Coffee Chats

How God Called Me Into Ministry

BY TINA KADOLPH

In the 8th Edition of Voice of Truth, I shared how God sent my daughters and me on our first mission trip to Belize. That was indeed a God story which you can read at womenworldleaders.com! At the end of that article, I promised a follow-up. Well, here it is. Grab your coffee!

The trip to Belize was life-changing for both my daughters and me. We served at an orphanage and in its surrounding community. So many God moments happened on this trip that I knew God was leading me to start a mission organization. I felt the call so strongly.

One day, the missionaries sent a group of fifteen of us into a village for a fun cultural experience. They told us to go down the dirt road, turn left, and knock on the door of the blue house. The residents would welcome us in and make us fresh tortillas.

So, we did as we were told: walked down the dirt road, turned left, and walked down another dirt road until we saw the blue house. The lady who lived there did not speak English, and we did not speak Myan Indian. But when she opened the door, she was delighted to see us.

She welcomed us in, just like the missionaries told us she would. Then she brought us into her kitchen and made us tortillas on an open fire. That is how they cook all their meals in this village. First, she showed us how she grinds the corn and turns it into corn flour. It took hours, but watching her was so interesting and entertaining. She even let each of us have a turn grinding the corn and then making the tortilla with our hands. She made it look so easy, but it was so hard. My tortilla looked deformed no matter how hard I tried. It was hilarious. But it was so much fun.

Cooking from scratch was not an easy task. It was sweltering hot in that little room, and as our hostess cooked over the fire, she sweated profusely. Nevertheless, she worked so hard so we could taste the tortillas and enjoy the experience. Nearby, a baby sweetly slept in a hammock. It was evident that, for our hostess, having her baby close by was important. I couldn’t help but think about her doing this every day for her family, which opened my eyes to how easy we have it in the United States. We take so many things for granted - even things like an oven.

We laughed with her, and we all enjoyed each other’s company even though we didn’t understand each other’s language. I watched with amazement as this dear woman pushed the wood further in the hole to make the fire hotter and pulled the wood out when it became too hot. Finally, we were able to eat the delicious handmade tortillas. They were amazing - hot off the fire. I will never forget the work that went into making these for us. She happily fed our large group of fifteen with such joy despite having nothing but a dirt-floor house and an open-fire cook stove. I was so thankful the missionaries had set up this meeting. We learned so much from this woman who didn’t speak a word to us but whose kindness spilled out.

When it was time to go, we hugged her, thanked her, and went on our way to head back to our home base. As we were walking, the missionary we were staying with walked toward us with a worried look on his face. But we excitedly started telling him about the wonderful tortillas and the lady who worked so hard to make them for us. He couldn’t get a word in as we exclaimed how much we loved the adventure, thanking him for setting up this very thoughtful experience.

Finally, he looked at us and asked, “Where did you go?”

We pointed down the road to the blue house. He laughed and said, “You went to the wrong house.”

What? There is no way we could have. We had gone the way he told us to go.

He explained that he had been worried because the lady we were supposed to meet said we never showed up. We were even more shocked because it was then that we realized we had walked to a complete stranger’s home. However, even without knowing us or being prepared, she welcomed us in and made us food from what was likely a limited supply of resources. We had literally seen Hebrews 13:16 in action.

"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." (Hebrews 13:16 ESV)

God spoke to my heart again. He was showing me the generosity of people in other countries, even those with very little. When we are blessed with so much, sometimes we hold on to what we have instead of giving to others, afraid that what we have left won’t be enough. I knew I was being called to let go of my comfortable life and do more mission work. I felt a pull from God like I had never experienced up to this point in my life. I wanted to share with others the hope I had found in Christ.

