Call Day at Martin Luther College (MLC)—when graduates find out where the Lord, through his church, has called them to serve—is not for the faint of heart.

"You're on an emotional roller coaster," says Kelly Martin, a 2012 MLC graduate and member at St. John, Wauwatosa, Wis. "Everyone is excited because this is the moment we've been leading up to for four years, but everyone is nervous and no one knows what to expect."

District presidents, synod officials, and MLC representatives meet for days beforehand to determine where graduates will be placed and what they will do. "The men on the Assignment Committee pray for the Lord's blessing on their work," says Paul Prange, administrator of the Board for Ministerial Education. "They use a variety of human mechanics and human judgments and work hard to place teachers into classrooms or other settings that are the best match for their gifts." Then these assignments are announced to the graduates and their family and friends in a special service following graduation.

Martin says that while it was nerve-wracking waiting to find out where she was going, it was exciting to see what the Lord's plans were for her. "I don't have to worry about finding a job, and I also don't have to worry that the place they're putting me is the wrong place," she says. "You just have to trust it and know that it's God's plan, and that makes it right and good and where you're supposed to be."

Martin was assigned to teach kindergarten at Mt. Olive, Appleton, Wis., a challenge she's ready to tackle. She says her classes at MLC and especially her hands-on training prepared her for any possibility. She taught at almost every grade level during her Early Field Experience during her sophomore and junior years, concentrated on first and second grade while student teaching for ten weeks her senior year, and spent five weeks teaching kindergarten children at a public school to complete her student teaching experience. "It gave me confidence that come Call Day, I could teach in any grade," she says.

And while it can be difficult to explain Call Day to her friends back home, Martin says it's reassuring to know that a process like this is in place and that God is leading it. "It's part of what makes MLC so special and why we want to be there," she says. "It's in God's hands, and that's more comforting than anything in this world."

Watch the August WELS Connection to learn more about how MLC prepares students for ministry.