Confessions of a Pittsburgh Missionary: We Are Qualified

June 13-21, 2015

It was a long, tiring, and very rainy week, but AJ and I successfully completed another year of CYIA (Christian Youth In Action) training school. We gathered with the rest of the summer staff for Pennsylvania at a camp in Orrstown. Here we conquered classes and study halls that started at 8 AM and ended at 8 PM. I helped Cathy, the director of Westmoreland County, evaluate all of her summer missionaries (she has 8 total) on their Bible lessons, songs, memory verses, and missions stories that they needed to study and then perform for a leader. I enjoyed the opportunity to be able to work with Cathy, her daughter Kim, and all of her teens again. AJ really enjoyed the opportunity to make friends with them and lots of other teens. I also reconnected with some friends from training school when I was a first year summer missionary (2008) and other/newer friends that I made last summer.

The week definitely had its challenging moments as is to be expected when spending a whole week with about a hundred other people. I think it rained every day and we fought several battles with a mop against a small flood (large puddle really) in our cabin. I was definitely ready to get out of the wet humid forest and have a little alone time by the time we were leaving.

This is the beautiful creek that runs around the campground.

But that’s not to say it wasn’t a good week. There were many valuable lessons and reminders during training camp this year. The first, which seemed to be the theme, was the quote “God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called.” This quote was distributed on a little card to all of the students and staff at the start of camp. It seemed that many of the students needed that message. On Saturday when they arrived, many of them were nervous and a bit reserved. By Wednesday however, they were thriving in open air ministry where they shared the gospel through the Wordless Book with children that attended two different events. Whether they felt qualified or not, they were used by God to reach about 150 children on Wednesday night. 20 of those children made first time decisions to trust in Jesus as their Savior. It is definitely easy to feel unqualified when heading into a summer of ministry. But God doesn’t require qualifications to call you into ministry. If you are called, he will qualify you. CYIA training camp certainly qualified AJ and even myself for a summer full of ministry.

For Friday Fun Night, the students participated in a Wild West murder mystery.

Cathy, or "JP James" was the culprit.

The theme verse for the week was 1 Thessalonians 5:24 which says, “He who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it.” Pastor Bob, the CYIA chaplain, would have us recite this verse every morning as he stood to give a chapel message. As the week went on, the verse grew more and more meaningful to me. Particularly on Wednesday night I realized the meaning that the verse had for me. Seven years ago I had arrived at CYIA training school feeling very nervous about what the summer held.  I didn’t even want to do CEF but I knew that I was called and I chose not to argue with that calling. Little did I know in June of 2008 that God had even bigger plans for me through CEF than just the events that the summer held. God used that summer to confirm my calling into a career in ministry. God was preparing, even five years earlier, to provide me with a job in January 2013 when I had school bills to pay and $20 to my name. Through getting hired with CEF Broome, God opened the door to work as the coordinator for Greater Pittsburgh. I did not feel qualified that summer but I was called. And God has surely done it! Once again I was reminded of his great faithfulness in my life. God is still faithful. He surely is still doing things in my life and is still at work.

Some of the other PA directors and I watching the students play games as part of a demo club.

Mike Petkof is the missionary that CEF of Pennsylvania is sponsoring this summer. He is working with CEF in Greece shared with us. He said two things during a few of his presentations that really struck me. The first thing that he said was, "Don't strive to make your presence noticed, just make your absence felt." This is such a good reminder to those in ministry. Our goal should not be to be noticed while we are there, but to be missed once we have left. Pray that CEF Pittsburgh would be remembered and missed as we move from location to location this summer. Secondly, Mike shared with us that, “80% of all those who die today will die believing whatever they believed as children.” There are many children in the world today that don’t yet know about Jesus’ love for them. There are many children in Pittsburgh that have not yet believed on Jesus to save them from their sins. My goal is to reach as many of those children this summer as possible. If they are not reached as children, it is much harder to reach them as adults. Pray that God would go before us and open the hearts of the children in Pittsburgh.

I had a restful Sunday but today I start back up again bright and early. I’ll be joining Cathy in Westmoreland County to help her teens complete their second week of at home training. Cathy has three clubs scheduled with study halls to help her teens finish the rest of their evaluations in between. Pray for me as I’ll be travelling about 45 minutes each way and have another long week ahead of me. Pray for patience and energy as I help Cathy. Pray for AJ as he spends this next week at teen camp. Pray for a few more contacts that I have made, that they will answer my phone calls and either confirm or turn down the opportunity for a club this summer (especially that they’d confirm) so that I can finish the schedule this week. And pray for my brother as he sets off in the morning to travel all the way to Laos. He is spending the summer ministering with our cousin. Pray for travelling safety and ease. Pray for an awesome time in Laos. And pray that God would equip him just as he continues to equip us all.

I still don’t feel qualified in some areas and at some times. But I am called and I know that he is qualifying me day by day. He is faithful.

Please pray for me this summer as I work a laborer of the harvest in Pittsburgh.