look like I wouldn’t be up to
it?”
“Couldn’t say
until you try. You keep saying ‘short-term,’ but a full year immersed in a new
culture won’t feel short. I think missionaries need to try it before they throw
themselves into a dangerous field.”
“And I think they
don’t. So one of us is wrong.” Jane pressed the small paper ball onto the
table. When she picked her finger up again it stuck. She looked at the small
white dot pressed into her fingertip. It wasn’t what she had anticipated when
she took out her nervous energy on the paper, but it was what happened. She
turned her finger over before she made too much of it. She couldn’t always
predict results, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t sometimes predict them, when
given enough information.
“Yup. One of us is
wrong.” Isaac was still grinning, basically from ear to ear. His happiness, in
spite of her saying he was wrong, was infectious and she found herself smiling
again. “That’s more like it. They call this a Missions Fair ,after
all. Not a Missions Gauntlet.”
“Maybe they just
named it wrong.”
“From the crowd in
the other room, it sure felt like it! Where are you going next?” Isaac pulled
the abused schedule from Jane.
“What long-term organization is hosting a break-out session?”
Isaac laughed.
“You could sit in with Pioneers. You’d like them.”
“I do like them,”
Jane said. “Are you coming?”
“Wish I could.
I’ve got to get back to my school. Seminary waits for no man.” Isaac stood up.
“I’ll walk you to
your car?” Jane stood up as well.
“Please do.” Isaac
opened the library door for her. “Take good notes today and show me after class
on Monday.”
“Will I get extra
credit?” Jane looked up at him from lowered eyelids.
“Ha! You know, for
a second there I kind of forgot you were the student and not another
instructor.” They were at his car. He picked up her hand and squeezed it. “See
you Monday?”
Jane nodded,
smiling. He forgot she was a student. That was definitely a good sign. In fact,
she felt pretty sure he was interested in her, a novel twist to the end of her
Bible school era. With that happy thought she went back to the missions fair.
If she kept her heart open to God’s plans, she couldn’t help but succeed.
Monday morning came even though Jane
had hoped that it wouldn’t. The Missions Fair had left her head swimming with
contradictory ideas. Go, right after graduation, with a short-term organization
and get tons of experience fast. Stay, and learn a trade that she could take
with her as a tentmaker. Go, right away, and serve while she still had her
verve and energy, before she got tied down by life at home. Stay until she had
developed the wisdom and maturity she would need to have a life-long career
overseas. And above all else, serve your current calling faithfully, because
those who are faithful with the small things will be blessed with more opportunity
and responsibility.
Jane had peeled
herself out of bed an extra fifteen minutes early just to have some time alone
in the kitchen. She tried to turn off her whirling thoughts so she could focus
on serving the Crawfords faithfully. She had slipped in and out of church on
Sunday, trying to go unnoticed. She didn’t want to have to attempt to summarize
her missions fair experience in casual conversation with friends. It was much
too soon.
Jane shut the door
to the kitchen in the hopes that the rich aroma of fresh coffee wouldn’t travel
upstairs to wake up the rest of the household. Over a breakfast of leftover
cinnamon rolls and cold cuts, Jane watched the morning news on the little
kitchen TV. The Human Liberation Party was picketing a Roly Burger, blaming the
animal fats for the deaths of the Crawfords and for the obesity epidemic in America.
It was a long shot since the Roly Burger Franchise hadn’t spread East of Idaho
yet.
The reporter held
a microphone up to a skinny, leathery woman with feathers
it?”
“Couldn’t say
until you try. You keep saying ‘short-term,’ but a full year immersed in a new
culture won’t feel short. I think missionaries need to try it before they throw
themselves into a dangerous field.”
“And I think they
don’t. So one of us is wrong.” Jane pressed the small paper ball onto the
table. When she picked her finger up again it stuck. She looked at the small
white dot pressed into her fingertip. It wasn’t what she had anticipated when
she took out her nervous energy on the paper, but it was what happened. She
turned her finger over before she made too much of it. She couldn’t always
predict results, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t sometimes predict them, when
given enough information.
“Yup. One of us is
wrong.” Isaac was still grinning, basically from ear to ear. His happiness, in
spite of her saying he was wrong, was infectious and she found herself smiling
again. “That’s more like it. They call this a Missions Fair ,after
all. Not a Missions Gauntlet.”
“Maybe they just
named it wrong.”
“From the crowd in
the other room, it sure felt like it! Where are you going next?” Isaac pulled
the abused schedule from Jane.
“What long-term organization is hosting a break-out session?”
Isaac laughed.
“You could sit in with Pioneers. You’d like them.”
“I do like them,”
Jane said. “Are you coming?”
“Wish I could.
I’ve got to get back to my school. Seminary waits for no man.” Isaac stood up.
“I’ll walk you to
your car?” Jane stood up as well.
“Please do.” Isaac
opened the library door for her. “Take good notes today and show me after class
on Monday.”
“Will I get extra
credit?” Jane looked up at him from lowered eyelids.
“Ha! You know, for
a second there I kind of forgot you were the student and not another
instructor.” They were at his car. He picked up her hand and squeezed it. “See
you Monday?”
Jane nodded,
smiling. He forgot she was a student. That was definitely a good sign. In fact,
she felt pretty sure he was interested in her, a novel twist to the end of her
Bible school era. With that happy thought she went back to the missions fair.
If she kept her heart open to God’s plans, she couldn’t help but succeed.
Monday morning came even though Jane
had hoped that it wouldn’t. The Missions Fair had left her head swimming with
contradictory ideas. Go, right after graduation, with a short-term organization
and get tons of experience fast. Stay, and learn a trade that she could take
with her as a tentmaker. Go, right away, and serve while she still had her
verve and energy, before she got tied down by life at home. Stay until she had
developed the wisdom and maturity she would need to have a life-long career
overseas. And above all else, serve your current calling faithfully, because
those who are faithful with the small things will be blessed with more opportunity
and responsibility.
Jane had peeled
herself out of bed an extra fifteen minutes early just to have some time alone
in the kitchen. She tried to turn off her whirling thoughts so she could focus
on serving the Crawfords faithfully. She had slipped in and out of church on
Sunday, trying to go unnoticed. She didn’t want to have to attempt to summarize
her missions fair experience in casual conversation with friends. It was much
too soon.
Jane shut the door
to the kitchen in the hopes that the rich aroma of fresh coffee wouldn’t travel
upstairs to wake up the rest of the household. Over a breakfast of leftover
cinnamon rolls and cold cuts, Jane watched the morning news on the little
kitchen TV. The Human Liberation Party was picketing a Roly Burger, blaming the
animal fats for the deaths of the Crawfords and for the obesity epidemic in America.
It was a long shot since the Roly Burger Franchise hadn’t spread East of Idaho
yet.
The reporter held
a microphone up to a skinny, leathery woman with feathers
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