I grew up in a christian family in a christian camp so I’ve always known God. My dad is also an amazing ventriloquist who uses his skills to share about God with families in many many churches while my mum supports him with her awesomeness. That’s a very small part of what my parents do, but ultimately they are my greatest inspiration I officially made the decision to become a christian at 8 years old. I got baptised 9 years later at 17. I have always loved art and it was my dream to become an animator, so I studied 3D animation for a couple years. I did really well in that, but I didn’t end up getting a job (long story haha). Instead, I spent most of the next years working in the camp kitchen.
I didn’t tell anyone about this — after all, this is crazy right?
Then about halfway through the year of 2015, God’s calling for my life rang loud in my spirit, reminding me of something he spoke to me about years earlier when I was 12. 17 and 24. Those were the numbers that continued to repeat over and over in my head. Finally as I was walking down my high school driveway, I put the numbers together. In the early months of 2017, I would be 24. Sometime during these first months of 2017, I felt like some event was going to happen and I had no idea what that could be. I didn’t tell anyone about this — after all, this is crazy right? Maybe what happened next was a coincidence? Regardless if it really was or not, for me it was such a life changing event that I couldn’t deny that God truly spoke to me. He reminded me of this 13 year promise halfway through 2015 and I knew I had to change my life. I had to know God more and make Him known.
This was my event and more than that, they were my event
Fast forward to 2017, I found myself in Thailand. I had signed up with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) for the DTS (Discipleship Training School [google this if you need to]) with Create Thailand. I used up most of my savings, left the comfort of my country, home and family for something unknown to be with complete strangers for 6 months straight. I guess putting it like that, it seems foolish. Well, it would be more accurate to say I left for God and to spend time with God for 6 months straight. And because all those strangers were there with that same purpose in mind, we quickly became brothers and sisters. We became a strange close knit family of 17 from 10 different nations. I thought perhaps my “17 24 event” would be a single moment that would happen during my time here. No, this was my event and more than that, they were my event. My truly life changing event that gave such an impact I could not anticipate. God truly brought me there. I came open hearted and willing. I laid myself bare before Him and He reached through to my inner core and transformed my life in that moment.
...for the sake of many...
Many things happened during the DTS, but let’s fast forward to today, half way through 2018. It’s almost been a year since the DTS finished and I still dearly miss all my friends. Through this time, God has patiently been working with me. Refining me, overcoming certain struggles and building new bridges and opportunities. This is where it gets exciting with one such opportunity. I feel God is calling me back there, back to work long-term with Create Thailand! There are many known obstacles ahead and I’m sure many more unknown. I don’t have the funds and I certainly could not gain the funds with my own power. My dream is to become a full-time missionary reaching out to the unreached. Ah how exciting these next months will be! I have almost nothing and I feel like a fool chasing after an unreachable dream. And not even the kind of dream that most would have, but a dream likely filled with many trials. I want to chase this because in both the good and bad times, there will always be Love, Joy, Peace, and Patience, because there will always be God. And this not just for my own sake, but for the sake of many others…
“Here am I. Send me!”
Ok, so here it is. I need your help. God has given each of us a role in life. Perhaps you have a full-time job, and/or a family, and a life/ministry at home. Perhaps you yourself can’t commit to such mission work as this, but maybe you have a heart for missions. Perhaps you see what God does through Create International and believe in their ministry of reaching out to the unreached. Of telling the story of Jesus in such a way that such cultures — that have a different worldview from our western culture — may actually understand and relate to. Of telling the life giving story that actually has the opportunity to impact many many lives. This is my heart and my calling and so I say, “Here am I. Send me!” but I cannot do this alone. In fact, I don’t want to do this alone. It would mean everything to have people supporting me through prayer and finance back here at home. Knowing I have people backing me every step of the way will help me push forward under any circumstance. And you won’t just be behind me, but alongside me as in prayer, we work together under the same calling and ministry that God has set before us. Yes, as prayer warriors, we must pray for the sake of those who do not yet know God.
