Sometime in early to mid December I was riding in the car by myself. I have no idea how it happened or where the boys were - but I know I was alone because I was praying and was able to hear God.
You know how prayers sort of leap from your heart without you realizing it sometimes? Well, that's what happened this day. I remember my heart saying, "I would like to go on a mission trip". Jake and I were able to go to NJ a couple of years ago on a mission trip and we are involved in many ministries locally, but I have a real passion for overseas missions and have not had opportunities to cultivate that since having children.
Jake and I met because of a mission trip to Belize in 2003. We both went again in 2004, after having been married for only 3 months. So, it seemed logical that Jake and I would go somewhere together to serve. What was illogical was how we would do it. Because of the economy and other factors, Jake lost his job in late 2009. So this prayer was completely irrational! We had dipped into some savings in order to weather through the months without income so the thought of us both going somewhere seemed impossible to me.
But my heart spoke up and prayed this prayer anyway. Maybe it was really the Spirit interceding for me with groans too deep to understand . . . but there it was before God.
After the prayer, I thought, "How irrational? There is no way we can go somewhere, we just don't have the money."
Then I heard God. "If I call you to go somewhere, I will provide."
And you KNOW He will if He says He will!
Later that week, I was at the ELC and a friend came in talking about some gifts she'd found to give for Christmas. I asked her about them and she didn't really remember the details but she said, "All I know is a business called Freeset gets women in India to make the bags so they don't have to sell their bodies."
An hour later, Tiffany came in and handed me my Christmas gift - it was a really cute jute bag with wooden handles. I glanced at the tag and saw the words, "Freeset". The bag is so cute! But I didn't really have time to read the card because I needed to run upstairs to do some copying and laminating.
When I got upstairs, I saw Jeremy Griem pass by. Jeremy is the Global Ministries Pastor at our church and an old friend from seminary. I called out, "Jeremy, please keep me in mind for any overseas trips you have coming up" (still realizing it would be impossible for us to go).
Jeremy came back into the workroom and said, "You know there is an all women's trip coming up to go to India to work with Freeset".
He told me about how in a Sonagachi (a Red Light District in Calcutta India), every night thousands of women are forced to stand in a line to sell themselves in the sex trade while of 10 times as many men come through to "shop" from the line.
I travelled to India in 1999 on a mission trip and was there for right at a month. I had stayed in Calcutta, but had no idea about Sonagachi. I also remember thinking when I got back that I would never go to India again. But here it was - the answer to my prayer that I didn't even know I was praying.
I came home and told Jake all about it. I was pretty excited and he said, "You're already there aren't you"? We talked through the "practical" side (money, what to do with the boys, work, etc). And I told him, "I just believe it will be possible".
Over the next few months I prayed, read, bathed in Scripture, shared, wrote support letters and watched God weave a team together. I am still overwhelmed at His care for details in my life. Friends and family took on this journey with me through prayer and financial support.
I carried my Freeset bag everyday so that I would remember that when God calls He will provide.
I've been home from India for 2 days now. Proof that God answers prayers we don't even realize we are praying.
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