The pole shook in time with the trembling of my knees. Eric, program director of the Bair Lake Adventure Training Center, had challenged us to climb a telephone pole, stand on the top of it, and leap off to grab a trapeze. The 25-foot pole had looked solid from the ground, but the higher I climbed, the shakier it became. As I reached the last peg, my teammates shouted encouragement. Now I was challenged to get both feet on top without having anything to hold on to. The slight tension of the 11 mm safety rope on my harness offered no help. With encouraging shouts from my team below, I managed to get both feet on top and slowly stood erect. My mind commanded my shaking knees to be still as I looked at the trapeze suspended in front of me. Did I have the courage to launch myself off the pole toward it? Below me, the encouragement continued. No matter if I didn’t reach the trapeze. I had the safety rope to catch me. “Come on, Don, you can do it! We will count for you. Ready? 1, 2, 3 . . .”

We AFM missionaries are preparing to launch into new mission ventures far outside our comfort zones. What will it take for me to trust God? When Janella and I follow the lead of other frontline missionaries before us, do we have confidence that God will support us as He has supported them?

You also have been called to serve God wherever you are. What is He asking you to do? Do you have the faith to launch?

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