A Visit With Our Single Missionary Daughter: Rachel Hammett

Written by Rachel Hammett Missionary daughter in Botswana, Africa

Do the next thing.

This is my number one advice to single girls. I've heard all the advice from, “Don't waste your single years” to “Be the person you want to marry.” It's all good advice, but how can you practically, as a single girl in this century, put it to use? Do the next thing.

 

It's good to have a plan and a vision, but let's face it, as a girl you probably aren't choosing a life-long career or building a house. What becomes most important for you is to stay flexible, expand your experience, and do the next thing that God has for you. Does God want you to go to school? Start your classes and pour yourself into them! Has God given you the opportunity to be a teacher to young children? Devote yourself to creating interesting class times that will take those kids to the next level. Are you still at home? Do everything you can to help your mother, entertain your younger siblings, and be an encouragement to your father. Have you secured a job outside the home? Do that job to the best of your ability, be respectful to your employers and a good testimony. Do you have friends that are discouraged? Find a way to be an encouragement to them! Do you have friends that are lost? Pray for them and look for ways to talk to them about the Gospel.

God does not want us to sit around, twiddling our thumbs, just waiting for Prince Charming to come along. There is much more going on in the world than just your love life! Wake up and look around you - what does God want you to do next? It may be an internal work on your heart, and perhaps you should set aside some alone time to pray and meditate on the issues God has shown you. It may be taking a missions trip, writing a book, learning how to cook, or taking your education to the next level. You can be assured of this - it is never God's will for you to stagnate. Oh, He may want you physically to stay put right where you are and learn to be content with it, but He is still looking for growth and improvement. Find that area and get to work!

As I look back over my single years thus far, I am so happy that I did not waste my time. Of course, there are some small decisions that I regret. There are some days I wish I could erase, some pity parties I wish I could remove from the records, a lot of wasted time spent on frivolous things that I don't even remember now. But the big decisions of my life - the decision to continue my education, the decision to work for my church, the decisions to travel and help missionaries, the decision to stay single thus far, the decisions to save money and invest in worthy goals rather than an apartment and car, the decision to move halfway around the world with my family without a 'man in sight' - none of these big decisions do I regret. Remember these were MY decisions; yours may be completely different! But that's the beauty of God's planning - no two people are exactly alike!

Before God can write your love story, you have to let him write YOUR story. What does He want to do with you today? Do the next thing.

If you would like to follow Rachel’s life on the mission field with her family in Botswana, feel free to visit: http://www.racheletcetera.com/