In July 2013, I caught this picture of Joel Cox taking a moment to soak in the beauty of Bulembu, Swaziland. Bulembu cares for over 500 orphans and each year the ministry that owns the town invites Mission Discovery teams to experience and work in the town whose theme is “Restore a town, Change a nation!”
Bulembu is no easy place to reach. It cost Joel a 16-hour plane ride across the Atlantic Ocean and then a 6-hour bus ride across South Africa to the Kingdom of Swaziland. Joel worked for a railroad company…organizing logistics for transporting goods across the U.S. And each time Joel and I talked I could tell that his mission trips (Mission Discovery’s Bulembu wasn’t his only passion) were shaping his thinking. When Joel explained his job to me the only thing that I really understood was the word “train.” I faked understanding what he really did.
Joel was hearing the voice of God calling him to choose a vocation that would serve the poor.
The last few months have been big for Joel! He married his sweetheart, Andrea, and he decided to join the staff of Seed Effect, a Christ-centered micro-finance organization dedicated to planting the seeds that overcome poverty in marginalized communities around the world! I just saw a post from Joel from Southern Sudan…on a dirt landing strip no less!!!
So what is Joel pondering in the picture above?
All of us have a moment when a still, small voice calls to us to act beyond our abilities…to trust that God’s plan is good.
Thanks Joel and Andrea for letting us enter your story!
