New Adventure
Posted by Kallie Richter on
Last Fall when I left Catalina Island and was headed for home there was one thing I didn’t share. Before my bags were fully packed, my art easel was securely stowed away, and goodbyes were said, the Lord revealed to me I would return to Catalina Island off the coast of California in the Spring! However, I was very much missing friends and family and my heart was set for home in South Carolina, the last thing I was thinking of was the future.
Usually when I hear something from the Lord, I usually think “yeah sure, ok God”. And then a second later, despite whether my heart has agreed to it or not I know I will eventually follow through with it no matter how long I delay.
In response to returning to the island I didn’t know what that looked like or when. When I’m not on Catalina Island, I work alongside an extremely talented artist named Clifton who paints murals and does decorative restorative work in Charleston, SC. I didn’t know how my mural painting job in Charleston, SC would fit into that timeline and I didn’t know what my day to day would look like once I returned to the island. I knew there was no need to worry because the Lord would reveal those details in time. And let me tell you, he took his time to reveal them.
When I returned home it felt so good to be reunited with friends and family, but soon I was ready for a work routine and answers for what the Spring looked like for me. I found it hard to establish any type of rhythm and the mural painting work didn’t present itself as soon as I thought it would have. Because I knew I would be retuning at some point to the West coast it somewhat curtailed my efforts into pouring lots of time in the studio at home only to leave again.
During the long span of waiting, I remember confessing to the Lord how ready I was for more specific answers and something to keep me busy in the meantime. Of course during that time while I waited I painted on canvases. However, instead of painting what I wanted to paint I began to seek the Lord and ask what HE wanted me to paint. Very quickly he began to place specific people on my heart one by one to create paintings for.
So while I waited that’s what I did, I painted according to his plan. But the waiting was still not easy, for some reason I felt guilty for not having a “typical” forty hour work week. I knew God would reveal more of his plan, but I wanted it according to my agenda. It’s funny how it’s so easy to believe the lie that you’re doing something wrong by not existing in a constant state of busyness. It’s almost like the last thing we’d rather do is to be still. But then I began to realize if I’m supposed to wait and be quiet there’s a reason for that.
If you were to experience an injury, the last thing you’re supposed to do is jump up and return to life as usual. In fact doing so will make it worse, only rest and time can allow healing. Soon into my time of waiting, the Lord revealed that I was in need of healing and it was healing to a hurt that I was completely blind to. If I were to return to busy life as usual it never would have been possible, and God specifically placed me in a season of stillness for this purpose. It wasn’t healing from anything recent but something from the past and the Lord wanted to free me from.
As always, God knows what he’s doing.
Soon after the pieces to the future began to fall into place all at once. From one person to another, my immediate family in South Carolina felt led to quit there jobs to serve in Mexico close to the Southern Californian border. They were feeling called to go and build a house for some close friends of ours who have established a Christian discipleship school on a ranch south of the border. All of this was established to occur around the same time frame I was being called to the West Coast as well. My family not only felt called to leave their jobs but also two friends are also quitting their constructions jobs so they can serve this family who live 2,500 miles away.
I’ll get to experience a small taste of Mexico with my family before I’ll return to the Christian ministry Campus by the Sea on Catalina Island where’ll I’ll get to serve alongside some incredible people who I care very much about. I know painting will be apart of that narrative as well. It’s all for the Lord to decide, I’m simply one of his paintbrushes he uses to create his masterpiece. I just needed a little cleaning beforehand.
