The story of my call into the ministry begins in 2008. I was living in Seattle, WA. Before this point, my life had been crazy, but now things had settled. I was gainfully employed at Horizon Airlines. I was attending college at Seattle Central Community College. I had my apartment and took part in church regularly at Ebenezer A.M.E. Zion Church.

Around this time, I felt something different when I went to church. I detected God was calling me to do something. I wasn’t entirely sure what that was, but I knew there was something more he wanted me to do. I thought this feeling meant that God was calling me to move elsewhere. As much as I loved Seattle, I was open to the idea that my time to return to the south had arrived. The question was, where would I transfer to now that I was considering leaving.

I knew I wanted to continue my education. I researched schools I could transfer to in the south. A school on my list was Jackson State University in Jackson, MS. Jackson State had an agreement with Seattle Central, which would mean that I could transfer all my credits. I took a scouting trip to Jackson, but realized that the town wasn’t for me. The second option I explored was Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN. I took a trip and really enjoyed Nashville and felt this is where God wanted me to be.

Upon my return, I plotted my move from Seattle, WA, to Nashville, TN. I did some more research and realized that the cost of living was such that I could support myself merely off my GI Bill money. I could contact people in the area via the internet, though I knew no one there personally. I could get suggestions and found an apartment that was near the school. The only hurdle I had left was to find a job to cover one month, because of the lack of GI Bill money I would receive. With all the research done and an apartment secured, I quit my job and moved to Nashville, TN. I arrived in Nashville in January 2009. I could secure some furniture from my family in nearby South Carolina. For the first few months, everything appeared to be going well.

After being in Nashville for a few months, I could not secure a job. I was actively looking for employment anywhere I could. I applied at gas stationed, fast-food restaurants, and everything in between. I would continuously apply for jobs and wouldn’t even get a response. I had rarely experienced this much trouble in finding a job. Within the first few weeks, I could land something, but this time seemed different. I said to myself, something must go on. As it came closer to my GI Bill money drying up, I decided maybe I should return to Seattle. The one thing that I could always do there was to find employment. I could also return to school and now have to worry about losing credits. I further figured that maybe God wanted me to do more work back at my old church.

Upon my arrival back in Seattle, I could find a job and a new apartment shortly after that. I returned with new vigor and commitment to Ebenezer. I jumped back in with both feet, ready to work. I began working with the children in church teaching the teenagers during children’s church. I was the young adult coordinator and helped put together programs for the young adults in the church. Even though my new apartment was an hour bus ride away, I was there for anything that was asked of me. Though I was working hard and doing all I could, I still could not shake this empty feeling. It was as though nothing I was doing was satisfying the longing in my spirit. It was like there was a hole that nothing could fill.

My new apartment was on the north side of Seattle. One of the ladies in the church Rubye Hayden, who lived even further north, would give me rides to and from the church. Rubye, one Sunday, decided that she would answer her call to the ministry. After accepting her call, my pastor, Alphonso Meadows, and others began to make preparation for her trial sermon. While this was going on, I had a burning sensation on the inside that I should ask when I could preach my trial sermon. My pastor asked me if I was serious, but I coyly said I was merely joking, but I could not shake the thought from that point on.

Maybe the reason I was feeling so empty was that God was calling me to be a preacher. I was overwhelmed that God was calling someone like me. I was not the type of person that I assumed he would call. I had a myriad of issues and a host of problems. In my mind, God called people who didn’t have so much baggage. I was scared and did not know who to talk to about what was going on. One day when Rubye was giving me a ride home, I told her that I to speak to her about something. I finally confessed to her that I believe that the Lord was calling into the ministry. She encouraged me to call my pastor and tell him so he could give me further guidance on what to do.

I scheduled an appointment to meet my pastor and told him that I believed the Lord was calling me in the ministry. He encouraged me to take some time and pray, and we would meet again to discuss it. I remember that the following week, I took a day off work. I intended to spend the whole day fasting and praying and seeking God’s face. Every placed I opened my Bible; it seemed to be that it was a story of God calling someone into the ministry. After about the third time, I said alright. God, I get it. A few days later, my pastor and I met at McDonald’s near his house. I told him that I believed that God was, indeed calling me. He asked me if I was sure, and his words still ring as loudly in my head now as they did then., “You know, once you put your hands to the plow, there is no turning back.” I have kept my hand to plow, and though there have been some rough times, I cannot see myself doing anything else. Ministry is genuinely the only thing that has satisfied.