//Timeline Testimony//
4yrs old – 5th grade.
You know those moments in your life where the memory is just as vivid as the moment passing in real time?
When I was four years old on my way home from church I accepted Jesus into my heart. This is one of those moments.
My parents love Jesus, love each other and love their family. Because of my parents’ deep love for their family I and my two younger brothers (Jayson-19 yrs. and Malachi-17 yrs.)were named after parents or grandparents. I was named after my Great-Grandmother Wanzie who was part Cherokee Indian. Our name means kindred waters. As I grew my parents pressed us to live up to the meaning of our names and make Jesus smile.
A big part of making Jesus smile in my life looked like being friendly and helping others. In the mornings before school my mom would read to us about missionaries or saints that had gone before us. My heroes were Amy Carmichael, Jim Elliot and Corrie Ten Boom. These stories grew my child like faith by making healing, prayer, miracles and the power of the gospel incredibly real. Because of this I began to pray and hear God’s voice. I remember being pulled out of Sunday school to hear missionaries talk in “Big Church.” And marveling at the lives they lived; knowing that is the life God had for me too. When I was eight years old I went through the baptism class at my church testifying to the presence and power of Jesus in my life.
Middle & High School.
As I got older I grew in relationship with Jesus. I loved (still love) studying the Bible for spiritual growth but also academically. Some of my interests/hobbies include learning about religions, philosophy, cultures, languages and social justice. Joshua Harris comments on academic learning versus living life in this way, “God’s road map for life stays on the high ground between the two extremes – lawlessness and legalism – it does not abandon the Bible’s principles and commands but neither does it resort to formulas.” This balancing act is something I continuously am processing and thinking about. How to live life for Christ in EVERYTHING and be a “good witness” for the kingdom; we bare Christ’s image and that has immense weight.
My interest reflect my life’s experiences. And this is not by coincidence but because of the Lord’s power, presence and provision in my life. I volunteered a lot throughout middle/high school at a women/children’s homeless shelter, men’s homeless shelter, a food bank, refugee resettlement and various ministries. Not only did these experiences teach me a lot about social services and marginalized people groups but also what the church is and what God is redeeming the church to be. The protagonist in The Reluctant Prophet testifies during a church service by saying, “We are in here worshiping a Jesus we have made up, while most of the souls out there, right out there, are crying out for the Jesus who really exists.” I want to know Jesus and share this with others; in and out of the church.
Colossians 4:2-6
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
College – present.
As a college freshman I got involved in many ministries in partnership with Olivet Nazarene University and the community. I volunteered at a homeless shelter, a prison, a middle grade school and with Compassionate Ministries working in a nearby community development program. In reflection of these experiences this quote by Augustine comes to mind, “We stand in the awe of the ocean, the thunderstorm, the sun set, the mountains; but we pass by a human being without notice even though the person is God’s magnificent creation.” God was/is teaching me about a life style of service and commitment to living the gospel.
During my sophomore year of college I studied abroad in India. Through my classes, internships, ministry opportunities and living everyday life in India the Lord continued to foster growth and prepare my heart to live deeper in His will. My dear friend Katharyn sent me this thought the other day, “If you are setting your heart on what He (God) wants, you will be called unpractical and dreamy; but when He appears in the burden, you will be the only one who is ready (Oswald Chambers.)” My whole life I have been the dreamer, the one who prays for the unthinkable, carries burdens for those she does not know, hurts for those after glancing into their eyes and hopes to see God restore it all. Will you dare to dream with me about the power of God in us as His children? Acting in knowledge and truth. Partnering with me to take the gospel to eleven countries throughout the year of 2017.
I am in my final semester at Olivet Nazarene University going to complete my social work internship at Caribbean Mountain Academy in the Dominican Republic this fall. This summer I will be available and would love the opportunity to testify to the Lord’s work in my life. To not only share more of my story but celebrate what God is doing in your life as well. There is no way that I can go without you. I need financial support. I need people to commit to pray. We need to walk in obedient faith claiming the Lord’s promises. As my friend Megan said yesterday, “God’s promises are forever. He is forever.”
//References//
Joshua Harris
The Reluctant Prophet: Nancy Rue
Augustine
Katharyn Schrader Oswald Chambers
Colossians 4:2-6
Megan French
