"A Life of Service in God's Name"

Laura Stephenson sat in a traffic jam in Denver, Colorado. A billboard caught her attention.

An enormous sign featured two loaves of bread shaped like a cross and read: 20 million to feed the hungry and needy ÉÉEvangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaÉ. God's work. Our hands.

Laura, a member of Atonement Lutheran Church, in Boulder, had been considering mission work for a period of years. After seeing that billboard she said, "I was given no choice but to follow."

In the past, friends and family had told Laura she would make a good pastor, missionary, or counselor. She had volunteered as an interim youth director, served soup suppers, and participated in a mission trip to Haiti.

After researching opportunities, through the Global Mission Unit of the ELCA, she applied for a missionary ministry in Indonesia. Soon she found herself in North Sumatra, teaching English in a deaconess community, and encountering Christ through those she befriended and served.

Through this global experience, Laura felt called again to parish ministry. "Laura's journey moved forward as she hopes now to attend seminary and shape her heart to be a better servant." She has been inspired to a life of service in God's name.

Faithfully,
Pastor Robert J. Newpher

* From stories of Faith in Action.