“Do you want it?” I was asked. I paused a moment unsure how to answer or what to really say. So instead of giving the reassuring “yes” I said “could I pray about it first?”
That’s what I did, I sat and prayed and wondered, what the heck I was about to get myself into if I did decide to accept the position. God had been telling me about this, since before I left to Squad Lead. I had mentioned it and filled out an application when it was evident that there wasn’t a position available. Yet, with faith I followed what Abba was telling me to do. Then four months later, as I was sitting back in Colorado watching the snow fall quietly I get the call. “Alysa, you still interested in being a CGA house mentor?” If only you could have seen my face, my jaw dropped because I never would have thought that AIM would be looking for a new person for a house, I mean all the house mentors are the bom.com, so why would anything change?
After the phone call I sat, surprised, anxious, excited, nervous, unsure, “all the feels” as it were. Papa told me to look back at my journal, for in it He had already given me the answer. He had told me “My house, is a safe house for all to come!” He had given me a vision on how to do life together in a house, how to build a community that truly disciples each other. The phrase that He continually kept repeating was “Taste and see that I am GOOD!” Man, at that very moment I knew that my answer was truly yes to house mentoring. Once, that hit though other questions came of, how am I going to have an income? Where would I work? What would it look like for someone outside of AIM to be a house mentor?…
But, thankfully God is a provider. When I called back to confirm that I was going to accept the position I was told to email Christina Barnes about a job position in the Beauty For Ashes/Kingdom Journeys department. Unsure again of what was to come of it I emailed and through a couple phone conversations and gleaning a better understanding of what the job would entail I got an excitement in me. I went through the interview process and on Christmas Eve was told that I got the job!
I am the program coordinator for the Beauty for Ashes department. What does this mean? In summery it means that I will be doing ministry development support, administration, and management of Beauty for Ashes training programs and ministry activities. Programs include: Beauty for Ashes WR/Pathways, Short Term Missions, Kingdom Journeys Women, Parent Vision Trips, and other innovative programs that enhance the ministries offerings. So, a lot of different things, and then why did I accept the position?
In a single word: discipleship
Even though yes, most of my time will be spent in an office, on a computer the exciting thing is that, because I’ll have my hands in so many different outlets I’ll get to help teach, equip and train so many people to go out and make more disciples! I’ll get to cast vision, develop and create new parts of the program that will impact, hopefully many in the future. I get excited because this is something that the Lord has been working in me for years now, I honestly didn’t know that’s what He was doing, but it most certainly has been.
For you see, the Lord has given me a heart and ear to hear, not just His voice, but to sit and be with people. He has allowed me to create a welcoming atmosphere for others to feel safe to let them know that their story matters. That they are important and wanted and someone is willing to listen and hear their heart. To empower them to use their story and the redemption that is in it to bring life to those around them, to help them see the hope and the possibility of what is ahead! And that is exactly what Beauty for Ashes is about, for your story matters. Every story, every person matters. Often times stories go unnoticed, or unheard and I want to change that. For you have a great story to share, so will you? Will you dare to share the story that has been written on your heart?
