In August of 2017, my husband who is always looking on job boards at various organizations and ministries sent me a job description posted on the IMB website for a part time Student Mobilizer. At the time I was serving on staff at the APSU BCM, working hard to finish my seminary degree by May 2018, planning weddings for Southern Sparkle, and had just finished interning with my Pastor for the summer. I was ready to fill out the application before I even read the job description because a. we needed the extra money and b. working for the IMB in any capacity, but especially on the mobilization team, had been a dream of mine for a long, long time.

After 3 years of living the dream and “making dreams come true” I said goodbye to the Student Mobilization Team at IMB at midnight on July 31st. I was one of the first to join this new little team in this new role when our team was formed in 2017 and I’ve always had people ask what it is that I do at IMB since our role is so new and so I wanted to share some of the sweetest memories that have come to mind as I’ve taken time to reflect on all the ways I’ve seen God work these three years. 

• I’ve sent more emails/texts, made more phone calls, wrote more cards and flown/driven more miles than I could count.
• I’ve partnered with student leaders who became dear friends like family.
• I’ve had the honor to pray alongside students as they’ve said yes to Jesus for the summer, and then a second summer, and then to two years through the Journeyman program.
• I’ve attended commissioning services at BCM’s and local churches.
• I’ve held the hands of their families as we’ve prayed at airport terminals.
• I’ve strategized fundraising ideas with Summer and Hands On students around my dining room table.
• I’ve had students come to my table after speaking at an event with tears in their eyes ready to say yes to God’s call on their summer/semester/next two years of their life.
• I’ve driven to middle of no where Alabama to send off students from their orientation.
• I’ve prayed with our field personnel for students walking through hard things.
• I’ve prayed with church and ministry leaders for their students to catch the vision of God’s mission on their campus, in their communities and to read the unreached from around the world.
• I’ve texted Starbucks gift cards to students while they were waiting to board their very early morning flight.
• I’ve FaceTimed students to cheer them up and cheer them on after a hard conversation with their parents – and written down their parent’s names in my journal and at my desk so I can lift them up to the Lord.
• I’ve worked events like Collegiate Summit, National African American Missions Conference, Beach Reach and Collegiate Week and I’ve followed up with hundreds of folks wanting more info on how they can say yes to Jesus in taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.
• I’ve helped plan events, led breakout sessions, and shared my story where thousands of students were challenged to just say yes.
• I’ve cried with students as they were placed on teams that were absolutely perfect for them and their skillset.
• I’ve cried with students on Zoom when COVID cancelled their summer trips because I knew their stories and knew what they had sacrificed just to say yes.
• I’ve cried as I sat with my husband and son to witness two students join in Holy Matrimony and commissioned them for the work of the Lord.

And here’s the thing – I share this to tell you that God is at work fulfilling his promise in Revelation 7:9; a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language will worship before the throne of God and He is using our students to do it. I’m the most blessed to have had a front row seat in watching them sacrificially say yes. And after every single encounter with a student, even the challenging ones, I came home and told Micah – “I got to do what I love today.” I don’t deserve the Lord’s kindness and the way he’s loved me so well in providing opportunities for me to watch Him move in the hearts of students and I am eternally grateful.