I know I had written earlier about not going to Australia and was instead moved to the Corporate team. This took a couple of days to adjust, but after that, I came to embrace the opportunity set out before me. The funds from the jobs worked in Miami would set me up quite nicely in finishing up this year's tuition, as well as put me in a good place for my second year.
Then, another opportunity was set out before me to intern with the missions department of the Dream Center, which my school is in connection with. This would be a paid internship and the funds raised there would also go directly towards my tuition.
So yeah! With both of these opportunities, I would be sitting pretty comfortably in regards to my missions tuition! But then...
I received news that I was being moved from Corporate to Greater Conversation (GC). GC is a team that travels all over the U.S. presenting the Kingdom message through stomp, step, drama, dance, worship, human video, prophetic art, and spoken word.
Then I received news that the internship would be bigger and more time consuming than I had in my schedule. At the end of the day it came down to internship, or WAP (Worship, Arts, Production). It was a difficult choice that I didn't make lightly. Although the internship would all the more set me up nicely, I came to ASOM specifically for WAP. I am aware of a big call on my life to be a worship leader and though I absolutely LOVE missions, right now is not the season for that.
Because I decided to not take the paid internship, I needed an option this summer that paid. I currently can't afford to not raise funds of my own for the coming year's tuition and for my own self to be sustained. Instead of taking the internship, there came an opportunity to work at a summer camp about 40 minutes from Atlanta. From what was discussed, the internship would have started now, at the tail end of my first year, through the summer, and into my second year. I'm unsure if by my third year I would be full-blown missions staff, or if I would be able to return to WAP. Regardless, I wouldn't graduate with the certificate I am currently working towards, and I would go without countless guitar, vocal, and piano lessons (what I plan to take next year), as well as opportunities to lead worship and grow in that gift.
Second year is crucial. It's the beginning of getting opportunities to lead worship bands. It's the deciding factor of what you do for your third year. There was no way I could miss this. But beyond that, I didn't sense that was what God was telling me to do. If it were, surely I would have stepped into what He was saying above my own desire.
The events that I have just described really speak to how I felt before I came here in August of 2016.
It was an ordinary day working in the Electronics Department of my local Meijer store. I was two weeks from quitting my job, and after doing all the calculations, I realized I was a little over $1,000 short. I thought to cancel my flight, take back my letter of resignation, and instead quit in January and come to ASOM then (as they have a January session). In that time, I would continue saving for school, and then I would have enough to cover my schooling. But then God spoke to me.
"Are you doing that so you won't have to rely on Me and instead rely on yourself like you've always done, or will you trust Me?"
That question stopped me. He's right. I have been leaning on myself a lot. As a naturally independent person, through experiences I've learned that the only one I can really depend on is me. On top of that, I didn't want to feel like I was asking people to pay for something that I should have been more intentional about saving for. However, that's not what He's called me to do.
He's called me to rally people around me to lift me up in prayer and financial support. He's called me to trust in Him completely as my true provider. I wasn't ever meant to take this journey alone. He is to be my provider like He always has been. Here was my opportunity to let Him be exactly that. I left my job at the end of August and came to ASOM in September. The rest is history. Now I'm about to head off with GC which leaves March 3rd!
If you would pray with me that all the teams about to leave on their various trips, including Greater Conversation, would be safe, that we would have many opportunities to lead people to Christ, and that we would see many people be transformed by the truth of God's Kingdom, that would be greatly appreciated!
If you would like to donate towards my missions tuition fund, checks can be mailed to the following address:
Atlanta School of Ministry
Att. Samantha Scott
P.O. Box 54532
Atlanta, GA 30308
If you would like to donate to me personally, funds can be sent to my PayPal email:
angelistic124@yahoo.com
Thank you for taking the time to read and invest in me! You are not only making a difference in my life, but in the lives of those around me.
Samantha
