How I Became a Jesus-Follower

Rejoice always, pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)  More than fifteen years ago, the Lord showed me these verses for the first time. Since then, they have become my life verses. When people live alongside me, I hope that they see a life characterized by praise, prayer and thanksgiving. Of course, I cannot live this kind of life in my own power and strength, but as Christ lives out His life in me, I pray that these verses begin to describe what people see when they look at my life.

                                   My Life Begins Twice                                    
     Initially, I was born and raised in the southwestern suburbs of Chicago . My parents, two younger brothers and most of my extended family still live there. As a child, I grew up in the church and in a private Christian school. My parents prayed with me every night, and I learned hundreds of Bible verses through the AWANA program.

     When I was eight, God opened my eyes, and I was born again as God’s child. I suddenly realized my sinfulness and need for a Savior. During the next few years, nothing overly exciting happened. I enjoyed my childhood, grew in the Lord and developed a passion for copying Scripture verses. I began to delight in God’s Word. However, I did not make a regular practice of reading it.       

                                                                                                                                                                 

                      My First Experiences with Discipleship                    
     The summer before high school brought a bit of anxiety for me because I planned to attend public school for the first time. One Friday night, my youth pastor explained that the only thing that helped him survive high school was reading the Bible every day. I made a mental note to start reading the Bible every day once school began. I thought it sounded like a good idea, and I took him up on it.

     Soon enough, high school began. I thrived on living my life in a non-Christian environment and meeting all kinds of new people. I filled up my spare time with all kinds of school and church activities. The two people who most affected me during high school were my youth pastor, Kevin, and his wife, Cathy. They invested their whole lives into helping the teens in my youth group grow as disciples of Christ.

     Cathy met with me once a week for discipleship and accountability. Every week, she would ask me, “How’re you and God?” Then she listened to my response, encouraged me, challenged me and prayed with me. She shared her life with me and helped me draw close to the Lord. She believed in me, and she saw potential in me. She also taught me how to disciple other girls and helped me begin to do that with younger teens during my last two years of high school.

     Kevin helped me grow and develop as a leader. Again, he recognized potential in me that I never saw on my own. He put me in various leadership positions where I could learn and grow, succeed and fail, but he never left me alone. He always supported me and helped me learn from my experiences. He also introduced me missions as part of a team to Toronto my junior year of high school.

     I am extremely grateful to Kevin and Cathy for the lives they shared with me and the amount that they poured into me. They were the first people I ever met who had a passion for helping young people grow up in the Lord and truly become His disciples.

                                                                                                                                                                 

                                     My College Years                                        
     After high school, I attended Union University and graduated three years later with a B.A. in Biblical Studies-Languages and a minor in Human Studies. During college, God further developed in me a passion for the lost. Though I attended a Christian university with loads of Christian activities, I spent most of my spare time working at a shoe store and building relationships with my unsaved co-workers. I also grew by leaps and bounds in my knowledge of the Word and its relevance to life. As I studied, God faithfully transformed much of that head knowledge into heart knowledge and our relationship became more intimate than ever before.                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                   

                        My Early Experiences with Missions                       
     During the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of college, I went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with AIM as part of the Ambassador Program. On that trip, I met leaders who emphasized discipleship while balancing it with reaching out to the lost. I learned to meet felt needs and spiritual needs while seriously pursuing a deeper relationship of my own with the Lord. I learned more about hearing from the Lord in prayer and walking in the Spirit.

     At the end of my trip to the DR, one of my leaders, Kathryn, approached me and asked if I would be interested in leading a similar trip the next year. Her husband Thomi ran the Ambassador Program and would like to talk to me about the possibility. At first, I couldn’t believe that someone would ask me to be a leader for something like that, but, after some prayer, I jumped on the opportunity.

     The following summer, I led an Ambassador team to Romania . The summer after that, I took another team Ambassador team to Ireland and England . Both trips seriously challenged me and caused me to grow. At the same time, I had the opportunity to pour into young people and pass on what had been poured into me over the years.    

                                                                                                                                                                 

                      My Thoughts Turn Towards England                        
     The first time I served in England , God showed me the need for more workers to reach the lost. I served in Salford , near Manchester , for two weeks, and I saw great potential, especially in the young people. Unfortunately, there are not too many people in the area with the time or resources to reach out to them. Before I left England the first time, I knew I would come back someday, but I had no idea the extent of what the Lord had planned.

     Upon my return home, I shared with AIM the need for year-round missionaries in England . I knew they had a year long program called First Year Missionary (FYM), and I suggested they think about sending a team there. Meanwhile, I had graduated college and gone on staff with Harvest Bible Chapel in New Lenox, IL. Harvest was a new church plant that I attended, and I was delighted at the chance to serve there, splitting my time between administrative tasks and working with 7-12^th grade youth.

     My time at Harvest was both a blessing and a challenge. It blessed me because it is a wonderful church and the Lord is doing awesome things there. It challenged me because God spent a year stripping me of my self, my attitudes, my desires, my way of doing things, et cetera. He brought me to a place of serious brokenness and of deeper dependence on Him. I would not be who I am today if not for the ways God moved while I served at Harvest, and I am forever grateful for that year of my life.

     At the same time, I continued talking to AIM about England . I agreed to lead another Ambassador team to Ireland and England the following year. AIM began to look for people to launch a new base in England so that missionaries could live there all year. Slowly, things began to come together. To my surprise, AIM asked if I would come on staff and help start the England base. Without any hesitation, I knew that was exactly God’s will for my life, and I agreed.  I moved to England in October 2005 and served as the base director their until August 2006.  I then returned to Gainesville.

                                                                                                                                                                 

                                         My Life Now                                             
     Now, I have served with AIM for more than ten years. I have served in the Dominican Republic, Romania, Ireland, England, Mexico, New Orleans, Atlanta, Gainesville GA, India, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Guatemala, Nashville, Oakland, Western PA and El Salvador.  I am also currently working on a Ph.D. in Biblical Counseling by correspondence through Trinity Seminary in Newburg, Indiana.  I believe a license in counseling will be a wonderful key to open the doors that lock closed countries to missionaries should the Lord so lead.  At the very least, this training will increase my ministry skills no matter where I end up in the world!  For now, my focus is facilitating mission teams so that individuals can follow the Lord into the nations and be a part of what He is doing there. 

It is my great joy to be serving the Lord wherever He sends me and waiting to see how He works. I expect great things! With me, nothing is possible, but with the Lord, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. Therefore, I fix my eyes on Him and trust Him to lead me in the very center of His will each new day. Praise be to God! He is good all the time.