Clarity
of Purpose
As a
lot of people are aware I have decided to pursue the Air Force Chaplaincy. This
was a dream I had many years ago and had given up. But the Lord kept bringing
the desire to serve in this way back to mind throughout the years. In 2015 I
had decided to become a teacher so that I could go teach internationally.
Everything seemed to be lining up for this to become a reality when at the end
of 2015 George Fox denied my application. At that point I had missed the
deadlines for all other programs, but I started asking around for the next
cycle. I had about run out of options for teaching programs, everywhere kept
saying they couldn’t accept my BA that the college’s accreditation was inefficient.
I knew this wasn’t true because I know people who graduated from my college and
went on to get their MAT. I decided to contact the state directly and see if
the state agreed that my BA was inefficient or if I was just being given the
run around. I reached out to the state and was told my inquiry would be
answered as soon as they could. Over the winter break, I work at a public
school, God kept bringing the chaplaincy back to mind. I wasn’t hearing back
from the state and decided to look into what I would need to do to become a
chaplain. I found a M. Div program that was perfect and decided to just give it
a shot, fully expecting to be turned down. I was accepted into the program. I
reached out to my denomination to see if they would endorse me for the
chaplaincy, they said they would. Everything was coming together and I finally
had peace about my future. (I had MANY conversations with Dad and Mom
throughout this process) The funny thing to me is that after I had settled to
pursue the chaplaincy the state finally got back to me, over a month later, and
I was right the accreditation of my BA was fine. (Doesn’t God have a sense of
humor!)
One
of the requirements for becoming a chaplain is being ordained. I spoke with the
Pacific Region Director and he helped me start the process for ordination. Open
Bible has been amazing to work with throughout this whole process. On September
18th 2016 I was ordained with Open Bible.
The Reserves
offer a program called the Chaplain Candidacy Program, this program is meant
for potential chaplains as they pursue their M. Div. After a lengthy
application process I was accepted into the program and on December 13th
2016 was sworn into the reserves as Chaplain Candidate Kristina Gerken 2nd
LT. I am excited for this opportunity to go and work with Chaplains in the Air
Force during the summers as I continue working to complete my education.
4 comments:
I love everything about this post. We dont' have to have all the answers - we just follow Him day by day and He will make the paths straight. Proud of you.
Loved the post. Mom is right; we only need to obey one step at a time. He gives us the next step at the right time. Proud of you, too!
So proud of you, Krista, and blessed by your story of God's leading and your obedient following. Blessings on your next steps in the journey.
Even though I am sad you won't possibly be working with Nate and I in an international school, we sure are excited about you becoming a Chaplain! I thinks God's fit is a much better fit!
Love you and get through the program one day at a time! It sounds like a lot of work:)
Heather
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