I am not a blogger so all of this sharing information, feelings and experiences publically is different for me. So please bear with me as I am getting started. So the “About Me” blog were essentially the facts about my life far. I left out all the good stuff. Basically, I feel that God has been calling me to the mission field ever since I was young, I just decided to ignore him and do what I wanted to do for a while. I remember when I was young listening to Bob and Grecthen DeVoe talking to our church about Lifeline Christian Mission and their mission work in Haiti. I finally just asked my mom if I could go. We talked about it and my mom, grandpa, aunt and I ALL ended up going! I was fourteen when I went on my first mission trip to Haiti and it changed my life!
It was one thing to experience another culture at such a young age, especially one so different from ours. My perspective on life was changed and challenged from then on out. Since then I have been on 4 more mission trips to Haiti and 1 to Honduras. Growing up I felt I had a sturdy relationship with God. I went to church at least 3 times a week and would go to summer church camps and conferences. But I was really close to God. I leaned on Him in my times of struggle and strain. I read my Bible and prayed daily. But that wasn’t enough.
Once I went to college I left God and all His rules and guidelines that I didn’t feel like living by anymore. I wanted to really experience life and all it had to offer. I was able to travel the world; Japan, Italy and Nicaragua. But my purpose wasn’t to share His love with anyone. By the time I was finishing up my senior year at Bowling Green I felt like I didn’t even know how to pray anymore. I didn’t know how to talk to God and he seemed like a far off stranger to me. But deep in my heart I knew it wasn’t Him. It was me. I was the stranger. And what I found in “really experiencing life” was that without God it had nothing to offer. I had never felt so lost and empty in my life. But I didn’t know how to move forward. I had no idea how to start all over.
I would go to church with my mom sometimes and try to pray but it didn’t seem real. But what I found is that the more and more I tried, and even though it took years of horrible ups and downs and trying over and over again. I finally got beyond where my relationship was with God before. I have found redemption. I no longer see rules and parameters, but I have experienced forgiveness. And it has changed my life.
I went to Haiti this past March. It was my first time there in ten years! That makes me feel so old. But God showed me his love through a little girl by the name of Gariana. Gariana is 10 and lives in the Lifeline Children’s Home in Port-a-Prince, Haiti. I was friends with her mother, Adeline. We would play together and I would see Adeline every time I went to Haiti. The last trip I saw Adeline on I met her daughter, Gariana, who was 9 months old at the time.
This past trip I wasn’t able to see Adeline because she passed away. But I was able to see Gariana and tell her what a beautiful person her mother was and how we used to play together when we were little. She is beautiful just like her mother. I was able to sponsor Gariana through Lifeline’s sponsorship program. I didn’t know how I was going to pay for her but when I got home God provided the funds to me and I am able to support her while she is in the children’s home. This is an example of the relationships God can create across thousands of miles and how we can touch others’ lives. I have also felt that we have plenty of work to do here in our own country but God calls us where he knows we will be of best service. I don’t know if God has called me to missions for the rest of my life. But I know that he is calling me now and I am excited to see what he has in store for me.
