2 minute read
A New Calling
I ACT because. . .
Abigail “Gail” Adkins, ’23, isn’t your typical candidate for international missions. She’s a double major in public health and business administration. She isn’t on a sports team at Cumberlands, where it would likely be easier to meet international students. She doesn’t speak another language (yet). And, though she leads a Bible study on campus, is part of the evangelism and discipleship team at Cumberlands, and has worked in children’s ministry in Appalachia for years, she’s never actually done international missions before. But after getting involved with international ministries on campus, and especially after attending Cross Conference, she believes God is calling her to the international missions field.
“I was leaning that direction before Cross Con, but I wasn’t full steam ahead,” she said. “The main question at the conference was, ‘Are you a sender or a goer?’ I asked myself that, and, by the end of Cross Con, I got the sense that I’m a goer.”
Since the conference, Abigail has prayed hard, asking the Lord, “Is this what You really want me to do? Or is this just something I’m excited about right now?” She is seeking wise counsel from older Christians, talking through her thoughts and feelings with close friends, and doing research. She has applied to a summer practicum with an organization that sends Christians to the mission field for six weeks in summer. And she has informed her parents that this path is where she’s feeling led.
They’re still warming up to the idea.
“That was a hard conversation,” Abigail admitted. “They really want me to be safe, and that’s a concern when you travel somewhere far from home.”
As God opens and shuts doors, her specific path will become more evident. For now, Abigail is staying humble, researching, praying, and keeping her heart open to God’s will. All this “goer” needs is a next step. She’s confident God will provide.
