During Pre-Departure Training we had a morning devotional by Marty Shaw, the Asia International Ministry Director. During the time, he had each one in the group tell who had shared the Gospel with them. For many it was a parent, a teacher, or other concerned person in their life. Some shared how the seed had been planted many times before it took root.
Marty then turned his focus to the plaque picture above. This plaque hangs in the lobby of the WorldVenture home office. It lists the missionaries who have passed away while serving. Some from accidents like plane or car crashes and others from illness like cancer. Some spent years serving and others passed away just a few short months after arriving.
He then asked us to consider the seeds they had planted during their time of service. Many of course did not see those planted seeds take root. Yet whether they served a few months or a lifetime they followed God's call. Marty then reminded us that we too are planting seeds not only here and now but will also in our future places of service.
For me this devotional brought up the whole issue of mentoring. One of my roles at Bethesda Hospital will be teaching and mentoring nursing students. I have had some great mentors in my life, but have been struggling because I don't feel like I am qualified to be a mentor myself.
As I struggled with what it looks like to be a mentor the Lord blessed and spoke to me in a couple of special ways. One was a Facebook message from a nurse who I had worked with more than five years ago now. She said in her message:
"I can still clearly remember as a new grad night nurse, you were a great teacher. I
remember one night I sat down at a back computer station and you showed me a tree
of all the complicated IV lines (back at that time, taking care of post bone marrow transplant
patients was so overwhelming.. )"
Then came an email in response to one of my email prayer updates from another friend and nurse. She said:
I learned quickly at work to seek you out for advice, questions, or concerns because I respected your opinion, trusted your judgement and wisdom (and knowledge too!), and knew that you would help me really understand and learn what it was I needed to know and how to best care for my patient. I also knew that you would never make me feel silly for asking what may be a silly question, and would validate my concerns. Many of my patients benefited from some of these ways you helped me grow. And I'll bet you had no idea!
She is right - I had no idea! :)
Finally, the Lord spoke to me from His Word one Sunday morning. The pastor was talking about church leadership and specifically the role of elders in the church. One of the final verses he shared that morning was:
Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Hebrews 13:4
The words of those friends and God's Word helped me to realize that I don't have to feel like I know how to be a mentor or think of myself as a mentor to be one. I have been blessed by some amazing mentors in my own life, women and men who are walking lives of faith. They listen and speak words of wisdom. I am called as a Christian to imitate the Lord Jesus and the faithful role models that I have in my life. In reproducing that in my own life being a mentor just comes naturally.
