“I think we all go through seasons. There were seasons in the past when making money to pay the bills had been my priority. But God has opened the door to a season where I can use my time and talents to connect people who will advance the *Great Commission of Jesus!”

That’s Julie Z. Julie is just one of the smart, faith-filled people I’ve met working with the Switchboard ministry. Julie joined in with a few other collaborative souls who believed in, and then launched the original Switchboard platform. She now leads Customer Success and Implementation as Switchboard’s Director of Services.

“My favorite memories are of working with Scott (CEO) and Mitchell (Senior Product Director) for the first few years,” she recalls. “We were starting from scratch…just, nothing. The number of decisions that had to be made was staggering. I was struck by everyone’s sense of humility and curiosity. Our hearts were in it to serve gospel mission teams who had given up entire seasons of their own lives to serve Jesus around the globe.” 

Julie did not lack career options. Her resume includes stints with GE Capital, Ernst & Young and Turner Broadcasting, among others. “Where Switchboard is different from my past corporate roles is our ability to make decisions within a few hours – instead of weeks or months,” she said. “And all of us continuously course-correct as we learn from our “customers,” the people who connect on Switchboard for their Kingdom work.”

Still, the Switchboard concept of matching skilled volunteers with mission teams who need that exact expertise, often in a different country and time zone, requires some time to sink in. “There’s a reason for the term, ‘early adopters!’ she observes with tongue-in-cheek candor. “I soon learned that not everyone is ready to get active with Switchboard. And that’s ok, because there are hundreds of volunteers and ministries who ARE ready. It’s a joy to serve and support that rapidly growing audience.”

I asked Julie for a favorite anecdote to help tell the Switchboard story. She has many. 

“This amazing missionary lady I met was dealing with secondary trauma from the world of human trafficking in Indonesia. She needed contact with someone who could compassionately understand what she’d experienced.  We hadn’t grown past 50 volunteers yet, but…one of them was an ex-missionary who had served in that very same part of Indonesia. This kind, seasoned Switchboard volunteer reached into her past experiences to encourage and support our mission person in need. It was beautiful.” 

Did I forget to mention?  Julie is a mom, three times over – and God worked with that, too. “I am clear that God has called me to be a wife and mother first. Those are jobs that no one else can do!  Years ago, I stepped away from a job I loved in order to stay at home with our twins, and then to adopt our third child. They’ve grown up now and I prayed that God would allow me to re-enter the work world when the time was right.”

Seasons.  “He changes times and seasons… He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” Daniel 2:21

“Honestly, I dreaded creating a resume and pounding the pavement again. So…I was blown away when God dropped Switchboard into my lap with no job search and no interviews – just God showing in His perfect timing that He could make it so. I try to sit back and trust in God’s character – believing in His goodness and His sovereignty. It is rarely in my timing or the way I expect, but trusting in His character is life-changing.”

Where are you at in your own season with God?

Please visit GlobalSwitchboard.io to sign up and learn – and do – more for the Kingdom.

And please send me your own anecdotes and experiences of God working with you as part of the Switchboard global outreach.

I am called…so are you!

Be encouraged in all that you do,

*Matthew 28:18-20