November 13 1995

ARTICLE TOOLS

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Dear Paula,
I'm a piping petrochemical engineer in Houston who's used to going where I want and doing what I please; yet I feel that the Lord is speaking to me about working with the Anastasis. I know that major culture shock is coming down the pipes. Can you give me any tips?
—Dorothy Logans

Dear Dorothy,
You're the first piping petrochemical engineer I've ever corresponded with. The most important thing is to be convinced that the Lord is directing you here. If you're sure he is, that's all that really matters, for his directing is always an excellent thing. So pray, Dorothy, take a deep breath, and dare to believe.
—Paula Kirby, Media Liaison

The piping petrochemical engineer followed the advice of 13-year Anastasis veteran missionary Paula Kirby: 48-year-old Dorothy prayed fervently, took a deep breath, and dared to believe God wanted her to be a missionary. Within weeks, Dorothy was busily dismantling the pillars of the hard-earned existence she had built, choosing instead a life on a missionary ship.

One friend took her furniture, another her clothes, and a third, her car. An uncle died, leaving money that helped finance this radical move. Many looked on in disbelief as the avowed careerist casually gave away all she owned. It took Dorothy a few brief months to strip her life to its bare bones. Finally, dispossessed of career, home, and worldly goods, she booked a flight to Germany to join the Anastasis, flagship of the Mercy Ships ministry, the maritime arm of Youth with a Mission (YWAM).

After the five months of training required for all long-term applicants to Mercy Ships at a YWAM Discipleship Training School (DTS), Dorothy served on outreaches in Albania, Sierre Leone, Europe, and Senegal. ...