“What do you want to be when you grow up?” “A missionary!” my eight-year-old self enthusiastically replied.
“So, what do you want to do with your life?” “I want to bring hope and dignity through dance and invite people into a story greater than their own–the story of Jesus” my twenty-one-year-old self would reply.
I guess my answer hasn’t really changed much.
When I was eight, I imagined myself sharing Jesus in a foreign country (one in particular but it shall remain unnamed). Maybe translating scripture in the jungle or living in a trash heap like Daddy’s former college roommate, or dodging the government with an underground Bible study.
Yet as I got older, I realized being a “missionary” wasn’t always defined by where you lived or what you did. In eighth grade, I was reminded by a dear teacher, Mr. Gilchrist, that we are called to “make disciples as you are going” and sometimes that meant staying in the same location on the planet. For the time being, I knew my “mission field” was where I was physically present at the moment. More specifically, I knew it was the dance world.
The desire to GO didn’t leave. But as much as I wanted to serve internationally, I didn’t just want to jump on the next plane to _______ (fill in the blank). God simply hadn’t said “Go” yet. I have yet to travel beyond the borders of the United States of America.
In the past few years, as God has honed the vision for Bluebird, the desire to serve internationally has been rekindled. The idea started seriously bouncing around in my head last summer. What if we could somehow combine dance and serving the nations? In January, He confirmed that it was time to go.
So here I am, about to go to Panama on Thursday. Two dreams, seemingly on opposite ends of the spectrum seamlessly colliding into a beautiful explosion of grace. I’m in awe. He is faithful.
-RKD
Bluebird Uncaged 