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"We are God's workmanship...
...created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Ephesians 2:10
Meet Amber Murrell
March 25, 2007
God is good, God is big and mighty, and He loves all the children. That was everything her
four-year-old heart and mind needed to know, and it drew her to the Savior. As a nine-year-old,
anguished over her parents' divorce, she remembers sobbing, praying over and over to make
sure God was really "in there" in her heart. "Are You sure you're in my heart?" she recalls
crying out. "I didn't understand that you could have so much pain and still be a Christian." The
heartbreaking doubts of that sensitive young girl have been more than answered over time. By
age 19, she knew, with no uncertainty, that she was called to some kind of ministry. What exactly
would it be? Her path has curved and twisted in surprising ways, but the Lord has always
been the guide.
Amber says she joined ROTC during her freshman year of college, believing she wanted to be
a pilot. Turns out after a couple of times in the air, "I learned I didn't have the stomach for
flying!" she laughs. (Those who know Amber will appreciate the irony here. On the mission
field, her cast-iron stomach protests not at all at the likes of barbecued squid, which stinks, or
even a spoonful or two of bottled ants, wasps and other presumably crunchy insects.) Although
the pilot thing didn't work out, she also had a heart for children in Africa and spent several
months working with kids at a Christian athletic leadership training camp in Zimbabwe. That
experience cemented her love for mission work, but she also developed an interest in becoming
a Christian counselor. Believing that a solid knowledge of the Bible would only enhance her
effectiveness as a counselor, she enrolled in Denver Seminary in the Master's of Divinity program
with an emphasis in counseling. When she discovered that counseling wasn't really her
gift, she switched her emphasis to youth ministry to go along with her "MDiv." After graduation,
she moved to the inner city to work with kids, but soon discovered that wasn't quite the fit
she longed for either. She even taught at Colorado Christian University for a while.
But, wait! Back at the seminary campus, Amber happened to meet a female chaplain in the
U.S. Air Force. She cracks up as she remembers naively thinking, "They have chaplains in the
Air Force? And women can be them?" There it was, although she
didn't realize it immediately. Amber was coming to realize that her heart's desire was two-fold:
missions, which she had known for some time, and pastoral leadership. She wanted to care for
people - the marrying and burying, counseling, preaching,
teaching, baptizing, discipling...the works. It didn't exactly appear to her in a flash of light, but
the perfect blend of missions and pastoring did show up in a uniform.
With some guidance from CCC's Pastor Les Felker, himself a retired chaplain, the
vision of chaplaincy began to take shape for Amber. She signed on with the U.S. Air Force
Reserve and started with Commissioned Officer Training, which is similar to boot camp; she
was sworn in as a 1st Lieutenant. While she was already ordained, she recently had to complete
six weeks of chaplain training. Her base of attachment is Peterson in Colorado Springs, where
she is required to serve once a month as well as a yearly two-week tour. She has now preached
several times at the base and has been able to minister through funerals, weddings, visitation
and counseling.
What has it been like to minister to the military? She says, "For me personally, it is such an
honor to minister to the people who sacrifice so much for their country.
Civilians cannot understand the sacrifices, financial hardships, the separations from your family
members, the hard work and long hours that are required.and that's the people who are not
deployed." And, of course, "There is so much paperwork!"
In all seriousness, she continues, "It is such an honor to be able to speak truth and help lead
them to God. One (person) even called and asked, 'Can I get saved over the phone?'" It's that
type of situation that humbles Amber. "I have failed at times," she says, "and experienced
God's grace and mercy more than I could have (had she not become a chaplain). Her voice
softens as she marvels, "that He would choose to use somebody like me."
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