Not a Plan...But a Purpose

It was just last week on Wednesday at youth camp.

On this particular night, Ian Grimm was in the vesper. Before the vesper Ian took the microphone and he told the teens this- “God doesn’t have a plan for you.”

Yes, you read that right— and I assure you every person in that sanctuary was looking at Ian like he had lost his mind. We are told all the time God has a plan for us, so what did he mean?  But then he went on to explain that what God actually has for us is a purpose, because plans change and are unsure, but God’s purpose is a firm and steady foundation.

         I was taken back by this profound insight that was just spoken, because a part of God’s purpose for me had just been revealed that very same morning.

         I was eating breakfast with some of the other workers, talking about how it was my sister’s birthday, when I got a friend request from a woman by the name of Trudie Mitschang. I didn’t know who this woman was, so I looked to see if we had any mutual friends. Not only did we not have any mutual friends, but this woman was from California.

I was stumped.

         Why would she send me a friend request? I couldn’t figure it out, but something within told me not to delete it. A little bit later, I received a private Facebook message from Trudie. Now I was really bewildered and to be honest I almost deleted the message, but once again something stopped me. I reasoned with myself that if this message was inappropriate, political, or a solicitation I could delete it, but I would at least see what this message said. Nothing, I mean nothing prepared me for the words I was about to read.

         Last summer my sister and I had an amazing adventure when we attended the Immune Deficiency Foundation’s, (IDF) national conference in Anaheim, California. While there I took a step completely out of my comfort zone and volunteered to participate in the IDF’s Reel Stories. Reel Stories is where individuals at the conference shared their story of living with a PI and it was recorded. Those videos were shared to YouTube and the IDF’s website.

         Trudie explained that she worked for a magazine called, IG Living, a magazine whose audience and readers are people who have a Primary Immunodeficiency, (PI). Somehow she came across my video on the IDF’s website and she was requesting my permission to share my story in IG Living!

I was in shock.

My emotions were a roller coaster of excitement, disbelief and I even wondered if it was a joke.  Logically, I knew there was no way for this woman to know what she did for it not to be legit, but still it seemed so surreal. So, I frantically went in search for another adult’s opinion and the first person I came across was Brian Baer. I explained everything to Brian and said he the most rational and obvious thing- “Well let’s look it up.” Brian googled IG Living and discovered not only was it a real magazine, but the endorsements the publication received were from physicians who were affiliated with prominent hospitals around the country. With this information both Brian and I became like excited little kids and Brian kept exclaiming, “You gotta do it! You gotta do it!”

 I immediately sent Trudie a message back and gave her my permission to share my story in IG Living and I expressed to her what an unexpected honor it was to be asked. The next day I received over 10 questions from the woman. When I read them, it became apparent I couldn’t answer some of the questions without getting permission from the National Institutes of Health, (NIH).

My main research doctor responded back with congratulations and excitedly explained to me what I was allowed to say since the research on my gene mutation had not been published yet. She also informed me that the NIH’s Communications/PR department would have to give the final “okay,” for my research teams names and pictures to be included in the article.

On Friday morning I received the news from the NIH’s Communication’s Department that not only were they giving their permission, but they wanted my permission to share my story in the NIH’s Clinical Center Newsletter whenever the research on my gene mutation was debuted!

Tears filled my eyes, because when I began to think about the doors God had opened up in just two days, well joy permeated throughout my entire body and soul because the epiphany came to me that this all happened at youth camp.

You see, I missed a lot of my camp years because I was in the hospital due to my PI and it was incredibly painful. But God knew my heart still needed healing from that heartache and He allowed these opportunities to happen during youth camp. It was as if God whispered to my soul, “I’m redeeming that time, I’m giving you beauty from ashes, and I’m giving you better.”

And to think, all these opportunities transpired from a video I did a year ago! A video that only comes to my mind from time to a time, and a video I certainly didn’t think was watched anymore.

So yes, I think Ian was right- God doesn’t have a plan for us, He has a purpose for us. And when my story is published in IG Living in October and in the NIH Clinical Center Newsletter in the near future, I’ll look back on that video and know that it had nothing to do with my planning, but God ordained it for my purpose and my story He has given me.