Latest / The Ethnos360 Podcast / He is so worthy!
Transcript
- speaker-0: Cut Bank Montana has five churches in a tiny little town. And then to hear that there's places that don't have five churches in their tiny little town, I was kinda like, there's an imbalance here, you know. Serving the Lord is awesome, but there's also, you know, there's when you say yes to one thing, there's gonna be things that you have to say no to as well. And I just loved it. I loved the students there, I loved my community. I loved the fact that I could see what my efforts were going towards every single day because we were in the country. He definitely used that time even just to show me where my hands were super clasped around things. yeah, there were a lot of things that I would have said, yeah, that's surrendered to the Lord. But when I actually sat down and prayed about it with the Lord, like one of my tests was if I can say it out loud, then I can surrender it to the Lord. And I had things where I was like, I I can't say this out loud because I'm afraid God's gonna make me do it. speaker-1: Real People, Real Stories, an Ethnos 360 Podcast. Hey, welcome back to another episode of Real People Real Stories. I'm your host, Annette Kinzora. And today I have the wonderful and lovely Megan Lewis with me. Megan has been with Ethnos 360 for about seven years. And she's been a math teacher, turned short-term trips manager and encounter coordinator and inner inter internship coordinator. So I'll let I'll let her introduce herself a little bit better. so here we go. Hi Megan. Hey, thanks for being here. speaker-0: Yeah. Glad to be here. speaker-1: Okay. Let's start off by you giving us a picture of what farm life, Montana, okay, a little bit of your history, a little bit of your background. speaker-0: Yeah, yeah. So like you said, I'm a just a farm kid from Montana. we yeah, I think like five generations in that location. And so, you know, grew up in a Christian home surround like surrounded by agriculture. My mom was a teacher. and so yeah, definitely grew up in a solid Christian home. and but like I definitely had just kind of things going on in my own heart that it wasn't until I was 16 until I accepted Christ. But yeah, it was really cool though, just to a a huge factor in that though, that just really helped lead me to Christ was just the fact that I was watching my parents' faith grow a ton too. because we we when I was in third grade moved churches and it was kind of funny because beforehand Like we would we'd be in the pickup on the way home, seventeen mile drive, so we had a lot of time to talk. and my mom would be like asking my dad, Did you get anything out of church? And he'd be like, No, not really. And I my little little elementary school self was like, Wait, you're supposed to get something out of church? Like, had no idea. I thought we were just supposed to draw on the bulletin and hang out with grandma when we had a chance. and so they told us one day, like, hey, we're, you know, we're gonna We're gonna go to a different church. And my little third grade brain was like, We can't go to a different church. We've gone to this church our whole life. It has the stained glass windows, it has the beautiful wood walls, it has the stone walls, you know, has the candles that hang from the ceiling. And and then we go to this church that was in a refurbished mechanic shop. And so it's just this metal building, and we walk in, and my little brain's like, This is not church. This, this is not it. it was a solid Bible teaching church. the pastor was incredible, the congregation was incredible. and I just watched my parents' faith grow a lot. We would be in the pickup and my parents would all of a sudden be talking about the sermon and what they learned from the sermon. And again, I'm just like, why are we talking about this? We were we were just there. But it was so cool to see. them growing and like when we would have really rough years of like no rain, like just hearing my parents go, like, but God's gonna provide. He's gonna take care of us. And there were times where even I would be embarrassed by that. I was like, why are you why are you saying that? That's weird. But they just were really faithful in that. And that really helped me to grow. And so it was also kind of funny because I think one of the things that kind of kept me from accepting Christ was they were old when I watched them grow in their faith. Really, they're probably were about my age now. But but as a little kid, I was like, I don't need to know God until I'm older. and so yeah, it just it took a while for my heart to really be softened and to really see the need for Christ. but eventually, yeah, we had a great youth group and they took us to this youth conference and I don't think they necessarily said anything new, but I think it just finally hit me, like, okay, like Wow, like this relationship with the Lord is something that I need now and I want now too. And so yeah, that was kind of yeah, my intro into growing up and becoming a Christian. But yeah, and so we yeah, incredible family to grow up with and being a farm kid, ten out of ten, recommend. So speaker-1: What kind of what kind of farm do your parents have? speaker-0: Yeah, so we grow wheat and barley, sometimes peas. but we also have cattle for for meat and so about three hundred head and so that's so cool. Yeah, yep, a