Hey there! My name is Makayla Phillips and the Lord has had a different calling in my life than following the American Dream after high school. I live near Atlanta, Georgia but am originally from Michigan. I am currently 17 years old and a senior at Northgate High School. This past year I started to plan my future and without hesitation I knew what I had to do was follow my passion and love for Christ.
A few words about me are I spend a lot of time working at a family business, finishing high school, and building my relationships with friends, family, and God. I am volunteering my first year on the teen board for a community welcome house. So far I am loving my involvement with the teen board and the work for woman in trouble that we do. Another hobby I love is art. I have taken so many classes my high school career I couldn’t count! My friends and family have described me as dependable, determined, creative, a little shy (whoops!), funny, and compassionate.
I come from a family of six with a large age gap. I have a 7 year old brother, 11 year old sister, me (17), and a 21 year old sister! Things at the Phillips house can get pretty chaotic but I would not ask for a different family to help share my journey with! God has blessed with two inspirational and spiritual leaders as my parents. Their love for me and my siblings has always been unconditional and never ending. Within the past years we have faced challenges and hardships just like any family. Some may even say we are one dysfunctional group ha! But I love them and all the imperfections to death!
Throughout my whole life I have been raised in a Christian home with morals and values that have been expected of me. For awhile in my high school career I lost trust with God and myself. I got caught up in lying, boyfriends, and broken values. I was ashamed of the one who saved my soul and hid what little faith I had left to my friends and family. I just kept waiting and waiting for God to show up and take all my pain away but the devil kept creeping more into my life. I realized I have to start making the effort in my life to become the woman I want to be. Whether I was able to trust others I needed to trust God the most. I always remind myself that it is okay that I went through those troubled years because without the experience, I would not be as strong in faith as I am today. I am nothing close to perfect and I have a long way to go with my relationship with God but his love empowers me and will forever run through my veins.
“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” -Matthew 10:32-3
I have a passion for adventure and helping others. It has become a part of me these last few years. God has blessed me with the chance to go to Macon Georgia for the past four years working on peoples broken and destroyed homes while also showing the light and love of Christ to each family. Another mission that has impacted me to go on the World Race is this past summer to Tecate, Mexico with FCA. I met incredible people and shared bonds with children in need. I felt so close to God that week and put my trust in him for my well-being and ability to share the gospel. I knew when I returned from Mexico that mission work was a path I wanted to walk. I pray my dream to experience different cultures, learn peoples stories and hardships, and share God’s light can become a reality in September!
My decision to take this life-changing journey around God’s beautiful creation is one that I do not second guess. I feel in my heart that this is the opportunity God has handed to me to share the hopeful gospel to those who might be in the place I was a year ago.
I want to be part of making a difference within the world as the Lord calls us to do
Jesus says to us, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” Matthew 10:8. I am trusting our Father to lead me into the Kingdom and give me the ability to speak of his unconditional love and the good word to all the people.
