What exactly does Angie do?

Have you ever been told you did something well only to dismiss the compliment, saying or thinking it wasn’t a big deal?

Heeding that compliment is a powerful way to catch a glimpse of your strengths or gifting by God. What comes easily to you often doesn’t come easily to others.

For followers of Jesus, we see that in 1 Corinthians 12. We’re all part of the Body of Christ, specifically and intentionally created with the roles He has in mind for us.

Did you know that missionaries can benefit from understanding better who they are, too?

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that God made me to identify needs and launch solutions with the heart of a recruiter who loves to connect people. And so I’m thrilled for this next dream God has stirred in my heart and now birthed.

My new role is on the missionary recruitment team with responsibilities similar to a hotel concierge service—where someone can walk up and find help with their specific needs. In our case, we’re calling it “Ministry Concierge Service for Moms.”

I’m available to help moms (Cru missionaries and those moms who are applying to join the ministry) see themselves with fresh eyes, looking at how God made her and what ministry is a good fit for her giftings and strengths.

This is exciting to me because when a person focuses on living out of her strengths, I’ve seen how everything and everyone benefits: the person, those around her (because of the joy produced) and, in our case, the mission moves forward because of her contribution.

Isn’t it amazing how God made us to need to invest ourselves in others? And also, others (people and the Church) do best when we invest in them.

A little team of us are beginning to meet one-to-one with Cru moms as they 1) move into Orlando from overseas or somewhere else in the U.S. or 2) are moving from one stage of life to another (maybe their kids, like mine, are now in school a bit and they’re looking to see where they might serve with some freed-up time they now have) or 3) those moms who are amidst an application process with her husband to join Cru.

A couple ways to pray:

• Praise that God is moving and we get to be a part of Him working in the lives of missionary women for their benefit and for the lives of others they’ll touch!
• (tomorrow!) Tuesday, Nov. 14th, I’ll have 15 minutes to speak at a women’s event, sharing some of my vision for this new ministry and extending an invitation for women to put their name down to meet with Lauren (photo above), myself or someone else on our team.
• That God would continue to add more “coaches” to our team who walk women through the process of helping them find a good fit for them in ministry in their season of life.

P.S. If you’ve not done the Gallup Strength Finder assessment (one of the tools I use with those I’m meeting with) I can’t encourage you enough to consider it. The online assessment helps you discover your top 5 strengths (combination of skills, talents and knowledge) so you can learn and capitalize on how God’s “wired” you. Gallup research proves that people succeed when they focus on what they do best. Purchase it for only $20 here: https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/Purchase/en-US/Product?Path=Clifton%20StrengthsFinder

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help me brainstorm for our big recruitment event?

Kids making homemade Runzas (no frozen bread to be found here, so I’m putting them to work helping me make fresh dough). Yum! Baking is such a great picture of throwing together various ingredients you’d never eat separately, yet together, are delicious. Wish you could come for dinner!

I’m in the office today on a cool, fall day. (Life with flipped seasons still catches me off guard.) Today’s first priority is to continue to brainstorm a post-lunch (move body/don’t fall asleep) 20-minute vision and interactive event for our upcoming recruitment event on May 30.

The event is one in which we’re helping participants (college and non-college) think about God’s will for their lives and to encourage them to make decisions regarding their careers in a way that helps them to pursue God’s calling for them.

It’s a 6-hour event with white-space time for reflection amidst content. We’re actually calling it a matchmaking event because it’s not hard-sell on joining the ministry, but rather helping them consider how to match how God’s made them and available opportunities, including those to serve here with us.)

The goal for the portion of the day I’m leading:

• 20 minutes
• interactive (keep them awake after lunch)
• cement the idea that their life is an investment (invest well, no “perfect” fit but be open for how God would lead, and invest intentionally)

Initially, I thought of something like everyone gets assigned an ingredient that goes into baking a cake (but they don’t know it because they only see their ingredient). Somehow it’s revealed that their ingredient matters and the recipe they put their ingredient it will be better as a result of what they have…and it’s needed. A cake isn’t a cake unless ____ is in it.

That wasn’t the best option, because it didn’t fit with our “there’s no one, perfect place for you to serve” as God could have one person invest their life in various places. Not just the idea that their ingredient can only be used to help make a cake.

Just a few minutes ago, I think God gave a new idea. Maybe you could help me flesh it out? What if I give people an ingredient, but have them brainstorm various ways it can be used? I first thought of baking soda. You can use it to make biscuits, cake, bread, use it to clean or…make a bottle rocket!

Then, maybe after each person brainstorms, I’d have them mix together (small or large groups) and combine their ingredients in different ways and see what they’d make.

What other ingredients could I assign to people that would have obvious…and less obvious uses? (I like the parallel of “less obvious uses” because, often, we can have a narrow view of how we think God might use how He’s wired/created us.)

Here’s my first go at the list. What would you add? Also, maybe think of household items that can have unique/surprising uses, when combined with other things?

• baking soda
• milk
• lemon juice
• flour
• yogurt (or, yoghurt, as they say spell it here)
• butter
• vegetable oil
• an egg
• coffee
• vinegar