lot of fun. speaker-1: Okay, so you said your mom was a teacher, mm-hmm, your dad was a farmer. Mm-hmm. Okay, so when did you you 16 when you became a believer f for yourself? when did like talk me through what were your next steps, like, okay, when did teaching become something that you thought you would do long term? speaker-0: Yeah, that's a really good question. I think like I toyed around with a lot of different things when I was in high school. but it was like kind of considered nursing, but we didn't have the best science teachers. So then I thought I didn't like science and so I kind of put that off to the side and really considered becoming a farmer at one point 'cause I do I did love growing up on the farm. I love I do love being on the farm. and then but in high school was really kind of when I started to notice like, okay, I'm really good at math. And my classmates tell me I'm really good at explaining it to them. And so especially with accepting Christ, like when I was at the youth conference, they also had like a really clear explanation of the Great Commission. And so like it was very clear to me, like, okay, I need to be a part of this somehow. And so I was like, well. There's not a lot of Christian teachers in the public school system. and so that kind of became like where my my thought process started going. Like, okay, I do really enjoy math. They tell me I'm good at explaining it, but this gives me an end to a lot of kids who probably aren't gonna have access, or they would have access, but not as many opportunities to hear and to be loved by somebody who knows Christ, you know? Yeah. and so really started to pursue teaching because of that. Wow. So that's super speaker-1: fun what a fun reason like man if I could influence some kids you know that's awesome okay so college you pick out college you're you're you've picked your path of I'm gonna do math and I'm gonna do this to influence kiddos and for the Lord what happens next speaker-0: Yeah, so went to Montana State University to get my degree. and yeah, college was just a huge time of growth for me. it was I had just some incredible women just pouring into my life, just helping me to see, yeah, just like different idols that I had in my life, different things that were even just keeping me from walking well with the Lord. And so yeah, I was a part of crew and so Every Wednesday we would all like everybody and crew would meet together at one of the local churches and we would just have a speaker. And so I was always kind of interested in missions. but I think I always kind of had in the back of my head, maybe I'll just do a bunch of short term stuff, you know. 'cause very shortly after I accepted Christ, I did sign up for a mission trip. There was a sister organization that put on the the youth conference that we went to. And just due to various reasons, I wasn't it ended up not being able to go. But it was always kind of in the back of my head of like, okay, like maybe this is something that I also want to pursue because there are people like Cut Bank Montana has what, like five churches in a tiny little town. And then to hear that there's places that don't have five churches in their tiny little town, I was kind of like, maybe there's an imbalance here, you know? And so I was always kind of a little curious about missions. And so, but yeah, so when I was in college, there's an organization called the traveling team. And so they basically, I mean, they do a lot of things, but one of the things they do is kind of, in a sense, rep for other organizations. And so they came and they spoke at crew and they talked about like, hey, you can use your degree in missions. Like being a missionary isn't only the person who's on the front lines reaching these people. Like they need help. get there. They need they need help teaching their kids. they need help with their finances, they need help with their technology. And so they really just dove into, okay, like here are all of the degrees that are actually needed in the mission field that you maybe didn't realize. And so I was like, God, this is cool. And so and it just I was still I still wanted to be in the public school system, but like at the same time I was like, how incredible to be a part of you know, going and helping as well. And so I got their teacher packet and as I was reading through it, I recognized New Tribes Missions, which is our old name, because my home church supported a New Tribes couple. And so it kind of cracks me up because I literally had no idea what they were doing. Doing with new traps. I just know knew that my church supported them and I trusted my church. And so, yeah, I kind of started. There was probably about like five organizations that I was kind of interested in. but like I could also see, I was like, I don't even know what to ask. Like I didn't come from a mission, missions background. and it definitely was one of those situations, like I didn't know what I didn't know. And so I just I was looking at websites. But I was like, okay, like like all their mission statements seem great, but I don't really know what to do. And so was just praying about it. And then I was home for a one of the holidays and I was telling my parents about it. I was like, Hey, like, will you be praying about this with me? Like I think I might want to go do this, go serve and teach overseas, for