This week we are studying how God can use seasons of waiting in life for His purposes. I invited Hannah Eads, a missionary with Cru – Campus Crusade for Christ, to share her experience of waiting and how God used it to prepare her for where she is today. Hannah & her husband Robert are campus missionaries with Cru based in Colorado Springs, CO. Cru has over 5,300 ministries worldwide that help students come to know Jesus, grow in their faith, and go to their families, communities & the world to share God’s love. Pizza Ranch has been a supporter of Cru for close to 12 years

Hannah's Story:

"Looking back on the seasons of waiting in my life, I see the ways God used them to draw me closer to Himself, prepare me for where I am now, and remind me that He is in control of all things.

Right after I graduated college, I decided to take a step of faith and go to England for 3 months with Greater Europe Mission. It was an amazing experience, but it was sadly cut short by covid, and I was sent home a whole month earlier than planned. I had no idea what God had for me as I moved back to Colorado. I didn’t know if I should look for a job that fit my degree or spend the season raising support to return to England. The uncertainty was frustrating, and I didn’t realize that during that season of waiting, God was preparing me for a future that He had planned.

During that season, God blessed me with more free time to study Scripture, provided a job at my church as the Communications Director, led me to a wonderful community, and gave me the opportunity to lead a women’s Bible study! My relationship with God grew as a result of that waiting season, and all of those things helped prepare me for ministry with Cru!

At that time, I was also waiting and longing for marriage. I didn’t consider singleness a blessing then, but now I’m thankful for the extra time I had to devote to my relationship with God, new friendships, and leading a Bible study. I also got to think about what I really wanted in a husband and focus on who I wanted to be as a woman of God. Most importantly, I learned to trust God’s timing. When I met my husband Robert two years ago, God used him and Cru (Robert was on staff at the time) to challenge and transform my walk with God. I wouldn’t have been ready for that heart transformation, marriage, or joining staff with Cru if I had met Robert a year earlier.

Seasons of waiting remind me that I can trust God with my entire life because He is creator and sustainer of all things. As it says in Colossians 1:16-17, “All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” The mini waiting seasons in life also remind me of the bigger season of waiting we all experience as believers as we wait for the final Advent; Christ’s return. Just as we long for a waiting season to be over, we long for all things in this life to be fully restored. As we wait, we hold on to the hope that Christ’s first coming brings, we experience God’s grace and mercy as He sanctifies us and prepares our hearts, and we catch glimpses of His light in the darkness."

To learn more about Hannah & Robert Eads work with Cru or to donate, check out their website. Your prayers and support are much appreciated!

Photo courtesy of Cru Website