service, single women went into the mission field. We went all over
the world. I began as a nurse you see, so I had something to offer the women.”
Macha stitched as she talked. Her voice had the slow, sing-songy rhythm of
reminiscence. “We could still use nurses. Nurses are welcome everywhere. But we
have found, through the years, that standing out makes connecting at the heart
level more difficult.”
Jane nodded. More
difficult to be single. Nurses welcome. She plastered the smile back on her
face. She was going to keep an open mind. She wasn’t going to crumble at the
first roadblock. Village Friends had sounded like the right place for her, but
it wasn’t the only place.
“What do you do,
Jane?”
“I’m a
housecleaner.” Jane licked her lips. She was hard worker, doing a humble
job—wasn’t that somewhere near the heart of missions?
“What do you want
to do?”
“Well, I want to
be a missionary, Macha. I want to go overseas and spread the gospel.”
“That’s good,
since you are at a missions fair, but what do you want to do on the missions
field? How do you want to serve?” Macha’s eyes never left Jane’s face.
“When I started
school, I didn’t know about tent-making missions, but I’ve only got this one
term left and I’m ready to go. I thought if I wasn’t a tentmaker, it would be
okay. I want to do what you do.” Jane bit her lip.
“Are you married?”
“No.” Jane dropped
her eyes to her hands.
“What I do works
so much better if you are married, but Village Friends isn’t the only
organization, my dear. Why don’t you look around the fair a little? You might
find a good fit.” Macha turned her eyes back to her needlework.
“Thank you for
your time, Macha.”
“You might also
consider continuing your education. Perhaps you could go to nursing school.”
“Thank you.” Jane
stood up quickly and turned away. Sandra Obwey hadn’t mentioned that she needed
to be married, or a nurse. Maybe Macha was wrong. Jane tried to make sense of
the milling students and missionaries. Macha might be wrong, but her heart told
her not to make a snap decision. God hadn’t called her to be a nurse, but that
didn’t mean he wasn’t going to.
The milling crowd
overwhelmed Jane. She needed to get a breath of fresh air and a moment of
quiet. She grabbed a schedule as she passed a student handing them out. Jane
found a quiet seat on the front steps to read it, but before she did, she
closed her eyes and prayed silently. Dear Lord, give me the heart of a
servant, and a heart to follow your lead. I’m scared that I’m going to make a
mistake, Lord. I just want to serve you, however you have planned. She sat
with her eyes closed for several moments, listening to the calm quiet, and
being still before God.
She opened her
eyes again, but stared into the distance at the views of the farmland around
her. The harvest is ready. Pray for the workers. This was what she had
always been taught, what she believed, and what she had dreamed of. She did not
dream of cleaning toilets, frying bacon, and solving murders. She was certain
that the Crawfords were the trial of the moment, not her future life’s work.
But what was her future life’s work?
Jane spotted Isaac
leaving the Chapel. He had a spring in his step. When he spotted Jane he loped
across the gravel parking lot. “Hey there!”
He took a seat on
the step next to Jane. “I just got here. This looks like a pretty good fair.”
Jane frowned.
“Yeah.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Sorry. It’s
nothing.” Jane set the schedule across her knee so they could both look at it.
“Trouble at home?”
“No, nothing like
that.” Jane pointed at the Youth Mission Adventures session on the schedule.
“My friend Amelia is speaking. I might go listen to her.”
“Pause. Don’t move
on yet. I really do want to know what’s bothering you. I would have thought the
Next Steps Fair would put a smile on your face, if nothing else
the world. I began as a nurse you see, so I had something to offer the women.”
Macha stitched as she talked. Her voice had the slow, sing-songy rhythm of
reminiscence. “We could still use nurses. Nurses are welcome everywhere. But we
have found, through the years, that standing out makes connecting at the heart
level more difficult.”
Jane nodded. More
difficult to be single. Nurses welcome. She plastered the smile back on her
face. She was going to keep an open mind. She wasn’t going to crumble at the
first roadblock. Village Friends had sounded like the right place for her, but
it wasn’t the only place.
“What do you do,
Jane?”
“I’m a
housecleaner.” Jane licked her lips. She was hard worker, doing a humble
job—wasn’t that somewhere near the heart of missions?
“What do you want
to do?”
“Well, I want to
be a missionary, Macha. I want to go overseas and spread the gospel.”
“That’s good,
since you are at a missions fair, but what do you want to do on the missions
field? How do you want to serve?” Macha’s eyes never left Jane’s face.
“When I started
school, I didn’t know about tent-making missions, but I’ve only got this one
term left and I’m ready to go. I thought if I wasn’t a tentmaker, it would be
okay. I want to do what you do.” Jane bit her lip.
“Are you married?”
“No.” Jane dropped
her eyes to her hands.
“What I do works
so much better if you are married, but Village Friends isn’t the only
organization, my dear. Why don’t you look around the fair a little? You might
find a good fit.” Macha turned her eyes back to her needlework.
“Thank you for
your time, Macha.”
“You might also
consider continuing your education. Perhaps you could go to nursing school.”
“Thank you.” Jane
stood up quickly and turned away. Sandra Obwey hadn’t mentioned that she needed
to be married, or a nurse. Maybe Macha was wrong. Jane tried to make sense of
the milling students and missionaries. Macha might be wrong, but her heart told
her not to make a snap decision. God hadn’t called her to be a nurse, but that
didn’t mean he wasn’t going to.
The milling crowd
overwhelmed Jane. She needed to get a breath of fresh air and a moment of
quiet. She grabbed a schedule as she passed a student handing them out. Jane
found a quiet seat on the front steps to read it, but before she did, she
closed her eyes and prayed silently. Dear Lord, give me the heart of a
servant, and a heart to follow your lead. I’m scared that I’m going to make a
mistake, Lord. I just want to serve you, however you have planned. She sat
with her eyes closed for several moments, listening to the calm quiet, and
being still before God.
She opened her
eyes again, but stared into the distance at the views of the farmland around
her. The harvest is ready. Pray for the workers. This was what she had
always been taught, what she believed, and what she had dreamed of. She did not
dream of cleaning toilets, frying bacon, and solving murders. She was certain
that the Crawfords were the trial of the moment, not her future life’s work.
But what was her future life’s work?
Jane spotted Isaac
leaving the Chapel. He had a spring in his step. When he spotted Jane he loped
across the gravel parking lot. “Hey there!”
He took a seat on
the step next to Jane. “I just got here. This looks like a pretty good fair.”
Jane frowned.
“Yeah.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Sorry. It’s
nothing.” Jane set the schedule across her knee so they could both look at it.
“Trouble at home?”
“No, nothing like
that.” Jane pointed at the Youth Mission Adventures session on the schedule.
“My friend Amelia is speaking. I might go listen to her.”
“Pause. Don’t move
on yet. I really do want to know what’s bothering you. I would have thought the
Next Steps Fair would put a smile on your face, if nothing else
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