Since I announced my plans to move and serve with Samaria Mission at the beginning of 2011, I have had dozens of you fine folks ask, “Why Samaria Mission and not (insert other church / ministry / organization here)?”

So I thought that I would answer some of the frequently asked questions and comments relating to the move over the next couple of weeks. I’m sure you’re excited and virtually on the edge of your seat waiting in anticipation.

As many of you know I spent the spring of 2010 teaching English in rural Central Asia. (You can check out my posts here.) Upon return to the US I had a year and a half until graduation, so I knew that I needed to start exploring options for post graduation work. What exactly that meant, I wasn’t sure. Should I go onto grad school? Should I pursue my interests in agriculture and sustainability? Should I return to Central Asia? Or should I return to Africa? So many questions with so little direction, and as one who likes to have a plan, this time of unknown was not easy.

I began to pray for some direction and clarification, because surely this was not a decision to take lightly. Through conversations with my family and close friends, I decided that I should look into serving internationally for a couple of years. Well, that only narrowed it down a little bit!

There were still so many options, but I narrowed it down to either with the ministry that I served with in Central Asia or to serving with Samaria Mission in South Africa. Both are wonderful ministries, both are passionate about taking the gospel to the nations, both have stellar leadership, etc… (I could probably keep this list going for a couple more pages.)

This was not a decision that I could make on my own, so I began praying for the Lord to make it perfectly clear where he wanted me to serve. If you know me at all then you know that I am really hardheaded and stubborn, which is why I prayed that the Lord would literally slam one door closed and swing another one open.

As I pursued both, that is exactly what happened. The Lord slammed the door to the first ministry, as I could not even get my foot in the door to talk with anyone. And he swung open the door to Samaria Mission, as they desire to have me serve with them and there is a job that is perfect for me. Samaria Mission’s desire is to plant Great Commission churches and raise up the next generation of pastors and laymen through evangelism, discipleship, church development and social upliftment.  I feel like it has been tailored to fit not only my skill set, but my passion as well, which is to plant churches among people groups that have little to no access to the gospel and to disciple those who have put their faith in Jesus.

I will serve to further the church planting efforts of Samaria Mission through administration and logistics. These are two crucial areas of need as Samaria Mission hosts short-term teams year-round. I will also be involved in discipling middle school and high school girls within the youth ministry of Christ Baptist Church. This is a crucial need in Polokwane as the majority of young adults that could disciple the younger ones have all moved away to attend university.

The needs are great and the opportunities are plentiful. Would you consider allowing me to share with you, your family, and your church? Would you consider partnering with Samaria Mission in reaching the Shangaan with the gospel of Christ?