Whatever It Takes! — Iona Rossely

Life is made up of different seasons and now I’m in one of those quiet ones again. I remember in 2015 when I wrote the following article on how my world turned upside down in just a couple of weeks – I went from doing nothing too jumping on a roller coaster. For any of you who are also going through a season when nothing much is happening I hope the following story will give you hope and encouragement that God is sovereign and even though He sometimes remains silent He has a plan for you.

Back Then – 2015

For the first time in my life I had come to a point when I had no work commitments or projects to finish. It was like the world had stopped! You may think that’s a strange analogy and a bit extreme but I have what some call an A type personality – achiever, competitor – always on the go. On one hand this period held a real since of peace and freedom and on the other it felt a little surreal. We are told in scripture that there are different seasons in our life and this was one of them.

If I was to jump back in time two and a half years earlier it was a very different story. We (Jeff, my husband and I) had decided to relocate from a very damp wet muddy Devon, England to sunny Australia. So, leaving behind a career in endurance racing and 19 horses – we packed up all our belongings and travelled four horses, four dogs, two cats across the other side of the world. It was a move that we knew God had allowed to happen – our farm sold in a property downturn and the trip over was easy for our little zoo.

Life in Australia was manic – with farm renovations, sorting out 270 acres of land, erecting field shelters and fencing, etc. On the social front, Jeff and myself love community life especially after our short stint in Devon so we jumped head first into community life. We joined the Anglican Church in Murwillumbah – which I must say would have not been our first choice as we had come from a Congregational Church that was charismatic. This was on the other end of the scale – traditional and fairly what I would call high Church – but we felt it was where God wanted us to be and we loved the people.

To cut a very long story short, I became a Lay Minister, I finished my two and half year course in Theology and I became Warden for a little Anglican church near us in Tyalgum. So, in between settling in, renovating, studying and undertaking my Lay Minister duties, farming, exercising the horses and dogs, life was full on. Oh, and how could I forget! Six months into arriving in Australia, Jeff got a call offering him a consultancy job back in Dubai – this is where Jeff and myself met and lived for ten plus years – and yes, he jumped at the offer. I must admit Jeff is dangerous on a tractor so it seemed like the right move.

So, within this period I traveled backwards and forwards between Dubai and Australia juggling studying, my church duties and keeping the farm ticking over. It got to a point when we both felt God wanted us both in Dubai. So, I changed my schedule, spending eighty percent of my time in Dubai and the remainder in Australia. And this is where I begin the story – having no horses to ride, no church duties to perform, Theology course completed, here I was 54 floors up in a two-bedroom apartment looking over Dubai with nothing to do. But what I did have was time. Time to spend in studying God’s word and time spent in His presence. I can only explain this time as magical one – peace, stillness and more peace. Every day I lived in expectation of hearing and feeling God’s presence – but I knew the time would come when God would open a door for me to walk through and start back into some sort of ministry. I had at one point in this period got on my hands and knees and said, “Whatever it takes Lord, Whatever it takes. I will do whatever you want as long as it’s your will.” I can say now “be prepared” if you say this and mean it and believe in a response – because He will take you up on it.

After landing in Dubai after a short break in Australia, Jeff had organised for me to meet a Muslim Philanthropist for lunch – where upon I was asked to help coordinate a new global anti-slavery / climate change initiative that revolved around people, profit and planet. The Church of England, the Catholic Church and my new Muslim friend head this initiative. I cannot say I was jumping up and down with excitement – after 15 hours on a plane and then being bombarded with information I felt rather dazed by it all. But I decided to sleep on it and pray about it. Wasn’t sure this was the path that God had lined up for me! The strange thing was that all the abilities required to do this job – I knew I had – after spending several years in Public Relations and communications – but was it what God wanted me to do.

I prayed that He would close the doors if it wasn’t the right way to go and open the doors if this was His will. The doors opened and the meetings kept happening, so I went with the flow. Going back into the corporate world was so alien to me. This was not the ministry I had in mind – but God’s ways are not our ways. In a nutshell, I ended up coordinating a high profile event with twenty major global change makers at the Lambeth Palace in London to kick-start the initiative. My heart was sold on the project when I listened to Archbishop Justin Welby talk about the importance of having a servant led heart. He also stressed that if any of us were there to gain credit, the project would fail. This plus Bishop Sanchez talk on how the beatitudes should be prominent in this initiative allowed me to see God’s face in this campaign. The strategic planning session was a great success and the project went full steam ahead. So much so that we have just returned from the Vatican after successfully organising a Forum that discussed how this project, which is now called Global Sustainability Network could move forward. The Catholic Church and the Church of England are united in their cause and are leading global philanthropists, businessmen, charities and individuals to work with them in solving what is now the world’s second biggest crime.

I cannot sit here and say I understand my role in all this and yes I have had many stressful anxious days but God spoke constantly through His word – Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handy-work, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us.” And the one that really helped me is Colossians 3.23 “It is the Lord Jesus Christ you are serving” not mankind.

I suppose my biggest dilemma was not being able to visible see the people we were trying to help – I felt like an ant on a very big wheel. And God kept giving me passages in scripture saying, “He does not ignore the cries of the afflicted” and thus I believed that yes, we all can make a difference. But for me it wasn’t tangible. But at Gateway, our local Church in Dubai one Friday I suddenly had a revelation during a sermon– yes fighting to end slavery was important but my ministry was more towards the people I was dealing with on the project. Many of which had everything money could buy but were oblivious to Jesus’ existence. For me these words – Colossians 4:5” Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.” I understood and thanked God for this insight.

But even though I had my agenda planned I was still struggling with all the egos and the politics – so much so that at one point I threw all my toys out of my pram and politely resigned. But thankfully it wasn’t accepted – divine intervention – and God put me back on the path. I was seriously convicted a couple of days later when our pastor recited Colossians 4:17 “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.” That’s telling me!

So, for the next 14 months I worked as Coordinator of the Global Sustainability Network and met some of the most amazing people, traveled to some beautiful countries and more importantly helped start what is becoming a solid organisation that will make a massive difference in the world.

Today – June 2017

Today I am back in another quiet season and enjoying every moment because I know it could change at any moment – only this morning I got on my knees and said, “Whatever it takes Lord – I am ready.” So, watch this space – there is never a dull moment – time is short and the gospel needs to be known across the nations – Life is exciting when you walk with the Lord.