What is this? part 1

"What is this?" is a question I have been asking myself for the last 6 months, well really for the last 6 years of my life as things have continued to change. I know what this is, this is the work of God. This is how God has called me back into ministry and given me a church to serve and grow in.

"What is this?" I can major in working with kids at church? It was my freshman year of Biola, and I was an English major, mostly because I loved to read and write. Then I found out that I could major in Ministry. I immediately switched. I had known that over the first few months of Biola and not having a church home that not teaching kids about Jesus was painful and I missed it. All of the sudden it clicked, I could do this with my life, as a vocation! I could work at a church and fulfill my passion of teach kids. I LOVED every minute of my classes, and learning about how to serve in a local church. I had a FABULOUS internship with Dean-O and got to shadow him and be a part of his ministry for two years. Then I graduated, already having a full time job working as a Nursery coordinator.

If you would have told me in February of 2008 that by July of 2009 I would be back in full time Children's Ministry, I would have laughed at you. The previous month I had been "let go" from my first full time ministry position. I knew that it wasn't the "best fit" for me, but it was a job at a church working with kids and I loved it. Then 6 months in, I was called into my boss' office given a check and sent on my way. It was cold, and I was blindsided. I was hurt and angry for a very long time. My heart broke for the kids that I couldn't even say goodbye to, the volunteers that I had poured my energy and love into. I set off to do anything with kids and started to pursue my teaching degree.

August of 2008, I was still floundering. Not sure what I was going to do with my life, applying to various teaching programs, working at Disneyland, and trying to figure out what God wanted me to do since it was most definitely NOT Children's Ministry. Then my mom fell and broke her elbow. 6 days later she fell and broke her knee. My dad was leaving to visit his parents and my mom was 2 hrs away from me. I was getting practically 0 hours at Disney, so I volunteered to go home for the week to help out. Then I started subbing for her (she was a school teacher and needed a good sub). I enrolled in a teaching program at home, and was driving back to the OC every weekend to visit my fiancee. Then a friend from Biola called and asked me to help out with his Jr. High girls. I accepted...