I am a student at Chandler Gilbert Community College. I am currently studying early childhood education looking to be a first grade teacher. When I was younger, I was close to this woman who was in her 20’s from my church, and happen to be from Africa. She was one of the people I always looked up to. I saw her be joyful at times where it was hard. I saw her love people who did not deserve to be loved. I saw her care about people deeply with nothing in return. She was a person I saw dedicate her life to live a life like Jesus. I didn’t fully understand as young girl how Jesus sparked this passion in her. But I saw her heart like no one else’s. She told me she prayed for me all the time to find God. She prayed that I would be an amazing woman of God. Me being just eight years old, did not fully process how much love she had for me from doing that.
I saw her love for people, but more a love for God. I saw her willingness to always search for ways to grow her faith in Jesus. I developed a relationship with her and trust for her was easy. I looked up to her as an older sister. A few years later, she sat me down and told me her visa was expired and she had to go back to her country. I was heartbroken. I knew I’d never see her and wondered why this happen to her? The one thing I’ll never forget is her sadness for leaving, but also her trust in God. She started thinking about the situation as a way to advance the kingdom. She started sharing how she could share the good news to people in her country to help people. She shared stories about her home, family, and friends. It is clear to me now that there was a lot of broken people who needed Hope. From that day though I was sad, I knew she was going back for a reason. I felt from that day so impacted by the stories and from her heart, that I knew one day I would go to Africa. I knew that the people in Africa needed to feel love. After 10 years here I am. I was baptized just last year and striving to glorify God in my journey of life. I am so grateful to God that with prayer and hope I was accepted to go on this mission. My hope from this is to show people love, not any love, but Jesus’ love. I want to serve them, wear their clothes, eat their food, and experience their culture. I want to reach the people who feel like there is no hope. I want to share my stories and show them they can trust me. Ultimately, I want to truly serve the amazing people in this country.
