When I was 18 years old I was recovering from a breakup with a long time boyfriend. The plans we had made together were over so I was seeking new direction. It was then that I heard God calling me to teaching mission in Africa. When I was 19 I dropped out of college to do a year's missionary work in the US. My call to mission work was confirmed so I returned to college to prepare. After I graduated I applied for both the Peace Corps and UCC Mission Board. Both groups suggested I teach in the states for a few years and then apply again. In the meantime I had me a dashing young man, Bob Kutz, and fell in love and were engaged to be married. I could not reconcile my call to foreign mission work with my engagement. Eventually I gave the ring back. But when God made it clear I was to marry Bob we were married and the call to mission work went on the back burner as I prepared for work as a United Methodist pastor. Now after 39 years service in the church what never left the back burner has been moved to the front burner. I leave Sunday for South Sudan to start a secondary school for 90 ninth graders.
I am so grateful to God for allowing me this privilege to serve in this way. While I certainly would have had much more physical stamina when I was 25 I feel everything in my 65 years has prepared me for this divine adventure/promise.
Please follow our blog as Bev Nelan and I both fulfill childhood calls to mission work in Africa.
Abukloi means "We Can" in Dinka. We manage a secondary school and vocational training center in Rumbek, South Sudan, that provides essential skills and training for regional Southern Sudanese. This facility will also serve as a community center for the Rumbek community, providing a central place to come together and work at rebuilding their country and their lives. Abukloi is a non-governmental organization based in Virginia, USA. www.Abukloi.org
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