Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.
My Mission Trip To India
Hello my name is Karen and I have been attending Grace for about 8 years. I have always enjoyed Grace and the people. I guess you could say I don’t like to take trips and leave home. I have always wanted to volunteer for things or help in different areas but I always back out because of my fear of failure. I have always felt that others around me were better equipped to teach or be involved. I have always said I know just enough about the Bible to be dangerous and I didn’t want to come across as dumb. Those fears have stopped me all my life until this past September, 2006. My husband and I had became Board Members of HBI Global Partners. We became involved with HBI the year before when Bobby Gupta (President of HBI and HBIGP) spoke at the missions conference at Grace. This year the board meeting was going to be held in India and the Board members would be teaching classes.
Upon my arrival in India I attended our Board Meeting where I found out for the first time I would be teaching 4 days to a group of men that were responsible for over a 100 villages and they would be going back to their villages to teach what they had learned from me . On top of that I would be teaching the complete book. I almost fell apart at the table. After the meeting Keith and I were going back to our room and after taking one look at my face he said “You have that deer in the headlight look on your face”. Well that was an understatement to me because once in the room I fell on the bed and cried and tried to come up with every excuse known to man about why I couldn’t teach this class. Keith let me fall apart for a few minutes then he took my hands and started to pray for me. I had a little peace from that but I was still a nervous wreck. I ended up staying up half the night studying, depending only on myself to get me through this. I was up early the next morning trying to study, when I just put my head on the table and began to call on God for help. My prayer went something like: you know I’m not a teacher, God you know I don’t know enough about the bible to help or teach anyone, Lord God why did you place me here? God I am going to trust in you to give me the words because I have no words. I am trusting in you to teach my class for me because I don’t know how. Lord my life is in your hands and I trust in you to see me through. I had such a peace at that point that I knew I could do anything.
What happened after I let God take the lead is something that simply defies description. The men’s class I taught consisted of 42 lay pastors. Now that may not seem significant, in terms of teaching the bible, but I was a person who had never taught anything in my life. I had attended some bible studies, but I was nowhere near prepared to teach any type of class, let alone one full of pastors, lay or otherwise. The experience is nearly impossible to describe, because the reality transcends what we know or believe we are capable of in life. I wrote in my journal: “God worked a miracle in my life. I could not speak after [my first] class, because, He did it for me. All the things I taught without any formal training to a group of pastors. God’s message was simple:
"Without God I am empty.
With God I am full.
Without God I am scared.
With God I am brave.
Without God I can’t do anything.
With God I can do everything."
The day before we came home, I attended the final Board Meeting with my group from the US and the Board from India. This was a chance to meet everyone and to discuss business. The meeting was lead by the Chairman of the India Board, Dr. Robert Moses ("Uncle") and before we were to begin he wanted everyone to stand and tell about themselves and what they bring to the board. The only way to describe how I felt was the feeling you get when you get pulled over by a police officer, the blood just leaves your body. The India board went first and the people in the group were doctors, and masters in Bible and they had all done great things working with HBI. When our group (from the US) started to talk, they sounded much like the India Board. They were businessmen and had great things to bring to the board. Well, at this point I was wanting to excuse myself to go hide because I couldn’t image what I could possibly say about myself. When they finally got to me the first words out of my mouth were “I am just a simple person with a love for the Lord”. I don’t have a degree in bible, I don’t own my own business, I’m not a doctor or lawyer, I’m just a hard worker. I explained that I had been through many things in life but carried no college degree. At this point “Uncle” stopped me and said “you got your degree in D.I.D,” and with a smile he finished with these words “You received your degree Down In The Dirt.” Those words forever changed my life. I will never forget how profound those words were to me and how this man who did not know me at all, actually knew me as if he had been standing with me my entire adult life. God was talking through him and letting me know that you don’t have to have a degree in the bible or have a fancy career. The only thing you need in life He will provide and place you where you need to be if you only let Him. God likes simple people and he can use anyone for His purpose. He used me and I’m about as simple as you get.
In closing I wanted to share this story for the simple people out there that think they are not qualified for mission work, helping in the classroom or just witnessing to people. With God behind you nothing is impossible.