What Am I Doing Here?

This woman asked "What am I doing here?" while on the mission field. God answered her question in a unique and powerful way. Here's her story. #Biblestudy #Missions #WomensBibleStudy #GoodMorningGirls

This is the conclusion of the “Women Leading Well” series!  Today we have a guest.  There’s a message from me to you – at the end – please don’t miss it!

Sometimes in the midst of babies, baths and bedtime stories, we can lose our way.  We desire to be used by God but perhaps there’s no time left in the day for leading anything!

Rosilind writes:

“What am I even doing here?”

The question reverberated in my head as I stood in the middle of my living room rocking my baby and weeping.

7 years ago, I had boarded a plane from the Portland International Airport, bound for Zagreb, Croatia.

I had big dreams.

Yet, nearly a decade later I felt I had nothing at all to show for the time I had spent on the mission field. Now I was a wife and a mom with lots of responsibilities and no time. My days were filled with cleaning, cooking and changing diapers.

And with it all, I carried around a huge burden of guilt because I knew God had called me here.

While I knew that my children were a ministry, I couldn’t see a way to balance family life and my desire to reach women with the gospel. The eternal battle of missionary moms.

It was late spring of 2010 when I saw Courtney’s announcement for her Proverbs 31 Woman book club, for Good Morning Girls.

“I wonder if the ladies in my church would be interested in doing this study?”

Quickly, I shot a text the ladies in our church and about a dozen of them showed interest in joining me, so I quickly translated the book, and this is how “Good Morning Girls – Croatia” was born.

Over the next year, we continued to do the studies and several of the ladies expressed to me how much they relied on Good Morning Girls to keep them accountable to their daily devotions.

I was excited because it gave me an outlet to encourage the women in our church; and yet it didn’t take me away from the responsibilities I had in my home.

As the following summer approached, our family hit a rough season. We had just purchased our first home – a renovation project – and my husband had injured himself quite badly. I was exhausted trying to care for him, the children and our home. I wanted to take a break for the summer. However, I just didn’t have peace in my heart about it.

“Sometimes you need to rest, but sometimes you need to run through the wall.”

My brother used to run 10Ks, so I knew what that meant when the Lord spoke to my heart. I had hit a wall of discouragement and exhaustion, but now was not the time to rest, it was a time to press in!

I made a graphic announcing our summer study and posted it to Facebook.

Less than an hour later, a lady from another town contacted me that she wanted to join! She was only the 2nd person from outside our church to join the study. I was elated!

She suggested that I post the graphic in a special group for moms, and that’s when the miracle happened.

Over the course of the next week over 150 women signed up!

But a bigger miracle was happening at the same time. As I began to look further at who these women were, I realized that these were not just women from Croatia; some were from Bosnia and Serbia as well. Those with an understanding of history know that about 20 years ago these three nations were embroiled in a horrific war – and yet now would study the Word of God together.

Even today, as I type these words, tears fill my eyes as I realize what God is doing in this part of the world!

1 1/2 years later, “Good Morning Girls – Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia” have 7 simultaneous groups and a translation team. I have 6 leaders who have a vision for leading and are so faithful in leading their groups. The study wouldn’t be what it is today without them! We also have a blog where we post all the translated materials and blog posts and run a Facebook page.

GMG Croatia

Not long ago, one of my leaders approached me with the idea to record a video for our women – like Courtney does each Friday.

I knew this was a new language milestone the Lord was bringing me to, and while it terrified me, I knew the ladies here needed encouragement from “home” as well as from the godly influence of Courtney’s posts. So each Thursday, I record a video and write a short post about my thoughts from the weekly readings.

Do you live overseas? Perhaps you’re a missionary mom like me, and you feel like you have no purpose or role on the field.

Maybe you’re not a missionary, but you’re a mom who wants to reach out but the needs of your home and family prevent you from reaching out.

Good Morning Girls is the perfect answer to that need.

You see, when I came to Croatia, my heart was to reach women in remote regions where there were no gospel preaching churches nearby. I have never been able to physically visit those regions, but with Good Morning Girls, I daily travel across three nations and encourage women in their walk with the Lord.

I marvel that the vision God placed in my heart was from Him – though I often doubted that it was – it’s just that He had a much more creative way to fulfill it than I could have ever imagined!

Rosilind

RosilindRosilind, a Pacific Northwest native, is a missionary living in Croatia and married to her Bosnian hero. Together they live in the country with their 2 active boys where she enjoys fruity candles and a hot cup of herbal tea on a blustery fall evening. She holds an Associates of Practical Theology and is passionate about discipling and encouraging women. Her passion for writing led her to author a number of books. She is the author of A Little R & R where she encourages women to find contentment in what God created them to be. She can also be found at these other places on a regular basis. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google +.

*************************

Dear International Reader,

Is English your second language?  Would you like to start a Facebook Page or maybe even a blog like Rosilind did?  We want to help you get started!  We have created a special Facebook group for YOU to mentor you.  We will provide you with the Bible Study materials to translate, technical, and spiritual support and I’ll feature your Facebook page or blog on the GMG International Page so readers can find you.

Please visit the GMG International Page to see the women who are already doing this!  Pray and then email Rosilind at alittlerandr@outlook.com with any questions or interest you have.

**************************

Dear Friends,

Sometimes our walk with the Lord feels lonely.  Perhaps you are in a season of life that keeps you from being able to join the women at your church in Bible Study.

If you are looking for a place where you belong – welcome home.

Good Morning Girls is for those of us who hunger and thirst for a deeper walk with God and a deeper connection with our sister’s in Christ.

Becoming a leader requires 2 things – 1.)  read your Bible daily and 2.) talk to your friends daily.

Fun Right?  It’s a powerful mix!

All you have to do is invite your friends to join you as we read one chapter a day in the book of Matthew starting March 2nd. (all the details are —> here)  I provide everything else for your group…free!

It’s time to stop wondering what you are doing here!

Step up to the plate and lead – your friends are waiting.

Walk with the King,

Courtney

**Chime In**

Are you in a season of life where it’s hard to get out to serve or connect with other women?  

18 Comments

  1. Rosilind, what a beautiful testimony! Praise the Lord for the wonderful things He has done!! My prayers are with you, friend, and with everyone involved with GMG – Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia!!

    Walking in His Grace,
    Laurie

  2. Roslind, thank you for sharing your heart here! It was nice to get a little peek at your world. What an wonderful role model you are. Thank you for all that you do. May God continue to bless the work and the ladies in these countries!

    God bless!

    Love & Hugs
    Lisa

  3. Rosilind (and Courtney),

    What an encouraging post! Amazing to see that Satan had you tired, worn out and discouraged and would loved to have stopped you right there. Praise the Lord that you pushed through the wall (I really like that) and can see much fruit that God is doing. Loved this encouraging post!

  4. Hi,

    This is a wonderfull idea. I saw that there already is a Dutch site, but i prefere to follow along on the Englisch site, because the translation in Dutch ain’t that good. And that bothers me. But it is a great idea to go international. See you on the Englisch site.

  5. What a beautiful story! It sounds like both you and the women you were leading were blessed by this experience. I’m glad you pushed through.

  6. @Thea: I was the one who translated the Proverbs 31 ebook into Dutch.
    I know it isn’t perfectly translated but I spent hours on it and did the best I could.
    Eve, the Dutch translator, does the best she can too.

    Please, give us some grace…

  7. Hallo Courtney and Rosilind,
    I thank God for the great job he’s been doing through you.I am motivated to start a Facebook page in Kenya.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Privacy Policy

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.