My Testimony

I grew up in a home of believers who have served the Lord with their whole hearts and got to watch my grandfather, pastor of our church, El Camino, in Miami embody his passion for the Lord and for his people. I was surrounded by people who loved the Lord and watched my parents embody their passion for Him in different ways so I always assumed I was ‘Christian’. What I didn’t understand was that I needed to make that decision for myself. 

When I was 6, God called our family abroad with YWAM. From little, I was able to see God’s mighty hand at work in the most helpless of situations and although I didn’t understand it at the time, that started a love for people of different cultures and situations in my heart. As kids we dont worry about decisions and responsibilities we have when we’re older. When we would see our parents concerned about situations, we didn’t worry because we knew they would figure it out. That’s the faith God asks us to have. The pure, blind trust he needs us to hold onto. I remember this time when we had 0 dollars in our bank account and we needed a place to stay for a week. We were in the middle of nowhere in Costa Rica at a camp with YWAM surrounded by desert and suffocating heat, my mom was pregnant and my brother was still a toddler. Just as we were starting to clear our car of stuff so we could all sleep in it, this woman that we had just met walked up to us and placed 450 dollars in my parents hands. That whole week we had 3 meals a day and beds to sleep in. I remember not being worried at all and thinking “Mama and Papa are here and that’s all that matters.” I was not worried because I knew parents would figure it out just like they always did. When I ask my mom what she was thinking at that moment she says, “God had us.”  And that is just one of the many memories I have of how God provided amidst the scariest of times. My parents didn’t know why God called them abroad to countries we had never been, to serve people we had never met–but they followed. They followed because they knew God was going to provide in whatever season he placed them. This is a huge part of my testimony and why I feel called to missions. 

I was given the opportunity to grow up with an understanding of the world and how there are so many groups of people that need Jesus. I fellowshipped with Maoris who taught us the Haka in the green hills of Matamata, New Zealand; wore traditional handmade skirts like the other girls did in Pongo Village, Vanuatu; and milked goats alongside base volunteers in Heredia, Costa Rica. Despite how colorful and warm these cultures are, I noticed that many were missing the source of all joy–God. So when the Lord moved my family back to the United States to a small town in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, I was shocked to see how few people knew of the need there was for Christ outside the safety of their communities. Little by little though, I became the same and got used to feeling comfortable. I slowly distanced myself from the Lord. 

During this time, I got really lost. I was walking in the world and making decisions that kept pulling me further from him. I was seeking popularity, focused on what I could gain for myself. It wasn’t until I went through a very difficult season of loss and hopelessness that the Lord gently reminded me that I can’t do anything without Him. Little by little he removed people and things from my life that I either relied on or valued more than my relationship with Him. He patiently took my hands, allowing me to experience loneliness–using it so that He could lead me in the direction he wanted for my life. God grabbed hold of me when I was turning a blind eye to how much I needed Him. 

The summer after Junior year, I went on a mission trip with my church to Guatemala. I had gone on missions with my church before, but It wasn’t until I was in Guatemala that it truly hit me. The need for Jesus is still everywhere. I just couldn’t see it before because I was buried in my selfishness. This time I was actually able to see. The Lord burdened me with His heart for people. For the families who live in homes made of cardboard and pieced together tin roofs, fathers who left their wives and kids to find a job in the states and send home money once a month, and older brothers and sisters who never got to go to school because their parents work 12 hour shifts. 

When I got back home from that trip, God continued to work in my heart and He hasn’t stopped since. Even during the times when I start slipping He gently reminds me that I can’t do it alone. He is faithful and He is just and I know He will continue to provide in every season.