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Steps Toward Surrender

She had no vision for her future, outside of being a good caregiver for her family.

by a CAMA Services worker serving in Eastern Europe

When I first started serving in Eastern Europe, I lived in Sunjen’s* home for a few months, and we became good friends. Not long after my arrival, I began offering occupational therapy (OT) services. I invited Sunjen to help me, since all of my clients were children and I needed the extra pair of hands. We worked side by side.

Several years into our working relationship, Sunjen shared with me that she wanted to become an occupational therapist. She was eager to learn and wanted to understand everything I did, but I didn’t have the time to train her. We started seeking formal training for her.

By cultural standards, Sunjen was too old to enroll in the state-funded university, so her options were limited. She had no vision for her future, outside of being a good caregiver for her family.

A view of the city where this international worker serves (Photo courtesy of the author)

The closest OT program we could find was almost 12 hours away in another country. She knew the language, but because she was her family’s primary caregiver, she didn’t want to live that far from them. We prayed that God would help us find a more viable alternative.

Shortly after, we learned that a private college was starting an OT program in Sunjen’s language. It was only 50 minutes from her home. I started working for the school, and Sunjen joined the 12 students who applied for the first year.

In February 2018, Sunjen received her OT license from the Ministry of Health. She is currently working in the OT department at my clinic and is preparing to open her own.

Sunjen hasn’t committed to follow the Messiah. She is afraid to break away from her mother’s faith. She reads the Bible story at our women’s discipleship group and asks questions—she even believes that He is the Son of God. But she still identifies with the majority religion of the Middle East.

Sunjen’s life has been changed, and she recognizes that the Lord has been at the center of the whole process. Pray that she will continue to see God’s faithfulness in her life and make the final step in her surrender to her Savior.

*Name changed

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