One of my hobbies is drawing cartoons.

Once I drew a black and white toon of a Sunday school teacher sitting in her classroom surrounded by 10 or so youngsters. She holds a booklet marked “Missions” and on the wall behind her is a map of the world. I had a little girl in the back raise her hand and ask, “Does God need missionaries in Oz, Disney World or Hogwarts?”

The little girl represents all of us who are willing to do God’s will as long as He places us in a location or situation where we feel comfortable.

Sometimes we may wonder how we got in a certain spot. Was it His will or ours? Can we be of some use to Him in our present situation?

Granted we can serve Him no matter where we are. Whatever our circumstances, there is always something we can do to help others.

It may not be on a grand scale, but there is a purpose we can serve if we apply ourselves with our talent and love.

Poor old Jonah tried to run away from God’s plan for him to prophecy in the Assyrian city of Nineveh. The Assyrians were a cruel people and Jonah thought they didn’t deserve to be saved from God’s wrath. He finally wound up where God wanted him to be and thousands were saved.

Little did he know that these people would someday be the first nation to accept Christianity and establish a Christian church in 33 AD, under the preaching of Thomas, Bartholomew and Thaddeus.

In my dim and distant single days, I lived in Beverly, Mass. I often ate out at a local diner called the Miss Beverly. It was typical of those old railroad car diners, with a gleaming counter, steaming coffee pots and fat, happy doughnuts bunched together on a silver platter. I often sat on one of the padded red stools and ate the special of the day.

Another young man was often there and we talked about sports, weather conditions and other counter-top topics.

He said he worked in an orthopedic lab near Boston. His name was Larry. He wore glasses and ate mostly salads and rolls with iced tea.

When spring came, I noticed Larry wasn’t showing up anymore. Once or twice I went into the Miss Beverly thinking he might be eating at a different time, because of shift work or something.

I finally asked one of the waitresses and she waved a hand as she poured coffee. “I heard he left the country Vietnam or Cambodia some place like that where they got lots of mines. He’s making artificial legs for the kids over there.”

I often thought about Larry. Was it some commitment to help those less fortunate that took him to the jungles of Asia. Was he thinking about doing God’s will, no matter where it took him?

Certainly he was having an impact on the lives of others. He would be loved and remembered by those whose lives he touched. He was someone I would always respect and, in some ways, consider one of my personal heroes.

Ted Wallace is a former teacher and radio disc jockey who may be reached at tcw2@midmaine.com.