what, like two years was kind of my thought. And so it was really cool because at that time there was a teacher with New Tribes Missions, Ethnos 360, who she had just taught in Papua New Guinea for four years. She needed to come home before she decided to stay long term. So she was teaching in the same school my mom was teaching in. Okay. And so just the Lord's timing was absolutely fantastic. And so I'm telling my mom and dad about this and my mom's like, You need to go talk to Carmen. She can Tell you what it's like. She can tell you like all the different things that you need to be considering. And so I was like, yeah, that's great. I'd love to talk to Carmen. I have no idea what to ask Carmen. And so it actually really intimidated me because my mom like even pushed Carmen to go talk to me. And I didn't know what to ask. And I was like, no. And so that summer I was also working at our town's visitor center. And so she Came in one day. I was not prepared at all. I did not know she was coming in. And she's like, hey, your mom says you have questions about being a teacher overseas. I was like, uh-huh. I know I have questions. I just don't know what those questions are. And so it was, it was so helpful though, because she just started sharing about her life, what her life was like over there. and at one point, because I I asked her, I was like, well, like. Do you do you really need a need or do you really have a need for high school teachers? Because most of the orgs that I was looking at, like it was mostly these elementary schools for the kids in the country. And I love little kids. I never want to be an elementary school teacher. We're just gonna be honest here. speaker-1: It's a safe place. Thank you. speaker-0: Yeah. And so I like asked her, I was like, everything I see is always for elementary schools. And she's like, well. Do you know what our school does? Nope. No idea what our school did. But so she explained, she's like, well, when we send church planters into a location, somebody has to be ready to teach their kids. When we have pilots come to the field, somebody has to be there to teach their kids. When we have finance people come to the field, somebody has to be there to teach their kids. And it just, I was like, I never thought about beyond the people of the country, you know? And so it was really eye-opening for me to be like, there's like teaching overseas has so many different connotations. And so it was really, I was really grateful to see like, yeah, my degree will be very much needed and used. and so yeah, that conversation was really encouraging. And so, but I definitely didn't want to immediately go to the mission field. because every, every one of my education professors was telling me, like, guys, like, Please don't quit teaching until after your third year. Because those first three years are rough. And so I was like, okay, I and I also came from a teaching family. Like my mom was a teacher, my aunt was a teacher, my two of my siblings were teachers. So I knew what the first couple years looked like. And so I was like, I just I that sounds awful. Tackling your first year of teaching and tackling a whole new culture and being away from family. And so I kinda put that off to the side for a little bit 'cause I like, even if this is what the Lord wants me to do, I need to just get some experience first. and so yeah, I ended up teaching in Montana for a few years and which was it was good. So yeah. speaker-1: Okay, so how does Ethno Street sixty, how do they invite people with degrees to serve overseas? speaker-0: Yeah, so we have a really four year. Yeah, we have a really great program. It's called the Associate Program. and basically what that means is you don't it you don't have to go through the Bible school or through the training center and you can join Ethnos three sixty for up to four years using your degree and just going straight to the field. And so or may like beyond degree, even just your like your trade skills, whatever skills it is that you have. And so it's for all any of those who would be best suited to serve in a support role, kinda like I was. I was supporting our church planters. finance people are support roles, IT people are support roles. and so you can join for up to four years and then after four years you kinda have to make that decision of am I gonna stay long term in this position or Are we gonna go back to life in America? and so it's it is amazing because it it's just a very easy step to go into the org. And I I'd ended up doing four years. My plan was only two. and so you just never know what the Lord's gonna do. And so, seven years later. Uh-huh. I remember writing that newsletter to my supporters being like, Hey, so do you remember when I told you that you only need to to support me for two years? So how do you feel about two more? And then how do you about feel about even more? So speaker-1: Okay, so going back to before you actually moved, how like did you pick Papua New Guinea solely because of this other teacher friend that came alongside you? Like how did you choose, okay, this is what I'm gonna do and where do I go from here? speaker-0: I actually yeah, I was praying between two locations. 