One evening, I poured my heart out to the pastor leading our group. I shared with him that this trip was life-changing for me. From it, God was calling me into missions. I told the pastor that this was a miracle as I had never cared about missions before, and, in fact, my husband and I had often skipped church when missionaries came to talk about their ministry. So now, I had the dilemma of trying to entice my husband with mission work, too. He wasn’t on the trip, and I knew he didn’t care about missions. So, how would I make him want to do it with me? I needed some wise counsel about how to convince my husband. I asked the pastor to tell me the biblical words that I could use on my husband - anything to get him to want to do missions with me. I was very serious about this. Carl had to want to do missions with me. There had to be a good verse I could use to get him to feel the calling like I did.

The pastor listened, and then he gave me wisdom-filled counsel. But it was not what I was expecting.

He looked at me and said, “First off, you can’t make your husband do anything. You can’t force him into missions. But what you can do is pray for him. Pray that God would open his heart to missions like he has opened yours. If this is really God calling you, He will call your husband also. He will not call one without the other. You are both one.”

Oh, wow, he was right. I needed to start praying. So, that’s exactly what I did.

The trip was incredible, and I knew I had heard from God and was so excited to share everything with Carl.

When we arrived home, the girls went on and on about the trip. And they wanted to donate all their things to those in need.

Carl was in shock. He said, “Wow, this really has impacted our girls.”

I agreed and then shared how it had impacted my life also. He listened. I didn’t know he was thinking that he wished he had gone with us. God, in that moment, was already changing his heart. I continued to pray that God would show Carl, as He had shown me, that we would do missions together.

Not even a year later, our church planned a mens’ adventure mission trip to Honduras. The trip included mountain climbing, boat riding, and spreading the gospel to some unreached areas. Carl listened and told me it sounded so fun, and he thought he wanted to go. The fun was what drew him in. He did not know that God would use this trip to change his life. I told him I would love him to go, although I had no idea what God was planning. I was just excited for him to experience missions. The money came for his trip pretty much overnight. I knew this was God. Carl was experiencing God in a new way, just like I had.

He went on his adventure trip, and although I can’t tell you much about the experience, which is his story to share, I can say that God moved and did miracles. When Carl returned home, he was so excited to share all that had happened. His story was even more powerful than mine. I knew that it would take powerful circumstances to prove to Carl that we were being called into missions, and that’s just what God provided.

As Carl shared his stories, he looked at me and said, “I believe God wants us to do missions, just like this, and lead other people on life-changing trips so they can experience God in a whole new way.”

I was so blown away. I had never told Carl I felt God wanted us to do missions. At the advice of that pastor, all I had done was pray. And I trusted, just like the pastor said, that if my calling was indeed from God, He would call us both; and it wasn’t from Him, He would make that clear also.

God had spoken to both my husband and me, and here we are today. We started a 501C3 called Love Missions Global. Love Missions because of our love for mission work. Love Missions because everything we do is about God’s love for the Nations. Love Missions because we are about showing God’s mission of love to the broken, the lost, and the hopeless.

Together we have led hundreds of trips. We have seen thousands of people accept Christ as their personal savior. We have seen so many miracles and seen so many lives changed. And we have done this together every step of the way. How amazing is our God? We have been obedient for over 20 years and have loved every minute. God has blessed us in ways we never thought possible.

Yes, God knew what He was doing when He sent me to chaperone my daughters on their first trip to Belize. I went for one reason, but God had another reason.

And Carl went on his first mission trip for fun and adventure. But God had another reason for that trip, too.I’m so thankful God called us both to do the work He still has us doing together.

"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

If you’ve had a dream or have felt a calling, remember the first thing you need to do is pray. Know that God will always confirm His callings, just like He did for us. And don’t give up. Because when God calls you, he WILL make a way for you to accomplish what He has called you to do.

Thank you, ladies, for letting me share my God adventures with you. Until next time.

Tina Kadolph is the co-founder and president of “Love Missions Global,” a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the global abolishment of modern-day slavery, which has a safe house in South America and a life center called “The Bridge” in Florida. Tina is the co-owner of “Palate Coffee Brewery,” “Palate Roastery,” and “Palate Bubs and Ice Cream” in Sanford, Florida. She has been nominated as Hero of the Year by Spectrum TV and interviewed by CNNas an influencer, encourager, and inspiration.