Follow Him anywhere

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Christy Barton and Mick Edmonds love Jesus. They also greatly enjoy their church, pastored by Rodney Calfee in Birmingham, Ala., and are obeying God’s direction in their lives to share His truth with those around them.

There, however, is where their similarities seem to end. “Those around” Christy largely include students of a Discipleship Training School in Australia, while Mick’s mission field involves his coworkers and supervisors in a university science lab.

Christy to Australia

Christy is about to begin her two-year term as a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) staff member, as which she will disciple girls and lead groups of students to the lost in the 10-40 window during six-month training programs. While the recent college grad may be traveling by herself to the school’s location near Wollongong, she is not going alone.

As Christy began preparing for her overseas job, she felt God was telling her to invest in her church, which, at the time, was struggling to make payments on its building. She faithfully followed God’s guidance and shared her needs with the body of Christ around her instead of seeking financial assistance through other less personal connections.

Soon her church leadership, including Rodney, determined to focus its investments more in taking the Gospel to the nations and less in managing facilities. As the church began to transition in its meeting location, Rodney and Christy started discussing what it would look like for their body of Christ to partner with her in her upcoming endeavor. Christy itemized exactly what she needed before a meeting of church members and was overwhelmed by their responses.

“Person after person began to say, ‘Christy has given to us and blessed us with a … venue to share the Gospel.’ ‘It’s our responsibility, joy and delight to be a part of that.’ ‘There’s nothing we’d rather do but give to this cause.’ ‘We are to send her.’

“It was so beautiful,” Christy said. “They get it. It’s not just about money, resources or a superficial level of having all your money in the bank. It’s about partnering for the Gospel in all nations, making disciples and (having) God’s vision for the world. It’s not just me, but us, together.”

Christy plans to stay in touch with her church while in Australia through Skype conversations, Facebook and as much personal communication as possible.

“This church has been instrumental in me being able to go and serve … and making this whole journey possible,” she said. “There is so much that hangs on staying connected.”

Mick to Nashville

Mick Edmonds really isn’t that smart. At least, that’s what he claims, in addition to God being the reason he has made it through–thus far–10 years of higher education.

“I’m a career student,” he said, with a laugh.

Mick conducts breast cancer research and is finishing his PhD in molecular pathology. He hopes some day to obtain a faculty position at the collegiate level.

“I really feel like, wow, God’s made this path for me,” he said. “I had nothing to do with establishing my vocation. I don’t feel I have ownership over it; it’s not mine.”

Before he can reach his occupational goal, Mick is required to relocate to do a residency or post-doctorate work. Much to his surprise, he sensed God telling him to move his family from Birmingham, where he has been studying at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), to Nashville.

“I applied at Vanderbilt and just prayed, ‘If You want this to be, You’ll make a way for it,’” he said. “God gave me favor in everyone’s eyes. I’m really not that smart, I’m telling you.”

Pastor Rodney Calfee said he remembers seeing a transition in the way Mick discussed pursuing his post-doctorate work.

“Every time we talked about it, the conversation was all about the program and what was going to be best for his career and family,” he said. “It was amazing to hear a change in him when he was accepted into the program…. He said he feels like he’s called as a missionary to go to Vanderbilt and take the Gospel to the people in this scientific field. His perspective has completely shifted.”

“Career-wise, it’d be great to go somewhere like Harvard or Yale,” Mick said, “but that’s not what we want.”

He is uncertain as to how God may use him at Vanderbilt, but hopes to encourage believers who might have fallen out of fellowship with the body of Christ, as well as share the Gospel with those who do not yet know Jesus. He will be working in a lab setting where those on his team are likely to witness his life and priorities, which, he said, are counter-cultural.

“A big part is just to … physically be there,” he said. “I just know I’m supposed to be there.

“A university needs the Gospel as much as the housing projects.”

When Mick and his family move in November, they will be three short hours from their current church, which has been a large part Mick’s spiritual growth. He said brothers and sisters in Christ have gone out of their ways to plug into and include his family since they moved to the area a few years ago. The body of believers also has provided living examples of godly men that challenge Mick.

“I want to lead my family and follow Jesus with every aspect of my life,” he said. “(The church) is a group of people. It’s not a building. That’s why (my family has) grown so much. It’s not just learning from a pulpit, but … we’re really doing life with these people.”

Mick may not believe he is very intelligent, but he and Christy both are showing they are smart enough to follow God–wherever He leads–and are walking with their church in every step.

Written by Natalie Bunch. Natalie is a freelance writer for The Upstream Collective and lives in North Carolina. She served as a missionary writer based out of Prague, Czech Republic, from 2007-2009, and plans to return to full-time international mission work with her husband in a few years.