'cause on the website there was a school in West Africa that was looking for teachers and then there was a school in Papua New Guinea looking well, there's schools in Brazil too, but those and Mexico, sorry, now I'm speaker-1: It's basically like there's like four options for teachers. speaker-0: Yep. So there's there's several options. But so I was praying between West Africa and Papua New Guinea. and the draw of Papua New Guinea was that Carmen had since gone back and she was serving in that country. So it would have been very comforting to have somebody who I knew there. but I I mean, I thought West Africa could be really cool too. So I was praying between the two countries and one day I got on the website and the position in West Africa was no longer open. So I was like, okay. There it is. Guess we're going to Papua New Guinea. So and I think that was also very helpful for my parents too. to know that they're sending their daughter somewhere where they also know somebody and it's somebody they actually really like. And 'cause Carmen and my mom are pretty good friends now. And so I think that also is just kind of a sweet gift from the Lord, even for my parents to be like, Okay, you're sending your daughter to go serve me. Let me at least give you, you know, a little bit of comfort in this. And so, 'cause I think that's one thing. when you're making this decision for yourself, like you when you choose to go to the mission field, it's not only affecting you. Like it's affecting your siblings, it's affecting your parents. And so it was sweet of the Lord to kinda give this little bit of comfort to them too. So speaker-1: Yeah. Okay, so what was going through your mind? Okay, you've just decided I'm leaving it all behind, going to Papua New Guinea for two years. Yeah. what like were you anxious, were you nervous? Were you excited? Going as a single lady to a country that maybe isn't as easy for a single lady to live in? speaker-0: Yeah. it kinda makes me laugh because those weren't actually my concerns. Great. I don't know why. Like it never crossed my mind to be worried about going to a country that's not exactly friendly to women. But one thing that a friend did for me that was so helpful, because it there was something bothering me, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was. And so she finally asked me, She's like, Megan, what is like, just what is your biggest fear? Just like what's the first thing that pops into your head? And I up until that point, there have been three things that popped up that I was like, I am terrified of a family member passing away. And you s you asked if I was gonna cry and I said no. but and so it was it was so good for her to ask me that though, because I mean, we'll get to into this in a little bit, but like I had three family members pass away. And but having that conversation with her. I at least wasn't surprised. It still hurt. Yeah. But wasn't surprised. Going into it, that was the thing that had to be prayed through the most. Yeah. yeah, just processing through that, like, what would it look like? Would I be able to come home? How will I handle if I can't come home? and so it is, it's it's a big decision, but so that was I would say the biggest thing that kept me from being full blown, like, yeah, let's go do this. and of course, like missing out on family in general too. Cause at the time when I started filling out paperwork to go, my sister in law was pregnant with my first nephew. And so, like, grieving that as well. And so, yeah, it's serving the Lord is awesome. But there's also, you know, there's when you say yes to one thing, there's gonna be things that you have to say no to as well. And speaker-1: I d I don't think people realize maybe how hard it is. They think, you're just excited about this adventure, but yeah, we are leaving we're leaving everybody and it's a big deal. speaker-0: Yeah it is. Yep. speaker-1: Okay, so how long did it take you from you deciding that I'm still gonna go through with this, even though it's scary and daunting and I have fears? How long did it take you from deciding to actually getting in country? speaker-0: Yeah, so I Kind of so I'm think about it in I think about everything in school years still. To this day. No. speaker-1: Mm-hmm. Makes sense. speaker-0: but yeah, so I taught my first year and that first year, yeah, just spent a lot of time praying about like, okay, Lord, when do you want me to go? Because this is I don't want to get caught in everyday life and forget about this really cool opportunity that you've shown me. And so prayed about it a lot for that first year and finished the first year. and was signed my contract for the second year and I felt like the Lord was like, Okay, but you're gonna start paperwork this year. and so I did start of the second school year. I reached out to Ethnos three sixty and started that preliminary questionnaire process. And then yeah, it was so started in August, was accepted as an associate in January of twenty nineteen. So then finished my school year. While also support raising. Okay. Maybe don't recommend that. But it was a little crazy. But so was fully supported, I think, by I shouldn't say fully, 75%, which is the minimum by I think it was June. Dang. And so, yeah, so I was ready to go in June June, but I didn't have my work visa yet. Okay. And so my principals really wanted me to stay. And so they kept asking me like for the rest of the school year, like, Do you have a work visa yet? I like, No, they're like, You still have a job. I was like, Okay, but