My Story

“The will of God is always a bigger thing than we bargain for, but we must believe that whatever it involves, it is good, acceptable and perfect”

-Jim Elliot-

My world has been filled with stories of faithful saints since I was very young. Gladys Aylward was one of my childhood heroes of the faith. I was certain that I wanted to have two hundred children, just like her (I know now that they weren’t all her children.) ;) As a seven-year-old I was determined to teach myself Spanish, translate the Bible into Spanish and move to Mexico to start an orphanage. Thankfully for me the Bible was already translated and my poor Spanish skills would not be a necessary contribution.

As I got older I continued to love languages, children and the Lord. I met someone who spoke Russian and started learning the language. My Russian-speaking friend had two adopted sisters, through their family we met other families who had adopted. Through these friends I was able to go to Ukraine when I was 14. I went a second time after graduating homeschool and spent  my summer teaching evangelistic English. I knew that working with children was my passion, my favorite times were the days that I spent interacting with kids.

Coming back to the States I was offered a position as a part-time nanny, next to being a mother it was a dream job. I took one semester at the local community college and started attending the CRU Bible study, through that ministry combined with the time I had spent in Ukraine I grew in my ability and motivation to share the gospel. Towards the end of the semester my schedule was no longer going to be dictated by classes and deadlines. I started praying again about what God would have me do with my summer, following semester and my life. My community college didn’t offer Russian classes so I knew that I would just keep working on that myself, the only class I knew for sure that I wanted to take was Spanish. I sent a message to Lifesong inquiring about their orphanages in Ukraine. As God would have it, the ministry in Ukraine had no need of a volunteer, however, I was directed to the baby house in Cochabamba, Bolivia. I was overwhelmed when I read the email on my screen. Infants to six year olds? In a Spanish speaking country? Could my dreams as a child really have been given by God to prepare me for such a time as this? My parents and I proceeded to seek the Lord in prayer and fasting and sometimes tearful conversations with one another. My family has always been close and the thought of spending at least a year away from them tore at my heart. However, missing my family was the only constraint I had.

This is where I believe God has called me for the next year in my life. He has equipped me with the love and ability to care for children, and He gave me an answer that I had not been looking for by directing me to Lifesong’s orphanage in Bolivia. God’s heart is for the fatherless, the orphan. (James 1:27) I look forward to serving God and learning more about who He is in the time that I spend in Bolivia.