Wow. So much has happened in the last 3 months! But let me first tell you how it all started. Here goes.
My mother was in the Coast Guard so we moved every 4 years. I was born in Cape May New Jersey, but we moved to New York City a couple years later. While in NY my mum divorced my father because he was an alcoholic, druggie, and wife abuser. It was a good life choice for her to do so. Some time later we moved to Cleveland Ohio, close to where my mum grew up in Alliance. She married my fathers boss within the next year. About this time we started attending a Methodist church nearby and we got really involved. I really enjoyed it right away and ‘got it.’
Also around this time, my step-father started to molest me. I was 7 and had no idea what he was doing, I just knew it was ‘our little secret’. As I got older, I came to the realization that it was horribly wrong but I was scared out of my mind and I had no idea how to stop it. I didn’t know if anyone would believe me or hurt my mum more than she already had been in life. My plan was to wait till I was 18 to tell her. God’s plan was different.
In 98′ we moved to Seattle Washington. 7 blocks from our house was Normandy Christian Church, which would soon become my home church. My parents wanted to continue going to church (my step-father was a member) and NCC was the first and only one we visited. The next December I was baptized! I became involved in every ministry they would let me and felt like the church was where I needed to spend much of my time and energy.
During the next few years God was working on my heart, breaking me of my fear of my step-father. A close neighbor (an adult woman) was the first person to notice, or at least say that something was wrong with my step-father. She told me she was there for me when I was ready to tell. As I went through middle school and begun high school I became depressed and anxious about how I was going to get rid of this huge weight on my shoulders. By now my mum had been told through a mutual friend that something was terribly wrong and she would occasionally try to get it out of me. When I was 15, 8 years after it all began, I was finally able to have courage, through Christ’s strength to tell my mum and church family. They all believed me. They all supported me. They all helped me get through the pain. If my mum and NCC didn’t believe me, I honestly believe I wouldn’t be here writing this today.
After almost a year of trials, my step-father was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Between all of that, I had felt God pulling me to go with Amor Ministries to build homes for people in need. In 2003 I left the country for the first time, for just over 1 week. I saw poor. I saw sewage running down streets that babies run through. I saw a need. During that trip, God told me that He wanted me to spend my life in missions. I went to Mexico with Amor 4 more times. While on one of those missions, I got another call, to go to Africa. I didn’t know when or where, but it was clear. In 2008 I left Seattle to attend Boise Bible college to earn a degree in Missions. During my sophomore year, I met an employee of Christian Missionary Fellowship and saw that they were sending interns to Africa. I emailed the go-to gal at CMF to find out more and soon after applied to be a 2010 CMF Intern!
So here I am, June 2010. I am in Nairobi Kenya, East Africa (me, in Africa?!) I am working with incredible people, people born and raised in Kenya with the same beliefs as I. I am blown away by how big Missions of Hope International is (check it out!), how much they do for the community. I didn’t know organizations existed, that did so much. But I know that Kenya isn’t the place for me (to stay long term), so why am I here? First, to meet a girl named Cynthia that I would sponsor. Second, to hear about the World Race. Crazy huh?! My second week in Kenya, I got the call that Ireland would be the next place for me. I was blown away that He wanted me in the place I have wanted to go to my WHOLE life! I learned of WR by one of my fellow interns, friend who was in Nairobi on the WR. It sounded interesting. I decided to look it up. January 10′ (1) was the first race I clicked on, and what country would be on it but Ireland?! I took it as an open door. I applied. I got accepted. And here I am writing my first blog!
There is more to this story, but this is the gist. Ask me if you’d like to know more. I am blown away by God’s plans for me, how big they are. I never would have thought I’d get the chance to backpack around the world…for Christ! Bwana asifiwe!
