Hey everyone! Wow, it has been a long time since I have written on here! And here I am, at the beginning of a whole new adventure! Even though really, it began last year when I first arrived in Madison, Wisconsin.
So, in case you did not know, I am back in Madison! I will be serving with YWAM Madison as volunteer staff for the next eight months. But more on that later.
When I was driving home at Christmas last year, I was just chilling to music as I drove when I suddenly, God told me, in my head, "You're going to staff". This freaked me out a bit, but I knew that God's plans are wayyyyy better than any plan I can come up with, so I followed through with that, and after outreach, I applied to be on staff. I was accepted, and asked to pray about what my role would be on staff. When I saw the list of different opportunities, one immediately stuck out to me- helping pioneer a preschool for staff kids. I prayed about it, and felt that this was the role God wanted me to take on in Madison.
So on Sunday, August 9, I left to go back to Wisconsin. Staff training began on August 10.
My trip to Madison turned out quite different than I expected, and different from anything I've experienced before. Previously, I had felt a strong urge to drive a different route than I normally do. It was very clear to me that God wanted me to cross the border in Sault Ste Marie rather than in Sarnia. So on Sunday, I headed north. It took me about 8.5 hours to drive to the Sault, and when I reached the border, it wasn't very busy.
Then they pulled me aside and searched my car. I sat in their little office for three hours while they looked through my stuff, asked me questions, and did who knows what else. One thing they asked me was why I drove that way, when normally I cross in Sarnia. I was straight up: "God told me to." I think they think I'm a little crazy ;)
In the end, they fingerprinted me, took my "mug shot", and sent me back to Canada. I was denied entry into the United States. I was so confused. God had told me to go this way, so why would He do that if He knew I was going to get stuck in Canada?!
I stayed the night in a hotel there (thank you very much, my lovely parents!) and once morning came, I had decided that God must have a task for me in Sault Ste Marie. I knew He told me to go there, so there must be a purpose.
I hung out at the mall across the road all day, waiting to hear from Madison about the situation. I had just grabbed my Bible from my car and was entering the mall to sit and read, and hope to have clarity about who to approach/what to say, when I saw an elderly gentleman sitting on a bench outside. I said good morning, and, long story short, ended up talking to him for nearly an hour. Well... he talked to me, mostly :P And God came up shortly into the conversation! It was really neat.
I don't know that I said anything that changed this man's life. I really didn't say all that much, to be honest. I don't know if God just wanted him to know that he was valued, or if he just needed someone to pay attention to him, or what, but I believe that the reason God sent me to Sault Ste Marie was for that conversation with Frank. After that, I felt like I was free to go home. I didn't have to stay there anymore.
So I drove eight hours back home, where I stayed for the next few days trying to figure it all out alongside those in Madison who were helping me. I ended up with a letter from them, as well as a few other pieces of paperwork, and drove back to the border on Thursday to try again. This time in Sarnia.
They held me there for an hour and a half, asking me questions and such, and then they again fingerprinted me and took my picture. But then, finally, they let me through! So I arrived here in Madison on Thursday.
I'll tell you more about what my time here in Madison will look like, although at this point I really don't know that much. But that will be for another day :)
Blessings,
Katie
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