I could say my passion for Africa started in the '90's, when I played in a World Beat band and heard many live performances of African music. I could say it started when I learned about the world HIV/AIDS epidemic and felt drawn to respond. Every time I heard or read stories of people who had been in Africa, I just wanted to be there, to experience it for myself. I wanted to go to Africa not as a tourist but to do something useful there. I didn't know if God had given me this desire or if it was of my own making.

In July 2010 I had the amazing opportunity to go to Rwanda with a team from WMB. While there I felt a sense of confirmation from God that yes, my heart for Africa was something God had given me. I knew I wanted to go back, and to more countries, and for longer. But though I trusted God with my heart's desire, I had no idea how it could come about in reality.

Then one day I received an email from an old friend: a job posting for a violin teacher in Tanzania! After jumping up and pacing around the room a few times, I took a deep breath and realized that God had opened a door for me. My part would be to step through it by applying for the job. I applied - and got the job!

I have been hired for a ten-month contract to teach violin with the Umoja Arts Centre in Arusha, Tanzania from August 2011 to June 2012. I will teach individual and group lessons to students of all ages, both expats and local Tanzanians. It is work I know and love in a completely new setting. What could be better?

There are things to fear, but I won't really know what they are till I get there. There are risks: I'll lose some of my violin students here at home to new teachers and will have to recruit new students next year. There are sacrifices: being far from friends and family and the life I love. There are financial uncertainties. Many things are in God's hands; but then, they always have been.

Had I not responded to God's invitation to step through the door he opened, I would always wonder if I should have. God answered my prayers in a way I never would have expected, and God continues to illuminate my path, one step at a time.