Cookies, Clinics, and Calling: Five Lessons from a Co-Vocational Life

Catch the H3X Interview here 

Erin didn’t sugarcoat her story. And that’s what made it so compelling.

In a recent episode of the H3X Podcast, we sat down with Erin, a physician assistant serving in Garden City, Kansas. Her community is a surprising hub of global diversity, home to Somali, Sudanese, and Rohingya families—many of whom come from some of the most unreached places in the world. But Erin didn’t move there with a grand strategy or lightning-bolt calling. She moved in, brought cookies to her neighbors, and got the door shut in her face.

What followed was a beautifully messy journey of neighborhood mission, healthcare, and Kingdom living.

Below are five quotes from our conversation with Erin—and the deeply Kingdom truths they reveal.

1.  “Everything that is real is messy, and everything that is messy is real.”

Ministry among unreached peoples doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens in living rooms, doctor’s offices, parking lots, and apartment stairwells. It happens between the awkwardness of trying to meet strangers and the ache of slow fruit.

For Erin, building trust with her Somali neighbors took time—years, in fact. She lived in the same apartment complex. Knocked on doors. Was rejected. Then kept showing up.

The takeaway? If you’re waiting for the perfect plan, polished responses, and clear boundaries before stepping into people’s lives, you may never start. Real Kingdom work is full of tension. It’s messy. And that’s how you know it’s alive.

2.  “Our primary work is prayer—and everything flows out of the presence of God.”

After the cookie incident, Erin and her friend Rachel committed to one thing they could do: pray.

Every Monday night, without fail, they met to pray for their neighbors and for the nations. That rhythm became the heartbeat of everything that followed. What they couldn’t unlock with strategy, God opened through persistent prayer. Relationships bloomed. Conversations deepened. The Holy Spirit moved.

This isn’t a story of heroic evangelism—it’s a story of sustained surrender. Prayer wasn’t an add-on. It was the engine.

If you’re weary, start there. Before you act, pray.

And don’t stop.

3.  “Success isn’t in the outcome—it’s obedience. If He is pleased and I’m obeying Him, that is success.”

Eight years later, Erin is still there—still praying, still serving, still pouring out.

She’s seen small breakthroughs. She’s also experienced long seasons with little visible fruit. But her joy isn’t tied to what she can count. It’s rooted in her identity as a daughter and her obedience to Jesus.

In a results-driven culture, this is a radical shift. Success isn’t baptisms or numbers. It’s not conversions or attendance. It’s simply this: Did I walk in step with the Spirit today?

Obedience is enough.

4.  “I’m not doing anything earth-shattering. I’m just trying to be with Jesus and help other people be with Him in the context of my daily life and job.”

Erin calls it normal. We call it powerful.

She doesn’t see herself as special. No unique training. No radical gifting. Just a deep desire to be with Jesus and reflect His love through her vocation. Whether she’s delivering a baby, diagnosing flu symptoms, or walking her apartment complex—she’s on mission.

That’s the beauty of co-vocational calling. You don’t have to quit your job or move across the ocean. The harvest is where you already are—at work, in your neighborhood, in the places you walk every day.

What would happen if we stopped separating ministry from life? What if we stopped waiting to be “called” and realized we already are?

5.  “If God can make dry bones live, He can make my neighbor’s heart alive too.”

One of the Scriptures Erin holds close is Ezekiel 37. She’s prayed it over her neighbors for years. Not just once, but again and again. She believes in resurrection—not just for bodies, but for cultures, families, and futures.

That kind of hope isn’t naive. It’s rooted in the character of God. It’s forged in tears and time.

When she sees even a flicker of spiritual hunger in her Somali neighbors—when a woman reads Scripture or receives prayer—that’s resurrection in motion. That’s Kingdom ground being taken. Slowly. Quietly. Deeply.

If God can breathe life into dry bones, He can absolutely awaken the hardest heart in your city, on your street, or in your workplace.

Final Thought:

Erin’s story reminds us that co-vocational mission isn’t second-tier—it’s strategic, sustainable, and sacred. The call isn’t to be impressive. The call is to be present.

So bring cookies. Pray like it matters. Celebrate small miracles. Embrace the mess.

And remember: the Spirit of God does extraordinary things through ordinary obedience.