I'm going to PNG, so don't count on me for too much. And And like the school year ends and I still don't have a visa and my assistant principal's like, hey, you gonna you gonna stay? And I was like, no, I'm holding out on faith that the Lord's gonna bring this work visa. And so fast forward to it's like the end of July and the school year starts, beginning of August, and I finally get my work visa, pack my bags, get there like four days later. It was, it was, it was rough, but it works. It was great. speaker-1: You're buckle in. Here we go. speaker-0: Yep. And so yeah, it was just a really wild time because it was, it was just like stationary, stationary, stationary, stationary, stationary, and let's go. And so, 'cause even I was working on the farm too, like checking my phone every five minutes on the tractor, being like, Nope, still no work visa. Nope, still no work visa. Like so nervous that it wasn't gonna come. But yeah, the Lord provided and thankfully like Carmen gave me a great travel agent who she found me a really good ticket right away. And there was a family who was traveling over there at the same time. because that w was my only my second time ever traveling internationally. So it would have been so nerve wracking, to go alone to a country I've never been to, especially with only having one previous international travel experience. So yeah. speaker-1: Okay, so you're able to to travel together with us. Okay. speaker-0: Yes. Okay. That's great. That's wonderful. speaker-1: Okay, so you arrive in Papua New Guinea, first thoughts. What were your first thoughts? speaker-0: It was it was very humbling to realize how much we have in America. because really when when we flew into when we flew into the capital city and went from international to domestic, there was this immediate shift from being in a developed country to a developing country. Like it was very immediate, very stark. and then we go from the capital city to Garoka and it's even more of a difference. and so I remember d being very jet-legged, but in the van on the way to the Lapilo Center where I would live and work, driving through the streets and just like this was my first developing country I'd ever been in and just being like, wow, okay, like this is okay. All right, this is different, you know? and so, but at I was still so excited. To be there, and just to see, okay, Lord, what are you gonna do with this time? But it was definitely very eye-opening. because I think it's one thing, I think Americans for the most part know that we have a lot, but when you actually go somewhere and see the difference, like it it definitely hit you different than just knowing that we're a very rich country. and so it was, yeah, it definitely the smells and the sights and the noises, like. all your senses are just taking in something very, very different. And it was, yeah, like I said, pretty humbling. speaker-1: Okay, so you're there starting to teach. What are the did you get to teach high school or did you have to teach more than just speaker-0: I taught both middle school and high school. Okay. And actually I know I'm weird in this. I actually prefer middle schoolers. Like I love the math of high schoolers, but I love the personality of middle schoolers. So I kinda had the best of both world worlds. So during my time there my classes would kinda fluctuate, but I taught anything from sixth grade math up to calculus. Okay. Just depending on what they needed from me. So speaker-1: How many kids typically are at and attend a school like this for missionary children? speaker-0: So NCA, Numinoy Christian Academy from grade twelve to a s like sorry, from kindergarten to grade twelve. I think if I remember right, it was around like 120 kids. wow, okay. So but Papua New Guinea i I would say is our largest field with the largest support base and so sorry, support center and then but so that kind of contributes to it, but also that fluctuated a lot too. and so it just kind of depended on the year and it also depended on teachers as well. because that is like if you don't have a first grade teacher, like are your first grade students gonna be able to come or are they gonna have to be homeschooled? and so that is a a major part of of the school is making sure like, man, we have to have every single grade covered because There's no substitutes, there's no backups. and so it is kind of a a really hard reality for a mission school. speaker-1: Yeah. Okay, so two years turned four years. How did that happen? speaker-0: yeah. so despite all the craziness, like there was a lot of things that happened in those first two years. I came back from like this this would have been in 2020, came back after being sent home for for COVID and I just loved it. I loved the students there, I loved my community. I Love the fact that I could see what my efforts were going towards every single day because we were in the country. And but not only the bigger efforts, but even just pouring into students. like, yeah, I had the privilege of being able to disciple one gal while I was there and just yeah, have great conversations with students and encourage them and be a part of Spiritual Emphasis Week and There were just so many things that it was just, Lord, I wanna be here till the day I retire. And so, that was a little bit bold after only being there for two years and having a lot of things happen. But