Stories of the call: Kara

Kara was never quite sure what she wanted to be when she grew up. One day, however, God gave her a vision for how she could serve Him. “The summer after my first year of college, God did something to my heart and my entire direction changed in life,” Kara reveals. “God put a burden on my heart for those who didn’t have an opportunity to really know Jesus. The goals in my life shifted from being comfortable and serving Jesus out of [that] comfort, to putting myself on the edge of the great cliff of faith and taking a step into the unknown of ‘wherever God wants me to go.’” What Kara did not initially realize was that God had been preparing her for that adventure her whole life, starting with the passions and talents He imbued in her.

“Ever since I was small, music has been a huge part of my life,” Kara says. “I took advantage of every opportunity I could find to have a variety of musical experiences as I grew up. I never had a clear vision of what I wanted to be, but I knew music would probably be a part of whatever I chose.” It’s no surprise, then, that leading worship through music plays a role in her ministry in Spain. “My interest and experience in a wide variety of [musical] styles and genres has been a great asset as I have been involved in ministry in different cultures,” Kara explains. “I can now look back and see how the combination of my love for relating to different kinds of people, my varied musical background, and my interest in different cultures has prepared me in many ways for what I am doing now.”

God developed Kara’s interest in other cultures long before her move to Spain, in ways beyond her musical experience. Kara observes that “as soon as I felt the burden on my heart for those who don’t know Jesus, I began seeking opportunities to learn more and gain cross-cultural experience,” reading books about other cultures and spending time with those involved in cross-cultural ministry. Upon graduating with a degree in music education, however, Kara did not make a move directly into ministry; she wanted some time to gain experience in her field while getting involved in ministry on a local level through her home church. After three years of living and teaching in a cross-cultural community, Kara felt the need to pursue her calling to work with others in a global setting. Then, several years ago, Kara began a formal missionary preparation process with Brethren in Christ World Missions (BICWM).

Nora Cassie Kristen Jeff

Kara’s entering the third year of her three-and-a-half-year term in Madrid with BICWM. Her work in Spain has employed her strengths and interests, as those who follow God’s call often find. Kara divides her time between her duties as a worship leader, as a house group leader, as the assistant director of a Spanish choir, and as an English teacher at a Spanish school. Despite these duties, Kara’s job description is anything but strict, and she often fills in wherever there’s a need. “I . . . came to Spain to be available for whatever God needed here,” she says. “More than anything, my first goal was to learn Spanish and just focus on being a young single person whose first priority was living for the Lord. There are so few people that fit in that category in Spain. . . . God has opened all kinds of doors and I’ve just tried to stay available for whatever He wants me to do.” It’s that kind of open willingness to follow the Lord that has allowed Kara to grow much in Him during her time in Spain.

Through it all, Kara has tried to focus on deepening her relationship with God, thus developing her understanding of His call in her life. “It is definitely a great adventure to live every day in a way that actively fulfills God’s call on our lives,” Kara says. “This time in Spain has stretched me, opened me up to new ways of seeing things, changed my way of understanding who I am in Christ, and has shown me a little bit of what it really looks like to live by faith.”

Kara may not know exactly where her current path is leading her, but she knows that God will walk alongside her every step of the way. “I feel that this is what God has wanted me to do, and I have no idea what comes next, but I trust that as long as I continue seeking Him and getting to know Him more and more, He will call me to do more.”

Do you think God is calling you for ministry or missions? Do His words surprise you, or are you unsure about how to respond? Kara has some advice:

• Don’t get discouraged if God doesn’t call you right away, or isn’t calling you to the area you’d originally thought.
• If it seems that there are “hoops” to jump through to get to the end goal, don’t be frustrated.
• Be prepared for waiting, and be prepared to open yourself to learn from others who have gone before you.
• Share your passion with others.
• Seek opportunities to open yourself for whatever God has for you.