By Jerry and Sue Kidd 

When asked how a person can know how to follow God’s calling, Bro. Jerry and Mrs. Sue Kidd shared their wisdom and insight from their experiences.  

Bro. Jerry: When it comes to knowing your personal call to ministry, solidify that you’re not self-called or parents-called or pastor-called, or anything else. When you know you are called, you go through the doors that God opens for you, and God gives us choices. When people ask me, “How do you know for sure this is where I’m supposed to go, and what I’m supposed to do?” I tell them that God will open the door that he wants you to go through. You must have already made the decision that you will go anywhere he leads and do anything he wants you to. You don’t call the shots. 

I promise that God will direct you and lead you and make clear your call to ministry. But at the same time, he can use you in many different places if you have the first thing right: the call. One example is when we thought we were going to Brazil. We were approved to go and began learning Portuguese, the language of Brazil, when Marvin Lloyd, a missionary in Bolivia, came home on furlough and visited LeTourneau University when I was training for my pilot’s license. 

He said, “Jerry, I think you ought to pray about Bolivia, because we need an aviation ministry there.” Brother Marvin had already flown some for the Arringtons and wanted to move to a different location but needed someone to be responsible for taking care of the Arringtons. They were in such a remote situation that their needs were very heavily dependent on someone who would do what they said they were going to do. All their supplies, food, their entire livelihood had to be carried to them. 

I told him we will certainly pray about it, and as Sue and I prayed, we felt that the Arringtons’ situation was a greater need: Gerald Price was already in Brazil, the airplane was already there, so we needed another airplane in Bolivia. We knew that’s what God wanted us to do. 

God will open the door that he wants you to go through. You just have to already have made this commitment to God: “Anywhere you want me to go, anything you want me to do, I will go.” Again, we don’t call the shots. He will direct you and lead you and make it clear. But at the same time, he can use you in many different places if you have the first thing right: the call. 

Wherever God calls you, he’ll use you. It doesn’t just have to be overseas. Wherever there is an opportunity, give it a try. Trust that God will take care of you. He says, “You’re in my hands.” I was safer flying a single engine airplane over the jungles of Bolivia than I was driving down a ten-lane interstate in the U.S. because I’m in God’s hands. 

So many times he’s just pulled me out of danger. He’s there. He is God. I wouldn’t take anything for the eight years we had in Bolivia if you offered me a million dollars. I learned more about God in those eight years: who God is, what he will do, and how he is capable of doing what he said. He’ll keep the wings on an airplane in a steep dive going into the jungle when you’re about to crash. That was nothing but God defying the law of gravity, keeping wings on the airplane. Those wings should’ve snapped off. But he kept them on.

Mrs. Sue: Back then we had only a ham radio setup to communicate with the pilots, but sometimes it didn’t work. There were times that I wouldn’t know if he made it or not, if he landed safely, or if he had to spend the night somewhere, but it never did really bother me. I just knew he was safe and that God was taking care of him. If your heart is right, then your calling is right. These other things will fall into place. Jesus’ desire was to be a servant, and we need to learn that, to be servants. When you get in a true servant position, then you’re going to let God do the leading.

We are so grateful for the lives and legacies of the Kidds. These two individuals have spent their entire lives following God’s leading, and the lessons learned from their experiences are invaluable.