Let me begin by giving you some background information to give you a better understanding of where I’m coming from and where I’m going. I was born and raised in a Christian home. I gave my life to the Lord around the age of six. My family was always very active in the church and were there every time the doors were opened. All throughout my childhood and teenage years, I remember participating in discipleship training such as “Mission Friends,” (an in house study of foreign missionaries) and “GAs and Acteens” (as part of the WMU, Women’s Missionary Union, a division of the Southern Baptist Association.) It was actually at Worldsong Camp, a GA and Acteens mission orientated, summer camp in Cook Springs, Alabama, is where I rededicated my life to the Lord when I was thirteen. Through constant exposure to various missionaries and mission groups, I developed a heart of compassion for missions and for the nations. My youth group was proactive in being disciple-makers following 1 Timothy 4:12 and Matthew 28:19 as foundation for out reached. “Pathfinders” a door-to-door community outreach we participated in annually.
A few years later, my youth director, Ben, was commissioned as a Journeyman for China for two years. I was able to read his letters and hear of his experiences. This opened up an entire new, tangible venue and passion for me. I was nearing the end of my high school career and I knew the Lord had something greater for me. I began looking into foreign mission trips. I came across a company called Praying Pelican Missions and in July, 2007, I took my first international mission trip to Belize, Central America. I can not even begin to put into words how God radically changed everything about me while there. In Psalm 34:8 it says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good” and I can honesty say that I have seen the face of God while I was serving in Belize and I will never be the same. My life was no longer a game or masquerade. Church was not about strict rules or about denominations. It was about being real and being the hands and feet of Jesus. This Christian life is about connecting to others and living the love of Christ out loud. From that experience, I knew without doubt that missions is what God had been preparing for me along and that missions was not only a calling for my life, but a command to be followed.
I was invited back to serve as staff for Praying Pelican Missions (PPM) in Belize for the summer of 2008, 2009, and in Jamaica in 2010. I have traveled all over these countries forming partnerships with local churches and pastors. I have cared for orphans, ministered with widows, prayed for the lost and witnessed men and women rise up to bear the Cross daily. God has done miracles and completely changed lives. I fully believe and trust in Habakkuk 3:2 that says, Lord, I have heard of your great acts. I have read of your miracles and of your fame. Lord, what you have done in your day, in your time, in the stories written in scripture… Lord, do those things again in my time. Repeat your wondrous works for me now. Make known your deeds again in my time, in today, in 2011. God is the same God yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is not out reach or incapable of healing the sick or opening the blind eyes. I am forever grateful that the Lord continues to harness His power for me in the 21st century. He is not done performing miracles and certainly not done expanding His kingdom.
This is why I write to you. I just want to pour out my heart’s desire to you and explain how God plans on using me and you to further His kingdom on an extraordinary journey called the Worldrace.
