The Journey of Calling Art Gallery displays pieces created by missionaries, MKs, retirees, SAM alumni, donors, and more. Each details a piece of their story in saying “yes” to God’s calling in their life.

What is God asking you to say “yes” to?

Oftentimes, our callings aren’t immediate or a dramatic experience, but a journey of small “yeses” and steps of faith that help you work out your calling and discern where God is leading you next.

We must have a deep understanding of who God is and know him to be trustworthy if we are to respond in obedience. Responding to our calling is a journey of discernment and surrender.

Our ultimate calling is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. This is something that can be done in every stage of life!

Personally, I struggle to memorize God’s word. I know His promises and I believe them, but without having them around me physically as a constant reminder of His goodness and His promises—I forget so easily. Because of this, for my art pieces I wanted to highlight verses that remind me of God’s character and His promises to His children. I also wanted to remind myself that He is working in me, preparing and growing me for His perfect plan. I hope these art verses encourage you as much as they encourage me!

This piece was created to represent the beginning phase of curiosity and exploring God’s word and His will for us. The Bible isn’t a small book, and as we study it, we gain a greater understanding by piecing together the stories and lessons as I have literally pieced together this paper collage. Each book, chapter, and verse holds a wealth of spiritual knowledge and guidance on its own, but together they reveal even more, and by studying them in context individually and as a whole, we begin to see the bigger picture- seeing the forest through the trees. I think the “bigger picture” is ultimately God’s love and plan for the world.

Being curious is so important because it’s the only way to learn. Whether it’s through personal Bible study, devotionals, conversations with other believers, or something else, exploring God’s word allows us to understand how these chapters apply to our lives today, and deepens our relationship with Christ.

This piece illustrates the “curiosity or exploration” phase of the journey of calling. While I did not necessarily go into the typical “mission field”, I went into the field of teaching with a mission mindset of how I may best reach my students and ultimately be a light for Christ. I did not come to this decision immediately however. Deciding on music education took lots of thought, discussion, and prayer.

This illustration represents the journey of finding out where you are meant to go one step at a time. There are lots of colorful and bright options everywhere, each with its own allure and possibility. There may also be “vines” or obstacles in front of us slightly obscuring the path forward that we must work through. However this illustration also depicts that with constant prayer and a heart for Christ, any path you choose will ultimately be used by Christ for his glory.

This surrealist acrylic painting is aptly titled “Surrender “. I am the central figure throwing my metal hangers in the fire as I look away and up to the cross. The hangers represent what and WHO I was hanging my hope on. I thought my purpose was serving Jesus and trying to figure out who I was going to marry.

In this vision I relinquished control. Not only looking to Jesus for how to live but how to die to self. Looking to Jesus my true Savior, example and friend. Yet also in that complete , full and total surrender a new day is dawning. The dark is fleeting as the light pierces the darkness. We surrender to the creator of The Universe whose ways are better than any plan we could dream up for

When we began dating, I (Tracey) was serving as a missionary in Brazil with SAM and Jacob was working on his PhD at University of Wisconsin-Madison. For a while, I struggled with feeling guilty for dating someone who wasn’t on the mission field. I thought that being obedient meant making the largest sacrifice, but over time God taught me that surrender doesn’t always look like the biggest sacrifice, as long as it is in accordance with His will. Now that Jacob and I are married, I see how God beautifully wove our stories together and as we look ahead to the next season, we are once again coming to a place where together we are surrendering our wills to what God has for us as a couple.

Throughout our whole lives and in our Christian walk, we have been in God‘s hands. Everything that we have, everything that we need, everything we depend on in life, we have surrendered it and placed it in his hands. It is only when we do that that we feel like we can live peaceful and joyful lives sustained by his hands. It is a trust issue as well as a reliance, knowing that we are secure when we are in his hands.

When I was thinking of how to represent PREPARATION for MISSIONS, I couldn’t say one exclusive thing prepared me for the ministry God had for me. My whole life experience was preparing me. So, here is my life in vignettes.

I was born, the youngest of seven, in a Christian family where family devotions and church attendance were integral in my formative years and led to my acceptance of Jesus as my savior as a preteen. Missionary presentations opened my eyes to the world in need of a savior. Farm life and mom’s gardens were an exercise in hard work and love of beauty as well as providing for the family.

My early education was in a one room school where I learned my love of teaching. (Overloaded teachers often had students help with younger grades). Yes, that is an outhouse and a water pump. We were quite primitive.

Bible Memory Camp, not only required memorizing hundreds of Bible Verses to qualify, but, was the setting where I first felt God calling me to missions and laid South America on my heart. I remember singing in a mixed quartet, “I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go, Dear Lord.”

Bible School at Prairie Bible Institute was the next step. Austere dorms and good Bible teaching were excellent preparation.

