HEATHER'S STORY

Heather Gilies

Senegal

Heather has been in Senegal west Africa, teaching at a boarding school for missionary kids.

SONS AND DAUGHTERS

As clichéd as it sounds, if you had told me over 3 years ago that God would have me serve Him in BCS, and not only serve but actually enjoy it, enjoy it so much that I would call it my second home, feeling more comfortable there than in Ireland, I would have thought you got me confused with someone else! But God has done an amazing work in my heart; that even through the really REALLY hard times serving at BCS, my own insecurities about pretty much everything, all the highs and lows of life on the mission field, He has shown me time and time again that He desires to use me, regardless of my situation, background and shortcomings.

The journey of joining WEC Trek and going to BCS was a roller coaster in itself. God opened so many doors that could have at other times remained closed. It all began with knowing that my then current job would be coming to an end and an inability to get BCS out of my mind after I had seen teaching positions advertised for it on the WEC website. Within a month of applying (at first I said that I was only “interested”), I knew

it was where I was meant to be heading! God kept confirming it

through my training, people I met and my own heart as I had a

peace. And all of this within the period of 3-4 months!

When I was baptised a few years ago, I received a verse from

Jeremiah 32 verse 27 “”Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh.

Is there anything too hard for Me?” When I think of it now, I can

see how it very much applies to the last 3 years. God had me

teaching, something that I have never felt confident in and always

felt behind the rest of my colleagues or people who I had done

teacher training with. At BCS, He had me teaching special needs in

mainstream school, my primary purpose of being accepted there,

when I was told in Ireland that doing this at home would be a dead-end. I taught secondary level, the thought of which before filled me with dread! Through this I developed some great relationships with the kids and who had begun to come to me outside of the classroom for advice about everyday things! He had me exercise gifts I already knew I had in a completely different way. For example, God would use my ability to encourage and motivate others in leading times of worship (and I’m not musical!), or to share with adults and teens things that God had laid on my heart.

I was leaving behind a small but close-knit community before I came

to BCS. But God encouraged me through a prophecy given to me

during my Trek orientation; that He would surround me with trees of

righteousness. And He certainly did not let me down on that! Even

though relationships had not always been easy, being at times more

challenging than I could have ever imagined, God has blessed me

with some truly life-giving friendships throughout my whole time

there. Of course, you sometimes don’t realise how blessed you are

by those friendships until it comes to saying goodbye. With those I

wasn’t so close to, He taught me how to love people no matter what

(something I’m still learning!).

Throughout my whole time at BCS, everything I have experienced has been underpinned by one thing – trust. Trusting that God really knows what He is doing, that He can bring good from anything (even life’s hardest lessons) and a life completely surrendered to Him is what He truly desires from

me. Trusting that He has my best interests at heart and will

honour my faithfulness to Him. Trusting that only He can

satisfy my deepest needs because He loves me.

God called me to BCS to serve and that I did. But thankfully,

that was not all as I see now when I look back, that He

sustained and moulded me and will continue to do so

wherever He has me be next.

WEC International, Bulstrode, Oxford Road, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, SL9 8SZ

WEC TREK