Living out our faith by serving
Mission trips
What is a mission trip? Mission trips are short-term or long-term trips to international/ foreign countries where given an opportunity to serve, collaborate with local communities to provide support where it is needed most, and share the Gospel; it’s life-changing. It’s an opportunity to be selfless, give your time and energy, and serve and help where needed. It’s answering a call and saying yes to God because I trust You. It starts with a conviction, a burden where you know God is calling you; there is this compassion, this deep desire, this deep compelling where you want to share the love of Christ because God’s love is sacrificial and self-giving, His love is transforming— those who experience the love of God want to give love to others, the scriptures come alive in your heart—commissioned to preach the Gospel and co-labor with Christ to love, serve, and heal the broken, hurting, and hopeless of this world by partnering with God through the power of the Holy Spirit. We do this in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
(Psalm 34:17-20, Jeremiah 29:11, Philippians 4:6-7, Matthew 11:28-30, Isaiah 40:31, Luke 1:37, Romans 15:13)
Studying the Epistles, the written letters— in the Book of Acts, I love what Peter has to say in Acts 3:6, But Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”
What we can give is our time, our hearts filled with the love of Christ. We want to help, make a difference, feed those who are hungry, and give a drink to those who are thirsty, comfort the lonely because we, too, have been comforted by God.
For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me’ (Matthew 25:35-40).
He comforts us whenever we suffer. That is why whenever other people suffer, we are able to comfort them by using the same comfort we have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:4, GW).
In the Gospel of Matthew, we can look at the life and ministry of Jesus through His eyes; we are given the great commission:” Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20, NLT).
A look into their hearts
I would love to share my children’s hearts with you so that you may understand a little bit about their backgrounds; their lives were impacted by the LORD early in their age; truly, the scriptures have come alive to me, and I have found that the Word of God is true, pure, it stands the test of time. The scriptures declare, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger” (Psalm 8:2).
Matthew 11:25 says, At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
Matthew 21:16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked. “Yes,” Jesus answered. “Have you never read: ‘From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise’?”
I can share countless testimonies with you about God’s grace, His mercy, His transforming power, and His steadfast love; they are such sweet precious memories that I will treasure forever. When Jayda was five years old, she was in kindergarten; I’d ask her how her day was at school, one-day Jayda replied, “I was walking with God around the playground talking to God in my heart; I walked and talked to God.”
Cashius had such a tender, sweet heart for the Lord. When he was a baby, an infant, I had a CD with scriptures, and I would play the scriptures at night when he was sleeping. When he was five years old, he had a passion for learning; he started reading early and was an avid reader, his prayers would draw me to tears, and I would be on my knees because I had come to know and understand the love of God in all my failures and wretchedness. Cashius was always eager to explain the scriptures to me and others. Cashius would say; he wanted to be on God’s rescue squad; he told me he wanted to become a missionary pilot. I used to call him Pastor Cashius because he was always preaching, singing, and sharing God’s love everywhere he went. At such a young age, he has faced such harshness and many trials; he knows what it’s like to be made fun of, excluded, ignored, mocked, and belittled because of his faith. Oh, the enemy has tried to destroy his faith over and over again. But the sacred scriptures tell us in 1 John 4:4, You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because the One in you is greater than the one in the world.
Makayla learned to talk at an early age; she was a great communicator when she was young. I used to play this faith-based program called Smile of a Child; it had such rich, wholesome faith-based content back then. When she was three years old, I’m sure she was close to turning four; Makayla told me she wanted to be a Missionary in Africa. The first book she learned to read was a children’s bible; she would do copy work and then draw pictures of what she was learning in the bible.
A little about us, but it’s all about God
My dear husband is very special to me; he served in the military for 30 years; we traveled the world with our small children, stationed overseas with our children. I learned to look at Military life as an opportunity of a lifetime. As a young mom back then, I knew I desperately needed the Lord and His grace and the Gospel every day; compelled to share the Gospel and His love with others, I looked at military life as being a missionary for the glory of God, while I was with no organization, I said yes to His call, and Yes, Lord send me, and He did, with my children in the stroller and then as they walked and got older we would say yes and go! Pass out gospel tracks, letters, and supplies that people needed, give hugs and blow kisses; if we saw a lady carrying bags or groceries, we would offer her a ride and take her home, and we sincerely did this with the Love of Jesus and in Jesus’ Holy Mighty Name.
I’m just a nobody, a sinner in need of God’s grace and His love and tender mercy.
If you would like to get a glimpse of my testimony, you can read it here: My Testimony. I’d love to share The Gospel with you. Also, I love Bible Prophecy!
Teenage years and the Church
My children are now teenagers, and I am so grateful for the LORD, for the church and pastors who preach the Word of God boldly, line by line, verse by verse, and doctrinally sound. Bold and brave men of God, filled with the holy spirit, joyful hearts, and love for their wives and family, their marriages display the Gospel and grace. I love their heart’s for the youth.
The Mission
The teenagers from our church have been given the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua on a short-term mission trip with their youth group. They will partner with Calvary Chapel in Managua, to help with childcare during church services, construction projects, spending time with children at a school, a game night for teens, and a day camp for children.
