Hello all!! I’m Celeste!
I live in Tifton, Ga. It’s a tiny town, but we do have a Starbucks!J I’m currently a Barista at Starbucks! I live on a farm that has been owned by my family for many generations. I have lived in many different cities and overseas, but I will always call this place my home. We call it, “The Country Retreat”! I’ve been in Tifton now for a year, after living in Vietnam as a missionary.
Vietnam is a book in itself!!
I lost so much of myself, but I found something far greater…the Love of my life! And in finding Him, I found Life. Vietnam was the greatest adventure. I worked for a non-profit coffee shop. We helped the Vietnamese get off the streets. We taught them many practical skills, such as baking, restaurant service and accounting. We also taught them about the Love of God!!
During my year there, we launched a student ministry with outreach to the local university students. We began teaching them English in small groups and they began to ask questions about why we were there helping the Vietnamese. So, in response to their curiosity, we began to teach them how to help their own people. Evangelism is illegal in Vietnam, so we had to be very creative!! We started a volunteer program taking them to places they had never seen or cared to see! Leper colonies, AIDS hospices, deaf, mute and handicap orphanages, shelters for sexually abused girls and elderly homes. They would ask us why we wanted to help these people. We would respond with the Gospel!
It was a long journey, but the fruit is SOOOO beautiful!
Students began to get saved on these trips! Patients in the AIDS hospices and leper colonies began to get saved. It was incredible! One of the most rewarding moments in my life was when I handed over the reigns of my favorite project, the HIV orphanage, to a girl that got saved on one of the trips. It was divine!
It was in Vietnam that God revealed His heart for the “least of these”. My passion in life is ministering to those living with AIDS and HIV, especially the kids! I was blessed to visit an AIDS hospital regularly while in Vietnam. It was very dangerous because we were openly evangelizing with literature!! But we saw many patients and their family members come to Christ! God has challenged me further to believe in the miraculous healing of those afflicted with AIDS/HIV. Just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t real!J I know God’s heart is to see them healed and for them to fulfill their destinies! I pray God will use me to make that possible.
I am very excited to see what God has planned for our team during our 11 months around the world. If we allow ourselves to dream God-size dreams, imagine the possibilities!
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Just a few other random things about Celestial!!
I love life.
I love people.
I especially love kids.
My dream is to play and dance and sing and do art with kids every day!!
I love doing artsy things,
yet life seems to get in the way most of the time making it hard to create those masterpieces I see in my mind.
I love to discover.
i laugh ALOT.
i love love letters.
I love to discover God’s Incredible Beauty in nature. i looooove coffee!
i believe the gifts of the Spirit are for NOW!
I love to read!
i’m a little shy at first.
I’m not sure what I would do without music.
I love to travel and experiencing new cultures–especially the food!
i love flip flops—yes, I wear them in winter!
I love photography, especially black and white.
My toenails are ALWAYS painted.
I call everything little–little man, little policeman, little car…
i make up nicknames for everyone–get ready!:)
i love skirts.
I loooooooove to soak in the Presense of God!
I’m an encourager.
I believe that God’s ways are higher than man’s.
