In my experience, God has called me to things I know nothing about and then he provides opportunities for me to learn how to walk out the thing to which I've been called. Usually it turns out that he's been preparing me the whole time, and it just looks different than I thought. This can be very frustrating because I may feel like I know a lot about certain things, but have no place to use or share that knowledge or skill. Like, "why did I spend years in college getting a teaching certificate but then have five children which made actually working very difficult?"
Photo by Hans-Peter Gauster on Unsplash
It turns out he was preparing me to take on homeschooling our crew, and giving me opportunities to trust him.
For Clothed in Dignity, I am not an expert in any way. I have limited experience in fundraising. I don't really like wearing dresses and generally the "putting on clothes" part of the day is my least favorite.
I also have lived a life much different than the women served by Peoria Home. I have my experiences, which unfortunately do include a situation that makes my heart hurt and allows me to empathize with women who have been abused, assaulted, and trafficked. But the truth is, I don't know their story, only they know their story.
When I participated in the Thrill of Hope in 2016 with Scott, I knew practically nothing about the issue of sex trafficking and prostitution. The picture I had was something like "Pretty Woman" which is a wrong image of the reality of the life. But, God used my efforts and that year I was able to raise about $2,000 for Peoria Home. In the meantime, I read books, watched documentaries, and read news stories about the issue.
And it turns out, some of the things I'd learned in the last few years (on topics seemingly unrelated to trafficking) were also very insightful to the project.
When I got the idea for Clothed in Dignity, the feeling was similar. I really don't know much. But I think the effort will be used to support a program I think is worthwhile and making a difference.
Here's the bottom line:
You don't have to be an expert at something to make a difference.