Melissa Landis
mlandis@mosaicmennonites.org
“What do you want to be when you grow up?†For generations, adults have asked children this familiar question and I never had a very good answer. For awhile, my quick response was “teacher†because at eight years old I liked to play “school†with my younger sister. But as I grew, I realized I really didn’t know.
In high school the idea of majoring in communication began to creep into my mind. Specifically I liked the idea of working at a non-profit organization that helped people. I decided to major in Organizational Communication because the blend of communication and business classes seemed like a way to facilitate my lingering desire to work in the non-profit realm. As I went through college I held out hope that my major would allow me to do something worthwhile with my vocation.
On my graduation day at Tabor College in Kansas the question of what I wanted to do when I grew up stared me in the face with ferocity. How was I going to use my gifts, my abilities, and my education in the real world? I made a decision to trust that even though I never had a lightening bolt moment of clarity, God would how me the next step. I believed that the promise of Philippians 1:6 was true for me: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesusâ€.
Recently I began looking at the possibility of working with Franconia Conference as Administrative Services Manager. The position brought together several of my interests and in supporting the staff I could support the conference’s mission of “equipping leaders to empower others to embrace God’s missionâ€. At just the right time a new step in my life was revealed, one that will challenge and stretch me. Most importantly, I know God will continue to work in my life, growing me into the person I was meant to be.
Melissa began her new role in January. She is married to Isaac Landis and attends Franconia Mennonite Church. A graduate of both Hesston and Tabor Colleges in Kansas, Melissa grew up in Nebraska.
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.