The call has presented its self in little bursts of surprise and amazement!

About 14 years ago I answered my door one afternoon to find my cousin Tim, who I hadn’t seen or spoke to in several years, standing on my doorstep. Now Tim and I had always been close in school, hung out together during our small town Iowa high school years, but lost touch when I married and moved to Nebraska and he joined a Peace Corps organization and lived in areas of the world I couldn’t even pronounce.

But surprise, there he was! We had a brief afternoon of visiting, and lots to catch up on, but within that time he was able to articulate the question to me… “Teresa, what are you aching yet to do?” It was then that I told Tim that strangely enough, I wondered if I shouldn’t be somewhere in ministry.

As a family, we continued to be active in our church, keeping up the baptismal numbers with our five kids… and then about 31 years later I was surprised to be asked to head up a youth program in our church, which I amazed myself and agreed to without hesitation. Within a few more months I was asked to join the staff of our church. More surprise and amazement! It’s been more than 10 years now, and the Holy Spirit continues to surprise and amaze me. But as I reflect, I realize that on each of these significant steps towards my call to ministry there was someone beside me who asked. Who surprised me, caught my attention, and asked.

Teresa Carlson