Soon after arriving at the Youth with a Mission (YWAM) base in Manila, Philippines, I attended a short worship service. I’d come to live at the center to attend its six-month Discipleship Training School as I searched for God’s will and purpose for my life. I’d just graduated with an associate’s degree but had no idea what I wanted to do. Twenty years old, I felt lonely and insecure since I did not know any of my classmates.
At the morning service, a winsome young man, carrying only his guitar, walked up to the front and began to lead us in praise and worship. Various family problems weighed heavy on my mind, and as we sang, tears streamed down my cheeks. My anxieties melted and I felt enveloped in Jesus’s arms of comfort and love. The Holy Spirit ministered deeply to my hurting heart.
How I appreciate that man who answered Jesus’s call on his life to become a worship leader! I never formally met him, but Jesus used him to help me find my calling. Today I serve as a worship leader. Through Jesus, I minister to others who are needy and hurting. I have learned that when we answer God’s call on our own life, a domino effect takes place, and we enable others, through our obedience and example, to answer God’s call on their lives.
—Jennifer Anne F. Messing
