When I retired in 2008, I said, “Okay God, now I am free to start a new adventure. What’s it going to be?” God answered “Be still”.  Whenever I saw that perfect opportunity to serve, I would ask again “Lord, is this it?”  For 2 1/2 years all I heard was “Wait”, despite several possibilities that really looked attractive to me.  He firmly closed and locked each door.  During this time I heard that my dear friend Jamie was doing wonderful work with refugees, and surely she could have used another volunteer.  Even in this, God would not relent, so he apparently still had other plans for me.

Maybe the waiting was so that God could prepare my heart for what was to come.  One day this spring, He quietly released me from the waiting and pointed me straight to Jamie.  I feel that my role in Asha’s Refuge is much more than I could ever imagine, just like He promises.  “And now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work in us…” Ephesians 3:20.

As days with my new friends unfold, God continues to confirm that this is the right place for me.  Jamie speaks of “Just Love” and we know that “Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:8.  I particularly like this because it is a part of Paul’s writings that leads to my favorite verse: 1 Corinthians 13:13: “Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.” (The Message)  I see clearly that love is the heart of this ministry.  I have fallen in love with the sweet ladies who come to my ESL class.  They have endured unspeakable horrors and hardships, fleeing their homes, losing many of their family members, finding themselves in a foreign land, and yet they are so warm and trusting.  While learning English is very important for our refugee friends, most of all they need friends to love and guide them through the process of adjusting to American life.

So here I am, awed by the way God works in my life to bring about His perfect plan for me, in love with the people around me, and humbled that He would use me as a channel of His love for all people. I am so delighted to finally arrive at the place God has been preparing for me.  This is my big chance to “Love extravagantly!”