Brief, yet fun… brief yet fun… OK, well, my older brother’s name is Jesse, my little brother’s name is Tony, and my little sister’s name is Milissa… but for some odd reason my parents decided to name me, a Caucasian/Mexican American from Wyoming, TAMICA (with a “C” not a “K” because my mom didn’t like the way she wrote her k‘s). At an early age I formed an aversion to my name because all my teachers would initially pronounce it exactly as it looks rather than what my parents intended (phonetically pronounced “tah-MEE-kuh”); and because kids would make up their own version of my name – Tapioca, Tampika, Shamikwa, Tatonka, etc. However, it wasn’t until I handed my life over to Christ as an adult and began to understand and truly believe that I am fearfully and wonderfully made in God‘s image, that I began to appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of my name… and myself in Christ Jesus. It absolutely astounds me that I am precious in God’s sight, and that I am loved unconditionally, and forgiven daily by the creator of heaven and earth – this girl from a small town in the wild west. It’s mind-blowing, inconceivable, and seems altogether nonsensical, but it’s true nonetheless! Praise God!!!
I grew up with a large, loving, fun, loud, but some what flaky family. Next to Jesus, I was taught that family is all
important. Fun, games, support, and laughter ran high; communication ran low; tempers can run high; apologies ran low; awareness of a Savior in Jesus Christ ran high; faith in action ran low. The inconsistency of what I heard and how we lived seemed so vast that by the time I went off to college to the University of Hawaii, I claimed to be an atheist. However, during these rebellious, self-absorbed years, once I became a Christian I realized that God had never given up on me and had always been faithful even though I was not. Looking back through my journal during my college years, I found that every time I became lonely beyond expression or bogged down by the purpose of life, I always turned to Jesus, not in surrender, but more as a challenge to reveal himself to me. He did three years ago… or more truthfully, I acknowledged the fact that He had been beckoning me to Him all my life and I finally made the decision to turn to Him in surrender and faith. Since then, my life has been one of freedom, joy, adventure, love, service, fellowship, and hope. I am a new creation! Even so, I fail my God daily. We all do. However, “Because of the Lord‘s great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail; they are new every morning; great is His faithfulness!” (Lamentations 3:22-23). I’ve always had a passion for traveling, different cultures, and new experiences. Before becoming a Christian I received a grant to travel from Chile, to Peru, to Easter Island, to Tahiti, and finally to Hawaii doing archaeological field work (I’m an anthropology major). That was it! I had the bug. I new that I would be traveling in some capacity or another throughout my life. However, at the time, never did I imagine it would be through missions. And never did I think that the experience and adventure of it all would become minuscule compared to the will of God, and the hearts, souls and needs of the people living in these countries. What an adventure it is to live for Christ! Since becoming a Christian I’ve gone on several short term missions to Tijuana to build homes, as well as volunteer for Los Angeles’ Union Rescue Mission, a Christian mission serving the souls and needs of downtown skid row.
A little over a year ago I was surfing the web and came upon the World Race. I’ve been praying about it ever since. I believe it is God’s desire to stretch me, grow me, break me, and draw me ever nearer to Jesus. The World Race is the perfect opportunity to know Him more intimately, know myself more intimately, and to do my part in obeying His command of making disciples of all nations. And of course it’s an awesome opportunity to see exotic places, beautiful people, and the world as God see’s it. God’s perfect timing is now and I’m sooooo ready for it!
A Few of My Favorit Things:
- Chocolate
- Kids (especially my nephews) and even teenagers… well, my Young Life teenagers anyways
- Surfing, beach volleyball, running, skydiving, dancing, camping, hiking, fishing, snow boarding, roller coasters… pretty much anything extreme or outdoors
- My little sister is my heart and best friend
- Rocking chairs, long baths with a book, and country music
- My church in Torrance, CA
- The Amazing Race and Survivor
- And of course, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has eternally changed my life!
Well I hope you had fun… even though it isn’t what you would call “brief”.