my friends encouraged me. They're like, Well, let's serve out your associate term, your four years first, and then let's cross that bridge when we get to it. I was like, Okay, sounds good. so yeah, it really was just I I just loved it. Loved, loved, loved being there. So speaker-1: Okay. So you hit your four year mark and then that becomes a time where you then have to reevaluate, okay, am I gonna join this organization long term or am I gonna go back home? How did that look for you since you didn't keep teaching? Tell us what happened. What happened? speaker-0: yeah, so it was, yeah, had that very firm like, this is what I want to do till I retire. and then we moved into my third year of teaching. And there were just yeah, there were just some a lot of hard things going on. And so I just during that third year progressively really started to doubt if that's kind of what the Lord had for me. But I was afraid I was afraid of that because looking at those first two two years, while they were amazing, I like I I had both my grandparents pass away. we had COVID and were sent home on a crazy repatriation flight. and then when we came back, all of our students were behind. And my personality, like I had to preach myself all the time, like, it's not your fault that they're behind. It's not your fault that they're behind. And so I had that. I had the emotional stress, I had the mental stress. my uncle, like during that whole third year, we were just waiting for him to die because he had cancer. so we had that. And I on top of that was having shoulder I have had shoulder issues for a long time, but it was especially getting bad because I was helping coach volleyball. So I was playing volleyball every day and then I was playing in our our center league and so just a lot of volleyball and my shoulder was killing me and And so there's just all these things happening and and I could recognize that. And so I was like, Lord, is this you leading me potentially away from the field, or is this just me being tired? and so I decided to go home for the summer after my third year, just to get some separation, figure out what was going on with my shoulder. and and that was really the best decision I could have made because when you're on the field, you're seeing the need. every single day. And it's so hard sometimes to actually hear from the Lord when you see the need. And so I just spent that summer just in his word, in his in prayer, seeking him, getting wise counsel. And I was studying the book of Joshua, and I'm sure you've experienced this where every time you flip the page, you're like, okay, this hits good. Okay, this is really getting to me. So and it just was over and over and over again I felt like the Lord 'Cause my biggest question was, if I don't teach God, what am I gonna do? People tell me I'm good at this. I I do enjoy this. Am I getting tired? Yeah, but I do enjoy it, like, and who wants like who wants a teacher like in any other position? Like I don't I don't really know. And so I was really insecure about that. Like what what would I do if I didn't teach? And so, but any time I was in the book of Joshua, I just felt like over and over, like Okay, the Israelites didn't know how they were gonna cross this the the Jordan River because it was during flood season, and the Lord made them wait three days. And I definitely think during those three days it just humbled them to remind them: you need to wait on me, you need to rest in me, you need to seek me during this time. And when the time came, the Lord gave them their next step. And so they stood, they stepped into the Jordan and he stopped the Jordan. And then immediately afterwards, they get to Jericho and write this fortress, like how I'm sure they were like, How are we supposed to take this city? Like they have huge walls. What are we supposed to do? And so the Lord made them be a marching band for seven days around the walls. And I'm sure it was just to humble them, to remind them, it's about me. I'm gonna show you what's gonna happen. It's I'm gonna take care of it. You just need to trust me and be faithful in what I've asked you to do right now. and so that was it was just example exam and example after one after another of that. And I just felt so encouraged by the Lord to be like, okay, I'm gonna go back for my fourth year of teaching, but that's it. And I I trust that you're leading me away from that. I have no idea what you're gonna have me do. But the Israelites didn't know multiple times. And if you could guide the Israelites without the Holy Spirit in them, surely you can probably guide me. And so we yeah, so I went back for my fourth year just feeling very confident that that was gonna be the final year. But what was really hard was I didn't have a next step. And so of course when people ask you, yeah, hey, what's your next step? And I'm just like, I don't know. And especially for my personality, that's really hard. Like I'm the person where if God puts me in a hallway, I'm gonna be trying those doors. but I really just felt like my job during that fourth year was to be faithful to my students that I had, be faithful to the job that I had, and just trust him in what comes next. which was so hard. But he he definitely used that time even just to show me where my hands were super clasped around things. yeah, there were a lot of things that I would have said, yeah, that's