing for a recent interview, I knew this girl and I would have a lot to talk about. She had been through a rough life and wasn’t in a good place right now. Quite honestly, I wasn’t surprised… most of this upcoming generation comes with plenty of baggage.
As we began the conversation, “Sue” (we’ll just call her that) shared about growing up in a youth group and how great she felt when she would be at church. At school she would have negative influences all around her, but then she would get to church and things were better. In the summers, she would struggle to make good decisions at home, but then she would go on a mission trip with the youth group and feel so much peace and warmth.
“Sue” now finds herself at college, away from her youth group and any good influences in her life. She’s again making poor choices and when she heard about the World Race she saw an opportunity to find that peace and warmth again. However, any World Racer can tell you that those 11 months just don’t work that way… they are hard and challenging and without a firm foundation in Christ it’s going to be rough. So asked “Sue”… “Where do you see God in your every day life right now?”
Sue paused… “Hmmm… I don’t know.” I knew then that it wasn’t time for her to pursue the Race. I talked a bit with Sue about the difficulties you would face in 11 months overseas and suggested that over the weekend she should look into a shorter trip where she could find some discipleship and begin to build her foundation. She was very surprised… maybe even devastated. But she agreed to look into it, pray, and we would talk again on Monday.
Monday comes around and I give “Sue” a call. “How you doin? How was the weekend?” I’ll never forget her words… the door that then opened:
“You know Laura… when you asked me that I got really scared. The truth is that God is not in my everyday life.”
“Sue… has anyone ever told you that God wants a PERSONAL relationship with you? He wants to be with you at school, in class, in your dorm…. Not just at church.”
“Wow… I have never heard that before.”
At this point my mind hit the brakes. WHOA! Okay… reverse… time to head another direction.
“Sue… Jesus came so that we could be with God every single day in every single situation. He didn’t come just so we wouldn’t have to go to hell. Our sin created a gap that separated us from God and Jesus laid down His life to be a bridge so that we could be with God right now, every day.”
“Really?”
“Sue, to have that… all you have to do is pray and ask. There are no right words or specific prayers. Just tell God that you want Him in your everyday life.”
“Can I pray now?”
This is why we do what we do… It amazes me that a person could grow up in church their whole life and have no idea that God wants a PERSONAL relationship… But God is such an amazing, persistent God that He will even introduce you to to a random missions organization in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains so He can show you how much He loves you. Wow…
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give
the reason for the hope that you have.” — 1 Peter 3:15
the reason for the hope that you have.” — 1 Peter 3:15
