Definition of community
1: a unified body of individuals: such as
a: the people with common interests living in a particular area
b: a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society
c: a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society
d: a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests
e: a group linked by a common policy
f: an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (such as species) in a common location
I love my community!
I love it!
Where is my community? It’s Clarksville, TN and it.is.awesome!
My heart grows deeper and wider for it every single day.
There are so many people here. We are right next to Fort Campbell, KY (a military installation) which means that we are a very transient community. That also allows us to have many different cultures, languages, ethnicities, religions, socioeconomic statuses, and family dynamics. The diversity of our community is part of the reason that I love it so much!
I will never forget when Larry and I talked about moving to Clarksville with his job. I was all for it, that was until the day we went to move and then I wanted to back out. I didn’t want to move up here. I had this feeling that something was going to happen and anytime I get a feeling like that I want to run.
I mean like run like the wind run.
That feeling was so overwhelming that I couldn’t shake it.
That feeling scared me. I didn’t know what was going to happen, I just knew that I didn’t like it. It was uncomfortable. It was not normal. It was eerie.
Obviously, we did move to Clarksville.
Now instead of being a short walk from his parents and a 15-minute drive from my parents, we were an hour drive away. Now instead of being a 20-minute drive to the office, I had a 45-minute drive if traffic wasn’t bad.
I was intimidated by all of that. I was uncertain of what the future was going to hold for us here.
That was 23 years ago.
Clarksville has been a place of ups and downs, happiness and sadness, depression and anxiety, joy and amazement. A place where my marriage fell completely apart and was brought back together by God. It has been a place where my family has grown from a small family of 3 to a family of 5. A place where Larry and I went from being lost to leading a church.
Clarksville went from being my foe to being my friend. I didn’t enjoy the beginning very much and felt very much like an outsider. I no longer feel that way. I feel more connected now than ever before.
My heart beats for Clarksville.
It is my mission field. It is where I am called to serve. It is where the rubber meets the road with my faith.
I love the fact that I get to live in this community. A community of approximately 185,000 people and growing exponentially, where nearly 85% of them are unchurch and unsaved. A community where the harvest is plentiful, and the workers are few.
This mission field is not for everyone. It is a hot mess of a place, just like your mission fields.
It is a mission field that is riddled with crime, domestic violence, suicidal thoughts and tendencies, drugs, prostitution, sex trafficking, abuse, homelessness, and traffic accidents galore. A place where PTSD, anxiety, depression, and loneliness consume people. It’s a place where fear has taken over.
One that is full of hopeless people who need hope.
One that is full of faithless people that need faith.
One that is full of people feeling unloved that need to know they are loved.
God called me to this mission field 23 years ago, before I was even saved. God has used Clarksville, TN to bring me to Him, to open my heart to the calling He has placed on my life, and to see the world around me as He sees it.
I do not see Clarksville as a hopeless mission field. I see it as a place that needs Jesus more than anything. I see it as a place that God has given me hope and is wanting me to share the hope that I have in Him with those around me. I see it as a place where God is moving in so many ways! Clarksville has many amazing organizations that are Christ-centered as well as many, many churches. With that being said, it takes us all working together for the Glory of God to accomplish His will!
That is true of each and every mission field out there!
So, where is your mission field? What has God called you to? What are you doing to serve your community? Is there an organization in your area that God is tugging at your heart to serve in? Is there a need that you see in your area that is going unmet that you have a passion for? These are all legit questions to ask yourself. If you don’t have answers for them, pray and ask God to answer them.
God has a calling on your life.
Your life has a purpose.
Your life is valuable.
Seek Him, you will find Him.
Not Your Typical Pastors Wife 