*This is the first of the Modern-Day Camp Follower Blog Series. These women have found their calling as military wives and are blazing a trail – leaving a legacy – of grace and faith in their path. They are women who have challenged and inspired me. God has used them each to mold me into more of what He would have me to be. This is Michelle:
Two words come to mind when I think of my friend – gentle and gracious – which is completely different than how I would describe myself, and yet Michelle is such a dear friend.
Growing up in a small Texas town south of Houston, she had never lived in “foreign territory” (those of you from Texas would completely understand). Prior to marrying her Army husband, she was working on her degree from the University of Houston and employed at an engineering firm doing communications.
Her aspirations were to be a DJ at a radio station, but she had already made the decision to marry a military man. Little did she know where the next ten years would take her.
Since that time, she has moved multiple times, had two children, and truly found a calling in this military world. Easy? Not so much. Worth it? Definitely.
Michelle and her husband are actually a part of a motorcycle ministry (2nd Thief Ministries). They have taught small groups, Sunday School classes, hosted Bible studies in their home, and are an active part of Officer Christian Fellowship. She currently serves as the Protestant Women of the Chapel (PWOC) President in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. She is also a stay-at-home-mom.
Sounds like she is entering a pageant or something, yes? She could, as beautiful as she is, but Michelle has a beauty that goes far beyond that. She is a camp follower, blazing a trail like no other.
She knows all about deployments, raising children, moving a million times – she has walked through the challenges and joys. But she has found her calling in this place.
In her heart is a burning desire to reach others for Christ. She has seen first-hand how her walk with Christ has been the “game-changer” in many situations. As military wives, we do not always “have it together,” but Michelle is certain that God has never expected that of her either. He expects her to trust Him, to love others, and to fervently pray.
As a young military wife, she had someone take her under their wing and mentor her. She longs to do that for others. Not just to show them the ropes of military life, but to introduce them to Jesus – and if they already know Him to encourage them further in their walk.
Leaving dreams and aspirations behind is many times a hallmark of our life as military wives. Amazingly enough, Michelle did have the chance to DJ at a radio station in Kansas for a time. But she has found that the path God has led her down is not what she expected, and yet it has been filled with adventures she never anticipated and blessing she could not have imagined. God has taken her and used her beyond all her expectations.
A trail blazer? Some might not think so, but the legacy of grace that Michelle leaves is one that will continue on into eternity because of the lives she has affected. She is most definitely a trail blazer – on the Christian frontier. For the time I have known her, she has challenged me in my walk with Christ and shared a little of her gentleness and grace with me. She is just one of the many modern-day camp followers God has designed to cross my path and shape me to be more like Him tomorrow than I am today.
You will meet others who have made a difference in me in other ways, but Michelle is the picture of gentle persistence when it comes to Jesus. What a wonderful legacy and what a trail to blaze.
Who has been your “gentle persistence” in your walk with Christ?
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