1 Samuel 3:3-10.
3 The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 2 One night, Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. 6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
This passage has been brought to my attention several times over the last few months, and I feel that I relate a lot to it. Most people don’t know that Rwanda was actually my third country placement. When I first began my YAGM process, The Lord called me the first time, “Claire, go to Africa!” He said to me. But I misheard. I answered to the wrong master. I didn’t feel that my first placement, Madagascar, was right for me. I had decided that I would turn down the opportunity. A day later, the Lord called to me, “Claire, you need to do YAGM and go to Africa!” A master of improv, God changed my placement to the UK, so he knew that I would accept. Not understanding God’s ultimate plan, I ran to the wrong destination. A third time, God called to me months later. He said, “Now Claire, HONESTLY, go to Africa!”. More than a little put out and confused, it was then that I realized that this was out of my control. I am nothing but a puppet in God’s master plan. I had less than 3 days to decide after being informed we couldn't get visas to the UK. That last day, God called me, saying, “This is where you’re meant to go.” Through with fighting the temptation to quit and run away, I not only heard, but I listened.
As Thanksgiving approaches, I find that what I’m most thankful for (besides my family and loved ones) is that God gave me ears to listen, an open heart, and a willing mind. Up until this point, it always sounded so theoretical that God has a master plan for all of us. I believed it, but I didn’t have any real-life ties to the idea. But now, here we are. Rwanda is truly the place I was supposed to go. God absolutely knows best, I’m through fighting his plan, and I’m excited to hear what he has to say about the future.
3 The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 2 One night, Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. 6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
This passage has been brought to my attention several times over the last few months, and I feel that I relate a lot to it. Most people don’t know that Rwanda was actually my third country placement. When I first began my YAGM process, The Lord called me the first time, “Claire, go to Africa!” He said to me. But I misheard. I answered to the wrong master. I didn’t feel that my first placement, Madagascar, was right for me. I had decided that I would turn down the opportunity. A day later, the Lord called to me, “Claire, you need to do YAGM and go to Africa!” A master of improv, God changed my placement to the UK, so he knew that I would accept. Not understanding God’s ultimate plan, I ran to the wrong destination. A third time, God called to me months later. He said, “Now Claire, HONESTLY, go to Africa!”. More than a little put out and confused, it was then that I realized that this was out of my control. I am nothing but a puppet in God’s master plan. I had less than 3 days to decide after being informed we couldn't get visas to the UK. That last day, God called me, saying, “This is where you’re meant to go.” Through with fighting the temptation to quit and run away, I not only heard, but I listened.
As Thanksgiving approaches, I find that what I’m most thankful for (besides my family and loved ones) is that God gave me ears to listen, an open heart, and a willing mind. Up until this point, it always sounded so theoretical that God has a master plan for all of us. I believed it, but I didn’t have any real-life ties to the idea. But now, here we are. Rwanda is truly the place I was supposed to go. God absolutely knows best, I’m through fighting his plan, and I’m excited to hear what he has to say about the future.