Answering God’s call: a Cape Girardeau lady is headed to Malawi to teach rural children, here is her story…

Leaving a amenities of home and relocating to Africa was not something Cathy Maya had designed or suspicion she would ever do. But after this month, a Cape Girardeau lady will do only that as she prepares to answer God’s call on her life and pierce to Malawi.

Maya, 41, did not grow adult in a church. But 13 years ago while attending with her friends a First Assembly of God in Cape Girardeau — that is now Cape First — she committed her life to God.

Over a subsequent decade several people told her that God had something large designed for her life.

For about a final 11 years Maya has owned Above and Beyond ProfessionalCleaning Services. However, in new years she has felt a call to ministry.

“In my heart we knew that what we was doing wasn’t going to be what we was always going to do,” Maya said.

Six months ago, Maya asked her friend, Reno Anderson, to demeanour for opportunities for her to offer overseas. Anderson presented several options, including an institution in Guatemala, a play unit from Germany that travels to a Middle East and a church in Peru. However, it was by a Facebook post that a crony sent to Reno about?a tiny kindergarten in Malawi that Maya detected a eventuality she had been looking for.

“What pennyless my heart about that was everybody responded,” Maya pronounced of a many opportunities. “There is such a need out there. If we contend ‘I am prepared to serve,’ they call we behind in 3 minutes, since there’s not adequate people doing it.”

About 4 years ago Maya started attending La Croix United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. Since afterwards she has taken care classes during a church, participated in a song ministry, and been a pivotal proffer in a Reign Forest children’s ministry.

Though Maya knew she would eventually answer God’s call on her life over what she was doing in Cape Girardeau, she pronounced she felt other things indispensable to occur first.

“I was putting parameters on his plan,” Maya said. “About 6 months ago we finally pronounced to him [God] during a oration … ‘Who am we to tell we when I’m ready? So let’s do this. If it’s time, it’s time.’ And we consider it’s time.”

Maya went on to contend that “everything has depressed into place” for her to start this new section in her life, including a support organisation of 8 internal people from 4 churches who accommodate monthly to urge for her as she starts this journey.

Maya, whose credentials is in journalism, pronounced training will be a new knowledge for her and that she expects it will be opposite from propagandize in this U.S.

“I consider this is going to be some-more grassroots. we don’t consider that this is going to be kindergarten like we consider of kindergarten.

“I got a feeling it’s going to be a operation of ages of children, and it’s going to be their introduction to a world. It’s going to be their introduction to education.”

In further to training basis like letters, colors, numbers, tiny words, shapes and geography, Maya also skeleton to confederate a Bible into her curriculum.

“I devise on training a Bible. I’m going to learn children’s Bible stories, that also teaches them about a universe and how it was shaped and a players therein. The Bible’s a large story book as well.”

Though a Facebook post was how Maya initial schooled of a eventuality in Africa, a internal tie to a plan goes most deeper.

The Mango Advancement Project, that is seeking not-for-profit standing in a U.S., is a classification Maya’s use will be dependent with. The organization’s executive executive is Colvin Chirwa. Chirwa and Anderson are friends and a dual worked on an preparation plan in Malawi from 1996 to 2000.

Asked since this eventuality stood out, Maya said, “It was like God’s light was resplendent on that project. What we had been praying for all along was understanding in a search, since not all is right for you.”

Looking behind on how God prepared her for this opportunity, Maya is amazed.

“If you’d asked me 13 years ago, ‘You consider you’ll live in Africa some day and learn small kids about God?’ we would have laughed so hard. we would have suspicion we were crazy. But what can occur in such a brief volume of time to a person’s heart is over remarkable.”

Maya pronounced she encourages others to listen to what God would have them to do in life.

“Each of us are put here to do something. Whether it’s to be a greeter during church on a Sunday once a month. Or to prepare meals. Or broach dishes for people who don’t have adequate food here.”

A accepting will be hold for Maya from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 13 during a home of Reno and Herb Anderson, 1929 W. Cape Rock Drive in Cape Girardeau. Maya will pronounce to a organisation about a plan during 8 p.m., and donations will also be supposed during a eventuality for a plan or for Maya.

For some-more information on a reception, call 334-5411. To learn some-more about a Mango Advancement Project, go to www.mango-advancement-project.org.

lpresson@semissourian.com