Janell Kim

The journey to this moment began at our church’s All-Night Prayer service last year. One of our pastors shared a word, saying, “Someone in this room, God is stirring in their heart to go to Ghana for a year.” Immediately, I felt a tug in my heart. I prayed, “God, is this You or is this me?” But even in the uncertainty, I prayed, “Here I am, Lord, send me.”

 

I continued to seek clarity, and the incredible thing is… God answered my prayer. Honestly, it shouldn’t surprise me when He answers, but I’m always in awe when he does. Soon after that All-Night Prayer, I kept praying over the conviction, and within one weekend, I heard three different sermons from three different pastors at our church—each one emphasizing the importance of keeping our vows to the Lord.

 

During the first sermon, my mind immediately went back to 8th grade, when I was in Turkey. I remembered making a vow to God: to dedicate a year of my young adult life to overseas missions. Each sermon reinforced that the time had come to fulfill that vow.

 

Deuteronomy 23:21-23 says, “If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.”

 

This vow was never something I had forgotten. In fact, I had tried many times to fulfill it, especially during college and in the years after. I asked God repeatedly, “Is it time now?” I sought direction, visited seminaries, attended conferences, and even traveled to missions training facilities. But every door seemed to close.

 

Through that season of wrestling with God and searching for His will, I learned two key lessons:

(1) the importance of being sent on missions by a local church, and

(2) to go with an occupation as a tool for evangelizing and having an impact on the community I go to serve.

 

Looking back now, I can see God’s hand in every step of the journey. What once felt like closed doors were part of His perfect timing. I’m now stepping into an opportunity that fulfills three things:

(1) I am being sent by my local church.

(2) I am going equipped with an occupation as a tool for ministry.

(3) I am finally fulfilling the vow I made to God a year ago–one I had nearly given up on.

 

My prayer remains the same: “Here I am, Lord, send me!”

I praise God for His faithfulness and His perfect, Kairos timing. All glory to HIM!