“Jason, there’s a call for you… it's God on the other line.”

I got a call from God, and He told me to pack up my things and move to Paraguay. I tried to argue with Him, but in the end He persuaded me to believe that it was the right thing to do. So now I’m going to South America.

Fortunately, this conversation was real. God called me to serve as an English teacher at a Christian school outside of Ascuncion, and I’m leaving home later this month for at least a year. Unfortunately, (or perhaps fortunately) though, the dialogue wasn't as quick as it might seem. It took place over many years, through much prayer, and at times I doubted who was speaking what in the discussion between me and my Creator. The work of God in my life that has brought me up to this point has been long, sometimes tedious, and requiring faith of me that has been given as I try to follow and listen along.

Foreign missions work has been on the back burner of my mind for several years. I can remember being in high school, seeing missions presentations at church and camp, and thinking how wonderful it must be to serve overseas. I imagined what it would be like to serve at an orphanage in Brazil, and nearly idolized a young fellow who worked in the Czech Republic. Each time I heard a missionary’s story, my heart would flutter with the prospect of seeing the living Gospel at work in hearts around the world.

Throughout high school and college, though, the opportunity for me to go myself never came. In high school, our youth group was without a youth pastor and without much vision or chances for international outreach. In college, my summers (prime missions time) were occupied by frantic attempts to earn money for the next semesters. During this time, I was certain God had me where He needed me – making the most of my education and being fiscally responsible. Still, a question lingered in my mind. “What if I could get away and see God’s work around the world? What if I could let go of family and familiarity? What if I did not have any educational, financial, or relational restraints to hold me back? What if?”

It was about a year ago that I seriously began to wonder what I’d do with my life after graduation. A Georgetown diploma looks pretty good on paper, but a liberal arts education in government and theology is terribly impractical. I’d probably need more schooling, but I had no idea what I wanted to do. I could go to law school or get a PhD, but both seemed like a lot of money and time to a befuddled young man. I wasn’t sure what to do, but I knew for sure that it should be something of great import. Something eternal.

And so, in my senior year, God led me to think of missions after graduation. A lot of the theology I learned in school was bunk, but one professor taught me about Christ and the idea of the Kingdom of Heaven. As a believer, I wanted my whole life to be focused on doing God’s own will on earth as it is in Heaven and being a member of that blessed Kingdom. Foreign missions were one way that God placed it upon my heart to participate in that grand unfolding plan. Here, finally, was the answer to the question, “What if?” Here, at last, was the time, opportunity, and burden to do something meaningful. Here was the call and the chance of my life.