Was that you, God?

It was a typical, summer morning in mid June.  Punky, Toofie and I had returned from our morning walk and I was sitting in my favorite chair, reading Scripture, when the phone rang.  Had it not been for a name that rarely comes up on the caller ID, the call would have gone unanswered.  I closely guard the quiet moments of the morning while I'm reading and talking to God.  It's the only time of the day when He could possibly get a word in edgewise in my crazy life!

Dasha, Talu & Dave Sanders - June 2009

As I picked up the phone, my friend, Dave Sanders, cheerfully greeted me with his usual, suave, style and so began the "pitch" for the medical team headed for Sumy, Ukraine on September 3rd.  He was looking for Occupational and Physical Therapists to help with a wheel chair distribution to needy, disabled persons.  My mind begin to flip through the faces of all the therapists I'm acquainted with thinking maybe I could recruit someone for the team. 

Then Dave asked the big question, "Would you consider going with us?"  Having not been to Ukraine for two years, I hedged a bit and said I would pray about it because I wasn't sure how I would fit in with a medical team.  However, in my heart a small flame began to kindle.  We had recently returned from a trip to Israel, I was not working outside the home and we had nothing saved to be able to pay for the trip.  Even if I wanted to go, the circumstances didn't look promising. 

After hanging up, I shared the news with my husband, Dan, and we started to pray about the possibility of me being part of the team.  An email was sent to every therapist I know and I made a couple of phone calls in hopes of recruiting one of the 7 therapists still needed.  With the registration deadline only two weeks away, most people could not commit to the time or the cost involved.

After a couple of days of praying, it became very clear that God was nudging me to take a step (leap) of faith and send in the registration fee of $50.  I was very hesitant to raise funds in light of the recent trip to Israel and the fact I was not employed, but it was my own foolish pride.  God was pressing me to trust Him by sending an email request to friends and family who were supportive of past mission trips.  It seemed like hours sitting in front of the computer trying to come up with just the right words. Hitting the send button took every ounce of strength I had and even after I did, I wondered what people would think.  But that is exactly where God wanted me...stepping through my fears into the unknown.

The faith journey will shake you up, tip you over, spin you around and hurl you right out of your comfort zone.  It can actually be quite painful because you have to let go of your preconceived ideas, pride, prejudice and your own will to move forward.  The upside is when you take what seems like the perilous first step, what follows will most likely blow your socks right off.  But that's the rest of the story which I will share another day!

FYI - Sumy, Ukraine is located East and slightly North of Kiev, the capital city.  Sumy is near the boarder of Russia and is at about 1 o'clock on the map.