What Started All This?

It all started with a hypothetical rant in January of 2002.  While sitting at the dinner
table eating meatloaf, a discussion started.  Frustrated with corporate America, keeping up with the Joneses, and searching for more meaning in life, Scott said, “We should just quit our jobs and become missionaries or something.”  After uttering these words, a pregnant silence hung in the air.  Then, through the stillness came a small voice.  It was Gabby, who said, “You know… we really could do that.” 

Gabby, the implementer, outlined the steps required to pull off such a feat.  The more we talked, the more practical it started to sound.  Worried that our well-thought-out life (job, 2 cars, house, kids, PTA meetings, summer barbeques…) was now being scrapped for a new plan, we panicked and together said something like, “Yeah… but people who do that are either retired or called by God or something.  I don’t know if that’s us.”  We tossed the idea aside… or at least we thought we had.

Sometimes God is a healer.  Sometimes God is a counselor.  And… we have come to find out, sometimes God is like the kid in grade school who always poked you in the side REALLY HARD between your ribs to get your attention.  After our conversation, it seemed that everywhere we turned, God was trying to tell us we shouldn’t let the idea die.  We had a Sunday morning breakfast discussion about how this would create too many uncertainties, only to go to Sunday School and hear the gospel of Matthew:  “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”  In a random conversation, Scott asked about an old college buddy and found out he was in Ecuador working in the Peace Corps.  We opened up a daily devotional and it said to let go of the stability of daily routine and seek God on the fringes of life.  The signs kept coming weekly or even daily.  We couldn’t dismiss them as coincidence.  Okay God.  We get it.  We started telling people about our idea and inquiring about potential programs.