Qualified

I remember a sermon I heard many years ago from the senior minister of our old church. I was a lot younger and not entirely paying attention, but for one split second my ears opened up and I heard a sentence that struck a chord, “We are each uniquely qualified by our own life experiences to minister. There are people we can reach, because of our experiences, that others can't.”

Years later, while working on a Let's Start Talking campaign, I found myself in Kampala, Uganda (Africa), teaching English using the Bible. Uganda was primarily an English speaking country, as far as government was concerned. Consequently, refugees entering Kampala, the nation's capital, often found themselves unable to communicate with officials. Although my team’s original mission was to teach English to refugees from the Republic of Congo, I quickly found myself devoted to the Ethiopian/Eritrean refugees. One day while reading during my free time, one of the Ethiopian refugees approached the learning center from the street. Trying first in Arabic he attempted to ask me a question; four languages later he hit on a language that I knew: Italian! I soon learned that although most Ethiopians and Eritreans spoke only Arabic or Amharic, many also spoke Italian and/or Greek (look at a map and you will understand why). Just two years prior to this trip I had spent two semesters studying abroad in Florence, Italy and at that moment I knew that although my Italian skills were by no means exceptional, I was there for a reason. Have you ever had a moment in your life when you suddenly realized that you were UNIQUELY qualified for the situation?

For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Philippians 2:13

Your thoughts?