Forever Grateful

If you have read this blog for any length of time, you've probably figured out that my husband and I are called to be missionaries to Italy. What you may not know is that for my day job, I'm an event planner for our church, Victory World Church. Because of that, I am currently at the Christian Meetings and Conventions Association (CMCA) conference in Franklin, TN. Tonight I attended a dinner thinking that I would eat some good food and hear some good music before going back to my hotel room for the night. God had other plans.

It has now been over 6 weeks since we left Italy behind to return to regular life. It is amazing how quickly life steps in to push your vision farther and farther away. Work goes on and the kids have school. Saturdays are spent at the ballfield and Sunday is filled with church activities. Pretty soon Monday comes around again and the cycle continues every week. Don't get me wrong. I have not forgotten about Italy. Not even close. But bills have an annoying habit of coming in the mail every month and the kids like to eat at least a couple of times a day, so you do what you have to do. However, my heart has been crying out to the Father! Lord, please don't let me get so wrapped up in everything here that I can't move forward in what You've called me to do!

Because God loves me so much, He orchestrated a last minute trip to Tennessee so that I would hear what He had to say to me tonight through a man named Kirk Whalum. You may have heard of Kirk. He is an 8 time Grammy-nominated saxophonist. If you haven't heard his name, I can almost guarantee you've heard him play since he is the sax player on Whitney Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You". It is not those things that make me a fan of Kirk Whalum, even though I admit that the man can play a mean sax! (And I know good sax music when I hear it since my husband is a pretty incredible saxophonist too!) What I will always be grateful to Kirk for was reminding me tonight that God wants to use the things we love to help further His kingdom and fulfill our destiny.

In between playing his sax like nobody's business, Kirk spoke about how music is a universal language that can reach all people. He said that sometimes unbelievers are not open to hearing you talk about Jesus, but they'll come to hear music, which can open a door to share the gospel. He talked about doing concerts in Japan, Sweden, and France and I was reminded of the dream that Stephen and I have to use our love of music to win Italians to Christ. As I watched Kirk and his band do what they love best, I pictured me with a mic and Stephen playing his sax and seeing lives changed in Italy because of something as simple as music. It may not seem like much to you, but it was life-giving to me and I will be forever grateful.

So Kirk, for what it's worth, thank you. Even though I will still have to go to work every day and cook dinner every night and do laundry for 2 kids that change clothes 3 times a day, my passion for what God has called us to in Italy is renewed. Because you were faithful to the Lord to do what you love best for His glory, I will strive to do the same. And one day I hope to be able to encourage someone else in their calling the way that you've encouraged me.