He Never Wastes a “Yes”
By Kim Burdick, Missionary, One Mission Society
photo: As we led their mama in prayer, the two small children looked up at us with wide eyes
It’s been 35 years since I first said, “Yes.” I was a shy 14-yearold at the time, so when a visiting missionary invited people to prayerfully consider serving in missions, mine was a quiet “yes” from the safety of the back seat of my church.
I told the Lord that I had no idea what I could do for him in missions, but if he would show me the way, I would do what he asked me to do and go where he asked me to go. As I look back, I can see just how gently and faithfully he has taken me step by step and how he continues to answer that prayer even now. He blessed our family with 20 years of ministry with One Mission Society in the Philippines, and in 2010, God used a team of truly dynamic women to show me that
he never wastes a “yes.” Though virtual strangers beforehand, God quickly knit this group of willing women together and used their unique stories, gifts, and abilities to bless all to whom they ministered. A year later, when our family relocated to the U.S., I was asked to be part of the Dynamic Women in Missions (DWIM) leadership team. I knew this was a new step in the “yes” from long ago. My first DWIM trip was a mother-daughter missions experience to Ecuador, and my
youngest daughter Danya was able to join me. I felt God expanding my heart beyond the borders of the Philippines to embrace a waiting world. On the final day, each mother, grandmother, and daughter shared how they had seen God at work and how the trip had impacted their lives. The team went home changed and assured that this was not the end of the story, but only the beginning of the journey God had started with that powerful word, “yes.” God had used them at the foot of the Andes Mountains, and he wasn’t finished yet. This past April, I had the privilege of serving on a DWIM team to Haiti as part of the Resounding Hope initiative of OMS. In the short week we were there, we saw God move mightily to bring people to Christ. We shared the Gospel in three villages and distributed solar-powered radios that would give these dear Haitians daily access to Christian programming via Radio 4VEH, as well as an audio version of the New Testament in Creole. It was a bit intimidating at first, but I saw God faithfully give boldness to each team member to share her faith. As we debriefed each afternoon, we could only rejoice and stand in amazement at all God had done through us. I was especially impacted when my teammate LaDonna shared with a young woman who was busy doing her laundry in the hot sun. She stopped what she was doing, listened intently, and soon responded with an enthusiastic “yes” to invite Jesus into her life. As we led her in prayer, her two small children looked up at us with wide eyes, and I couldn’t help but think what their mother’s decision would mean for them as well. Though I don’t know what lies before them, I do know that their lives have been forever changed by my “yes,” a response that God has used for his glory.
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