"I had a classroom of about 40 Filipino, Tagalog-speaking students, an interpreter, a Bible, and about forty-five minutes to do with as I pleased. I was a nervous wreck. I had NEVER done ANYTHING like that before. But, praise God! He was faithful to give me the perfect words to share.
It was a crazy feeling being able to bring God's word to people clear across the world, especially those of the high-school-age range. They are searching and seeking for their purpose in life, for the next step they are going to take that will impact their futures. What better thing to bring them than Jesus and say, 'Choose Him. He will lead and direct your steps. He will provide all your needs.' "
"So what does a typical day look like in the Philippines?" I ask.
"A typical day on the mission field in the Philippines starts off with roosters and dogs kindly reminding you that, 'It's time to get up now.' After rolling out of bed, having personal time with the Lord, washing up with a blue bucket shower, and getting ready for the day, it's breakfast time. What do you have for breakfast in the Philippines? Pandesal (freshly baked, tiny and hot rolls of bread sold just about everywhere). As we finish up our breakfast, the buzzer goes off, informing us that the remainder of our group is out front and ready to go. At which point we pile in the trucks and vans and head out.
We drive to our destination, which is typically one of the outreaches we have, or the house of a member of the church. During the drive, however, I enjoy entertaining my fellow passengers. So, I have a little tradition of my own. I stick my head out the window and yell absurd things to everyone we pass. Either that, or I just make funny faces and wave, which seems to draw plenty of attention as well. The reactions are priceless. We are sure to have had plenty of laughs along the way. Once we reach our destination, we pile out.
We get a tour of the grounds, meet all the natives present, and possibly go up and introduce ourselves and share a word that the Lord has given us that day for them. Wherever we go, we always bring rice. So we can count on either leaving a big bag for a family, or distributing it to everyone who comes.
The night will end with a large get-together including all the missionary families that live in the Philippines, the mission group that is visiting, as well as all the native friends that accompanied us on our journey that given day. We have dinner and share lots of laughs. It is always something to look forward to."
"So what is your main mission, or the 'field' that you feel God has called you into?"
"My main mission is to lead others to Jesus Christ. I want to be an example of how he can change someone's life for the better, and of His ever-faithfulness. I believe God has called me to work with young women, specifically. Whether it's a girl who has never heard the name of Jesus, or a girl who has grown up going to church, I believe the Lord can and wants to reach them. I want to show them that, with Jesus, we have hope, joy, safety, and purpose, regardless if our current situation is telling us otherwise. There is not one thing in life that will benefit us more than Jesus Christ and a dedicated relationship with Him."
"Goals for the future?"
"I'm not even going to lie, this is such a tough question to answer. I have so many goals in life and all these small, specific subcategories, if you will, that I don't even know where to start. So I'm just going to give you a list of things I hope to accomplish one day. Don't worry, I will try to keep it short: Serve the Lord whole-heartedly, lead someone to Jesus, travel the world, hear God's voice, see an angel, write a book , find the person God created just for me, marry the love of my life, witness miracles, go on crazy adventures, experience true joy, overcome my fears, be fully content in my own skin."
- enjoy each day
- believe with a passion that God does all things well