Mallory* was the cool trainee, sitting in the far back corner, mask securely in place and phone in hands as she’d both type and nod along to what we trainers were saying. Every now and then, she paused and interjected an incredibly insightful comment, but mostly I struggled to read her engagement level or whether she was internally rolling her eyes at what I was saying. Add to that her observation of my tattoo one day at lunch with a slight shake of her head, and I spent the rest of the week in pants, unsure if I had offended her or all of African culture. Or at least Christian African culture.
Partway through the week, I did observe her put down her phone, cross her arms, and lean back in her chair. It was the session on leaders' being able to cast a vision for their school, and I was sharing personally about the vision that eventually took me into missions work and specifically teaching. As a little girl, I hadn’t really imagined being a teacher, but I did always know I had a heart for the nations. That scene in Revelation 7 when every tribe, tongue, and nation is standing before the throne of God - that could make me tear up in an instance! In sharing that story with the trainees, trying not to choke up in front of them, for a brief moment the vision crystalized right in front of me. The passion to serve their own nations was written all over their faces, and the thought that these trainees were committing themselves to work on behalf of Christian education in their East African countries burst out in gratitude for them. In the corner, Mallory’s face scrunched up, inscrutable as ever.
On the last day, we were presented with Thank You cards, which I didn’t open until I was on the plane back to Germany. Everyone said really nice things and expressed gratitude for the training. And then, there in the corner (where else) was Mallory’s little scrawl that read: “May the nations rejoice because you came.” There was no holding back the tears this time. It was my dream, succinctly articulated as a vision statement, and all I could think was “Yes, Lord, may it be so!”
*not her real name
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