Kyle Butler's Story...
Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. (Pr. 19:21). Easy to read, hard to believe. Many of the days in 2009 were filled with confusion and loss of direction. Most of the time I felt I was wondering in the dark completely by myself. I felt like I had somehow strayed from the path that God had laid out for me. Not that I had drifted from God, just His purpose for me. But looking back now, I know that was not the case.
In November of 2008, God brought me home from a two year stay in Hawaii. His taking me there and the time spent was faith stretching to say the least. He did things with me and through me there that I had never thought possible. It was like we were walking hand and hand the whole way. His direction and leading was so clear. And through the last few months of my stay, it seemed so clear that He was done with me there and had something else for me. It was the most difficult thing I had ever had to do, leaving many good friends and memories behind, but I had complete peace about it.
It didn’t take long after being back home in Missouri that I began to really miss Hawaii and all the friends I had made there. I began wondering if my decision to leave my friends and my ministry there was truly of God. Could I have misread Him that much? Maybe He wasn’t done with me? These feelings of doubt and misdirection lasted several months. I became very depressed. But God was working. During those months, He gave me the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Mexico with a group from Sunnybrook. It was an amazing week. I quickly made many friends with people in the group that really encouraged me. During this time, God was also lining up a job for me in Stillwater. Shortly after the trip, I made the move down here. As soon as I arrived in Stillwater, I became active at Sunnybrook. God began to place me in many different roles in the church, mostly in worship. I began playing with Steve on Sunday mornings and helping lead worship on Thursday nights for the Brook. I slowly began to feel the true presence of God again in my life. Why did I ever doubt? God was there leading me the whole time. I just needed to be open to that leading. I just needed to have faith in my unseen future. God was in control every step of the way.