Hello again. Writing on a blog is an interesting exercise — in an instant I’m both making my thoughts accessible to the entire world and also wondering whether anyone will actually ever see this. But for any and all who ever wonder, I wanted to share what has developed in my life since I posted last.

Last time I wrote, I didn’t know anything about what the future held except that change was imminent. And in fact, that has proved to be correct. Though my last year experiencing the white collar culture has been a breath of respite after spending the previous year in a period of angst and transience, it also gave me the chance to confirm my sneaking suspicion that I wasn’t built for the “desk job.” I asked God for new doors to open so that I could step out of that role. Lo and behold, He came through. Three large doors have opened for my summer months and I am walking through them.

Door number one: Alaska

I have a friend who spends several weeks during the summer volunteering in Unalakleet, Alaska. The setting: a small Christian summer camp. The purpose: to spread Jesus’ love to youth. Sounds like my cup’a tea. God made a way for that to happen and thus I will be leaving for a three-week trip to Alaska on June 14th.

Door number Two: Africa

My wonderful sister Theresa is currently residing in Lome, Togo (western coast of Africa) with an acquaintance I met through my church this past year. She is working alongside my friend Macklann and his wife Rose in their elementary school program. While Theresa is there, I’m going to visit them and learn more about their ministries in Togo. (Not to mention that I get to hang out with my sister in Africa. No big deal.) I will leave in July and spend a week in Lome.

Door number Three: Europe

I have made some very good friends in St. Louis this past year and one of them introduced me to a sports ministry based in Torino, Italy. I was invited to come learn more about the goings-on firsthand and the timing of the proposed trip fell right after the conclusion of my adventure to Togo. God has made a way for that too and thus I have airfare from Africa to Italy. I will arrive to catch the tail end of a summer-long internship program which allows a small group of college-aged students to serve European populations through athletics. I will have the opportunity to assist them in their work and also will get the chance to learn more about what sports ministry in Europe would look like year-round. The prospect of coaching in Europe has been on my heart and I wouldn’t at all be opposed if that is where God leads me, either right away or down the road. To find fellow believers who are passionate about both sports and ministry is a huge honor. I can’t wait to go meet my brothers and sisters in Christ and learn more about what they’re doing in Italy and throughout Europe, with the intention of supporting it either from the states or perhaps by relocating to Europe if God continues to lead in that direction.

Where it gets interesting

The end of this particular installment is quite a bit more fuzzy. I don’t yet have a ticket back from Europe. As it stands right now, I “know” what will happen until approximately August 5th. Then after that, I’m as much in the dark as anyone else. I have several prospects for positions or opportunities that could start in mid- to late August here throughout the States but none are yet solidified. I don’t dare to presume which, if any, will end up opening. In the meantime, I wouldn’t at all be opposed if God had other things for me to do in Europe before I return (visiting other coaches or ministries, seeing a few family friends, etc.). I don’t foresee myself staying more than a few weeks in total, but who knows. (I would like to soon, but I have learned over the past couple years that God doesn’t always give you a timely, nicely formatted itinerary.)

So that’s where I’m at, folks. If you think of it, I would covet your prayers. I worry about things like logistics and finances and though I’m finding it easier and easier these days to live in a perpetual state of limbo and let God reveal the next step as He feels like it, I still feel stress sometimes when I think about how little foreknowledge I’m privy to on this careening adventure I’m living. But at the end of the day, God will come through and lead me to where I’m supposed to be. Here goes nothing!

-LS

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