God has been so good to give me the opportunity to serve in Kampala Uganda in the summer of 2016. Now he has given me the opportunity to be his hands and feet this coming May in Diriamba, Nicaragua. I cannot do this alone and I pray that God will put it in your heart to help through any way you feel led in prayer.

After tons of prayer and contacting orphanages, I have felt led to work with an orphanage in Diriamba, Nicaragua, “Youth With A Mission.” YWAM’s mission is to "model missions, multiply biblical principles through our training programs and mobilize youth from Nicaragua and other nations to disciple others and bless the nations by serving others and sharing biblical principles." With being a Special Education major, I have been looking for opportunities to gain experience with children of different needs and backgrounds. After contacting the missionaries through this program, the opportunity arose to work in a program through YWAM called Mi Pequeña Luz or My Little Light. Through this program, I will be working with at-risk children by teaching them the love of our savior and his word. Mi Pequeña Luz provides an education for some of the most underprivileged children in our area. Many of the enrolled children would not attend school in the absence of MPL. Quoting YWAM, “We understand that a basic education is an essential ingredient to escape the cycle of poverty; moreover, the school provides opportunities to minister to the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of the families of the students. We are able to impart Biblical values while providing a full primary education (through sixth grade in Nicaragua) for more than 200 students. At the present, we are unable to provide classes beyond sixth grade, but through the help of generous supporters, we are able to maintain an informal scholarship program to assist poor families in enrolling their children in secondary school.”

My heart has always been in serving The Lord. Just as 1 Peter 4:10-11 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of the Lord: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that God may be glorified. Amen.” In the process of salvation, I found the love I never recognized before, and became a symbol of that love. It was then I knew I found my calling: going into the world, loving on God’s people and serving my Lord and his people. Ultimately this is through teaching the next generation, and as Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way they should go and when he is old, he will never depart from it.” I want to be what I needed at that age, love, attention, help, counsel, and the word of Jesus to those children at the orphanage.

My mother taught me, “Be an example of Jesus to others because you may be the only Jesus people will ever see;” I have learned that I am not defined by my anxieties and fears. I am a leader, and I plan to utilize my past experiences and talents as a springboard to a bright future. Because I am young, it does not mean that I cannot make a difference in this world through hard work, perseverance, and God’s guidance (1 Timothy 4:12). Therefore, I feel my calling in life in vocational missions and this mission trip will introduce me to the mission field.

I would love for you to be a part of my journey and ask that you please help myself in giving and praying towards this trip. I ask that as I go that you pray that God prepares my heart and mind to interact and bring hearts to Christ. My goal is to be an example of Christ to all I come in contact with, and I long to do just that. I ask that you be a part of my journey through partners in prayer. Please know that missions and serving is commissioned by God and for God and I feel led to do so. If you had any questions about my journey of trying to be God's hands and feet and how you can help be a part of it, please feel free to contact me. Please be in prayer for me, as I will be in prayer for you as God uses you for his glory and kingdom.