4/27/23
There is No Maybe So
Some of you may have noticed that I have been other places lately. I thought I would let you in a bit on the how, when, where, and why of my leaving 9/29/22 and returning 4/2/23.
If you have been following my blog, pamschmoll.com, this is old news! It began with retiring in July and then prepping for YWAM 50+. Youth With A Mission (in existence for 50+ years) has added a DTS (Discipleship Training School) for people like me. It began for me in Wiler, Switzerland, with more cows than people. Wiler is near the Swiss Alps and we studied the Bible with missions topics for three months. We worked at an afterschool program in Biel for the beginning of our service then mostly worked in East London. I was unable to post photos of the people we worked with at food banks, pre-schools, fixing meals for asylum seekers, and door-knocking to encourage people back to church after covid restrictions. Our team of eight also cleaned, painted, gardened, collected trash, visited neighbors in the area, and did anything we were asked to do for others. Talk about tired but it was a hard-won joy to just be with people in need and listen and share. I also visited some wonderful people working in Albania and hope to return. I was able to take my friend, Jane’s, ashes to a Monet Garden in Paris and then rested up in Florence, Italy (my only bucket list destination), then home via Rome.
The reason I am capsulating this adventure is that the how I went was friends helped support the mission. The why I went follows here.
A God who can create all this can certainly plan a future for you and me. My unique DNA is that I am a lover of people and I have a heart to serve where there is need. I am a connector and communicator. So far I am healthy despite tripping over my suitcase near the end having missed another giant marble step. That’s what knee braces are for!
I am so grateful that God loves me and listens and speaks to me every day. Jesus saves me every day and Holy Spirit guides and counsels me every day.
I went for opportunities to share this hope. We all vote yes or no to the good news of Jesus’ saving grace. There is no third option – maybe so. I believe we each have a unique path that goes with our unique gifting with the goal of using our gifts up before this part of our story ends and a Heavenly story begins. Come with me? I wanted you to know that I was not just touring this beautiful world but it was a blast!