Hi there!!! My name is Mackenzie Dunbar, and I am 21 years old. I currently attend Western Illinois University, QC where I am persuing a degree in Elementary Education. I am also a preschool teacher at my local YMCA. I live in Moline, Illinois with my younger brother Kristopher and my parents, Mike & Dawn.
I was raised in a Catholic home, but we never really practiced the faith. I also attended a Catholic school starting in preschool all the way until I graduated. I never really appreciated the idea of attending a Catholic school until my sophomore year when I attended a TEC retreat. TEC stands for Teens Encounter Christ. This weekend was a game changer for me, and my heart was on fire for the Lord. After this retreat, I took my faith into my own hands. I was participating more in campus ministry at my school, I got extremely involved in TEC, and I was participating in other retreats. I also got involved with Evangeletes which has allowed me to spend a week every summer for the last 4 years, on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in South Dakota for mission trips. This year I was blessed to spend 2 weeks on mission with them!!! TEC and Evangeletes has allowed me to recognize my passion to serve others.
If you would have told me a year ago that I would spend 3 months on mission with people I have never met in countries I have never been to, I would have told you that you were crazy… but here I am, and I couldn’t be more excited!!! I feel in my heart that the Lord is calling me to mission work, and I cannot wait to follow His calling. I am following the peace with this decision, and I know that the Lord is going to do beautiful things.
As I prepare to embark on this journey, I ask that you pray for safety, direction, and peace.
