Your in New York...Where Dreams are Made From....

(OK, I gave the reader's digest version of how I got called to NYC in my x-mas newsletter but I wanted to give the long and short of it HERE, check , check it out y'all!)

OK,I have had a stirring in my heart to do a two-year Christian mission trip since I graduated from Indiana State University in 2000, kind of like a Christian version of the Peace Corps. However, that did not work out.  I was torn to stay in the states or go overseas and wise counsel stated for me to do something in the US I would do overseas....

In grad school in 2006 I was finishing up my degree and wondered what my possibilities of what I could do for God with my new degree (I ended up not finishing my degree this time around) and I spoke to someone that was a part of Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) where there mission is based off of John Perkin's vision of returning to the neighborhood, the hoods, the inner-cities, and Christ to the people there, in order to empower them to make positive changes within their own communities, as I was brainstorming with a CCDA affiliate, it was mentioned that there is a sister organization that is called Christian Community Health Fellowship (CCHF) that does the same thing as CCDA but meeting people needs through health, I was thinking, "bet, this is it, this is me" and on top of that, I got to the  CCHF annual conference that year FREE as a student. 

I was so excited to attend I put my best foot forward and met all the CCHF affiliated clinics/health centers across the country hoping to land a job as a Christian health educator with one of them. To my dismay, I had one job lead in the Midwest, I loved that city, however, the more I heard about the potential job being offered to me, the more I did not have the peace, on that position so I declined it and decided not to go further into the interview process....

So now to speed it up to today, due to life circumstances God called me to go back to school and finish my degree I started back in 2005-2006 school year, so I did, and again upon facing graduation, my heart stirred to do that dream job I longed to do that I felt God had designed just for me, so again, I got to go to another CCHF conference with most expenses paid as a student and I thought I am going to sell myself hard, I need a job, (OK)! 

Well, ,I recognized a familiar face, Dr. David Kim, the co-founder/CEO of Beacon Christian Community Health Center located in Staten Island (NYC), NY so we briefly spoke and had causal conversation to be salt and light to a dying world and still take care of the health needs of the people. We ended the conversation with the usual things, acquaintances say, "keep in touch" and I thought to myself, "yeah, right"

Well, sure enough months later, his wife, Dr. Janet Kim, the other co-founder of their clinic e-mailed me stating to send my resume in case she ever hear of opportunities...well, I was ecstatic to even get a  follow-up e-mail from her let alone send my resume so I sent it sharing briefly about myself and how I feel God has called to do Christian work and etc., next thing I know I hear Beacon has an opening for a health educator, What, Shut the front the door (as Stacey London , from "What not Wear" likes to say)! I was excited, could not stop sharing to others, and thinking of the possibilities of what if this actually works out.... so one thing led to another and next thing I know I am on a plane to check out the clinic....

I think the best word to describe my experience there is culture shock, I mean I went from Nap (Indianapolis, IN) to Muncie, IN to Staten Island, really? I was so confused everyone was so different and unique I was like (thinking), "man I feel little ole field mouse that has never been to the big city", I mean I was asking questions that made no sense to me like..."Do you guys have more than one post office? Do you guys have more than one high school in-town? Really, Erica (I thought to myself)! I was being asked if I was from the city and I had to hesitate to answer yes, LOL.

Any-hoot, despite the awkwardness, at the end of the day I had my dream job potentially in front of me to work at Christian workplace doing what I love to do in my field as a health promoter so I am like if nothing else let me, let these people know that I am still interested...Honestly, for me this was one of those jobs I did not even need to pray about because it was such an obvious good fit for me but..I did.

So once the offer came, I was ecstatic yet had all these mixed emotions. The funny thing was prior to the job offer I was studying a small group Bible lesson on listening to God so immediately after hanging up the phone from hearing the offer I listened to God's voice, He said, "Erica, I got you, my peace will sustain you, and I will hold you in my righteous right hand..." I was like OK God but....
so I put my fleece out before God, I require this or that stipulation and He continued to show me WE can do this and this is His journey I am traveling with Him on, anyway, not mine.

Please pray for me that I truly let it be God's journey and not the Erica show (I have the tendency to do that, sometimes). I took about a week to really pray and seek God's face in the matter and I kept getting reassurance that this was the right thing to do....

So I took the leap of faith, not knowing how it will turn out, I said, "yes" on top of that to put the icing on the cake I received word from Keith (my estranged spouse)  that he was in my corner too, I am really marveling at God's work in all this... any-how, it is a great feeling to be loved by my Father...

   "I have a Father..He knows my name..He knows my every secret..and He calls me as His own...calls me as His own..."~Taken from I Have a Maker (He Knows My Name)