Following that, I taught at a small Christian school for 2 years and realized I needed more teacher training, so back to university for a BA in education.

Still feeling the call to missions, but no direction, I taught several years in a middle school. My sister sent me information of SAM Summer Teams, and I applied for the 1977 team, but my application was too late, so I requested to be on the 1978 team to Bolivia.

Here is where God’s perfect timing was revealed. The Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center was founded in 1977. When I arrived in Santa Cruz in 1978 the need for teachers of MK’s and my lifetime preparation and call to missions were a perfect fit. I completed my contract at the middle school, raised support and returned to Santa Cruz in 1979 where I served with SAM until 2012.

Bloom Where you are Planted is a picture of our human response to the message of the kingdom of God. God has called every believer to fill a role in His Kingdom, and it is our responsibility to respond to Him in obedience. It’s about the attitude of the heart when we serve; and in that we decide if we will bloom and let God shine through us.

The root under Bloom Where You are Planted is to be fruitful and blossom in whatever situation God has placed us in. We are to serve where we are. It is a response of our obedience that gives God the freedom to work in and through us to bloom and make us beautiful; to be the fragrance of Christ where He plants us.

God’s Kingdom is a beautiful garden, and He is the gardener. He scatters His seeds across the world, and prunes His branches. He allows us to be fruitful and beautiful. The environment may be harsh at times, and we may face droughts or floods. It’s a challenge. But if we are rooted in Him and we respond to Him in obedience, we can bloom where He plants us.

As you see on this canvas, there is a paper boat trying to sail. There are huge waves crashing down on it, but it doesn’t give us. The waves represent challenges ahead for the called; obstacles toward where God called us to be. Each wave grows smaller the closer you get, but they can still sink the paper boat. The light shines on the land ahead because this is where the Lord is summoning his evangelists. Even if the boat sinks, his plan will still shine bright!

Two-layer graphics are paintings used on objects such as baskets or ceramics.

The black paint is extracted from a fruit called jenipapo, the red paint is extracted from a fruit called urucum, and the white paint is extracted from white clay. It is the same paint used for body painting.

Some time after finishing my Bible course, I returned to serve God at the Ami Training Center for Indigenous in Brazil. Most of my life has been spent at Ami serving God. There were so many challenges, one of which was the lack of financial support; many times it was living by faith alone, but I had conviction in my calling. I never sold my graphic art; it was always a donation. I sold it a few times, but I can see how much the Lord has blessed me. This is part of my story as a Christian artist serving God.

This design is called bat wings and is used for body painting. It is typically used for traditional festivals, just like other body paintings. The Bakairi design identifies which ethnic group we belong to.

Some time after finishing my Bible course, I returned to serve God at the Ami Training Center for Indigenous in Brazil. Most of my life has been spent at Ami serving God. There were so many challenges, one of which was the lack of financial support; many times it was living by faith alone, but I had conviction in my calling. I never sold my graphic art; it was always a donation. I sold it a few times, but I can see how much the Lord has blessed me. This is part of my story as a Christian artist serving God.

This painting is named after one of my favorite lines in literature: “If after every tempest come such calms, may the winds blow till they have wakened death” from Othello, by William Shakespeare. It reminds me of Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.”

Throughout our lives, we will face hardships and trials that can feel insurmountable in the moment. Sometimes we feel so consumed by the darkness that we can no longer see the light, but we still are called to trust in Jesus and lean on Him for the strength to keep enduring the storm. When creating this painting I reflected on my own journey with mental health. There were many times when I was so consumed with depression that doubted it would ever get better, but I kept going anyways, and God carried me through and out of that season of life. Everyone will face times of uncertainty and unexpected trouble, but we still trust that God will take us where we need to be, and all we have to do is keep moving forward.

I painted three panels to represent the past, present, and future of being obedient to God in hard times. In the present, the storm is so strong that you can’t see the horizon, you can’t see the light ahead of you, and the waves are coming from all sides, so all you can do is let God keep you afloat and keep following the current He has provided you. In the past you see the trials you have already overcome, proof that God will not fail you now, because He did not fail you then. In the future, there is the promise of calm waters. Even though you can’t see it yet, there is hope on the horizon. We will all find peace in the end, on Earth, and ultimately in heaven. We can trust that the experience of witnessing God’s glory firsthand will by far surpass any adversity we endure in our lifetime.

From 2011-2016, I served in Bolivia at the Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center. Glimmers in the Darkness reflects a season of rich friendships and meaningful ministry, but also of unexpected grief. Even in the hardest moments, I saw God’s presence breaking through in small but steady ways.

Looking back, while the grief from that season hasn’t completely disappeared, it’s now surrounded by healing and perspective. I am grateful for each part of the journey of missions. My hope is that you’ll be encouraged not to shy away from the hard parts, but to trust that even there, God is and will always be faithful.