surrendered to the Lord. But when I actually sat down And prayed about it with the Lord. Like one of my tests was if I can say it out loud, then I can surrender it to the Lord. And I had things where I was like, I I can't say this out loud because I'm afraid God's gonna make me do it. One of them was being a single church planter missionary in a remote people group. I was like, that is terrifying. But the Lord just kind of he just kept working on me. And so some like another one that might sound silly is like, okay, Lord, I will live in a city for you. I don't like cities, but here we are. So But it wasn't so some of the things have come to pass, but some of them I think it was just the Lord like, I just you say that you're willing to do what I ask you to do, but let's kind of evaluate this during this time. Yeah. So it was just I feel like every every couple of weeks something new would pop up or something that I had already surrendered would pop up again. I'd be like, dang it. Okay. Let's work on this Lord. But So anyway, so this is this is my whole school school year basically. And we get to we always had two week breaks in between each term so that our students who who their parents were church planters, they could go visit their parents in the bush. And so during that two week break, it was the our final two week break before our final term. And I'm like, Lord, I still don't have a plan. Like, what are we gonna do? And So I was over for dinner at a friend's house one night and she asked me, she's like, Well what like what are you what are you still really passionate about? I was like, Well, I love teaching. I really do. And I love missions. But I was like, but if I'm not gonna be a teacher in the mission field, like I I I don't know how those two things combine. And I was like, I don't know, can you teach people about missions? Is that a job? And she's like, Well, our mobilization team. is looking for people. And I totally blew her off. I was like, mm, haven't heard that. I don't think so. Be real. I know. If I haven't heard it, no, which I l knew so little since coming to the home office. I'm like, girly, you you just had no idea. but anyway, so unbeknownst to me, like I had no idea this was going on. She emails my boss now. And cause I and I had taught two of his sons in Papua New Guinea. And so she emails him being like, Hey, we have this teacher here who I think would be a really great fit for your team. Like, would you be interested in like talking to her? Blah, blah, blah. And he responds back, like, yeah, potentially, like, who is it? And so she responds, and it's Megan Lewis. He's like, it's Megan! Like, totally. And then pretty soon this other gal named Janie Miles, who's also one of my bosses, she gets on. She's like, Yeah, I want to have a conversation with her. And So this is all happening. I have no idea that this is happening. I'm just teaching, doing my thing. And all of a sudden I get I get done teaching one day and I go look at my email and I have this forward from Summer. And I can't remember exactly what she said, but it was to the extent of, so I did something. And I was like, okay, so I'm reading through this and I get to the end where Janie Miles, this gal I've never met before, wants to have a phone call with me. And I'm very much thinking like, interview. I haven't had to do an interview in like four years. Like, does she want a resume? Does she like how what is this gonna look like? So we WhatsApp and she she just dives in. She's like, When you get down here, we're gonna have you do X, Y, and Z. And we might put you on this team too, if you're willing. And but and I'm just like okay. Can I pray about yes? I was like, also I kind of need to talk to my sending church about this. because they they had been behind me the whole way. They they knew I was gonna leave teaching. They were supporting me in that. And so I I did. I wrote a huge long email to my elders and just saying, like, hey, this opportunity came up. You knew that I was looking at leaving. Teaching, but you know I have a heart for missions. Like, here's this opportunity. Like, will you guys pray about it? Will you think of questions that I need to ask to see if this is something I should pursue? And so I waited like I think about a week before one of the elders replied back. He's like, Hey, we met about this and we're behind you one hundred percent. Like, go ahead, go and like take the job. We're there, we're there with you. And that was just that was so, so sweet, to have have that backing from my church. And 'cause yeah, just absolutely amazing people there. And so it I called Janie and I was like, okay. You win. I guess I guess we're gonna do this. And so so I finished out my final year there. came back in June, and then spent time with just about three months with family. and then moved down here about three months after getting back from P and G so speaker-1: Okay. And you came here to specifically work with short term trips. Is that what they that's what they slotted you for? speaker-0: Yep. Yeah. So my original my first job was yeah, just being encounter coordinator. speaker-1: Okay, which how many how many short term trips do we ha do we offer? speaker-0: Yeah, so we have Interface, which is a five to six week long trip that you can do, excuse me, during the summers. And then we have Encounter, which is a two-week