A Friend For A Season- A Foundation For Life!

Insistent that God had special plans for my life,this friend of my
parents exploded into my life. I was home for a few weeks of R & R after
having been on the road as a photographer for several months.
The minute she found out that I had worked on college
campuses she determined that I had to meet Leigh(the vice president of a mission board). She was not going to let me settle for being a photographer if God had given me the ability to lead people to Jesus.

In one week she served as the catalyst for what would become the next
six or seven years of my life. Life changer...you better believe it!
Within one week from the time I met her I found myself in a car with
my mother driving to Ohio to meet Leigh. I would be meeting one of the vice presidents of a mission board who worked with college students. Within a month
I was preparing doctrinal statements and about to go through an oral
doctrinal examination by the board of the mission as well as about 20
pastors.

Not only had this tall thin blond nurse suggested that I go to work
with Baptist Mid-Missions. She proceeded to suggest that I move
temporarily to Toledo, Ohio and take the evangelism classes that my
Mom had written materials for several years under Pastor Pete M. I
knew it again...for some reason God was using this average Mom of
teenagers to stir up my life. God makes some people to be life
changers!

Needless to say, I moved to Ohio and took that evangelism course for
eight weeks while I awaited final approval by the mission board. It
was one of the best things I have ever done! I worked with a mentor for
eight weeks who not only helped teach me the gospel backwards and forwards,
but also put me in the position of sharing the gospel in every possible
situation. A fire had been built in my soul that no one would ever
be able to put out.

Was this Life Changer done with me yet? God seemed to have one
or two small tasks for me to do yet under her tutelage. Her next
little spur was to ask me to meet her every week at McDonald's for
coffee and prayer. She showed me a book she had found that you could
record your devotions in, prayer requests, categorize memory verses, etc.
Every week she would share one or two of her devotional notes and I
would share one or two of mine. We prayed and saw God answer many
requests. In six short months she gave me as a recent college graduate
a basis for a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus.

Then she decided it was my turn... she would ask me to take her daughter
Julie with me on my trips to churches to raise support. Julie would
play the piano for me when I had opportunities to sing. I would ask her
how I could pray for her.

In a brief couple of years she put all of her children including Eric and
Jason through my school of deputation and prayer. We became good friends
and even in later years if Julie saw me she would run down the hall to
greet me. They became family. Our season together was not quite done
however.

My friend the Life Changer was asked to be on staff at the large church
we attended with the youth pastors. You guessed it she felt it was a
"God Thing" that I go on the teen retreats and share with them about
missions and reaching college students. I counseled students, crawled
through mud pits, and listened to testimonies at camp fires. I helped
head up a summer ministry for teens and traveled with them around the
city to help give them opportunities to share the gospel.

In the course of a few short years God used this dear friend to ignite
my heart. I had a passion to serve Christ...but she knew it would take
more than passion for me to deal with the hardships of being a missionary.
She took moments of her day and taught me how to plunge into God's word...
how to listen to His voice. She placed confidence in me and put her
children in my hands. Her final step was to utilize my skills and talents
and stretch them. God had me in training. I had the background,
training, and experience to serve God...but she saw more and wasn't
satisfied that I stay at that level.

It has been years now since I have seen Rosemary in person...but I see her
everyday. She was used by God for a season to teach me and was unafraid to
let God work through me. I believe we need more Rosemary's in the church.
More catalysts for Christ! There is a lost world depending on us to train
workers for the harvest!