trip. We usually have I I want to say about like eight different locations we go to. Interface is two right now, will be three. So eight for encounter. And then we also have internships. And so those internships are both here at the home office and at different locations around the world. and then we do have Wyumi, which is up in Pennsylvania too. So yeah. speaker-1: Okay. What has been the most rewarding thing about switching from teaching to now stepping into this more mobilization role of of, you know, managing these trips and and the encounter and and the inter internships? speaker-0: Yeah, I think one thing that I've really loved, that's been a huge blessing, is I do feel like it is using both of my skill sets that I had in teaching of like I was a very organized teacher. everything was color-coded. And but then also like I loved talking to students, loved encouraging students, loved being there for the students. and so Most of my time I get to use my organizational skills of planning these trips, making sure everything's set and ready to go. helping write curriculum. That was something I never thought I would be doing. And so helping to write our short term trip curriculum. and then so that administrative side of my brain gets to be very happy, but then also I get to help lead these trips and man, such great conversations. just of just even like Helping them find their next steps, encouraging them in what the Lord is teaching them. And it's so funny because I'm very much an early to bed, early to rise person. And then I go on these trips and like these girls are asking me these big deep questions at one o'clock in the morning and I'm like, Okay, Lord, you're gonna have to answer this one because I can't. So and so it's just it's been so fun to have those conversations and to encourage them. And even just like some of will still like from my very like first trip will text me and be like, Hey, so like this is what I have going on and I just love getting those updates to hear how the Lord's moving in their lives and h seeing them take the next steps, whether it is Sure, going into missions, some of some of our participants have continued on to into our training, but some of them are just like they know like I'm not gonna go overseas, but man, I can pray and I can support these missionaries that are over there too, because that's a huge part of missions too, is we need people to send us. 'cause if if we all go, then who's who who who is our support base, you know? And so it's been just so cool to see, just see where the Lord leads each of those participants. So Yeah. speaker-1: All right, I've got a final question before we wrap up. Okay, in all of this, has there been a time where you've wanted to say, I'm done, this is too difficult, I don't want to do this anymore, or anything like that? And then yeah, has there been a time? speaker-0: Yeah, I would definitely say there is I'm like my and you you guys kind of heard this before, but I'm a huge family person. Mm-hmm. And so yeah, being away is hard. Yeah. speaker-1: But you're still here. Okay. speaker-0: But I am. speaker-1: And you're gonna stay here for now. speaker-0: Yeah, and that's until good I am because I think that is one thing the Lord has continually showed me over and over and over again, especially when my grandparents passed away, there were so many things. There were so many things that just showed me he is worthy. we yeah, every it was so so interesting. Like for four years straight, I would be in Bible studies with the women in PNG and they would always ask, like, what attribute of God do you see right here? And just over and over and over, just he is so worthy. And so yeah, it is it is hard being away from family, missing out on nieces and nephews growing up and all of those things. but again and again, like every time it does get hard, he's been so faithful to be like, remember, Megan, like this is why I'm worthy. This is why it's worth being here in Florida, this is why it's worth potenti if he does decide to send me overseas someday again. The bigger picture, like he is so worthy. And I think what's also just so sweet about him is he cares about the bigger picture, but he cares about the individual as well. And so just supplying those things that again and again just keeps showing it. Yeah. speaker-1: We're so thankful to have you as part of our team here. And I thank you so much for being vulnerable and sharing your story with us here. and I'm I know that'll be an encouragement to some folks. So thank you so much. speaker-0: Thanks for having me. speaker-1: If you want to know more about how you can use your degree or your skills to help support missionaries either overseas or here in the United States, go to ethnos360.org and there's a find your fit button up at the top. Go ahead and click on that and that'll take you to our associate program and you can find out more about how you can use your skills. Go ahead and give us a review and a rating for this episode if you if you enjoyed and thank you so much for listening. We really appreciate it. And if you feel like this episode particularly might be helpful for somebody you know, go ahead and and share this episode with them and if they have a a passion for missions or maybe want to see how they could use their degree in missions. And we'll we'll catch you next time on Real People Real Stories.