The Journey Begins…Abby’s Side

When I started college in 2006, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with my life.  I knew I was getting an Education degree, and I knew I loved kids, but I did not necessarily want to hold myself down to staying in a classroom. 

That is when I met Andrew.  As we started to get to know one another, he decided to let me in on what his life plans were.  He told me that he was going into missions after he graduated, and if I didn’t want to be a part of that, we should not start dating.  Since I had no set plans for my future at this time, I immediately started praying about it.  I had never seriously considered full-time missions, but God began giving me a peace and passion for it as I prayed. 

Through the years of our dating, I wondered many times if I was headed into missions for the right reason.  Andrew was called to Africa when he was in high school, but it did not really cross my mind until I met Andrew.  But I have worked through that and learned that this is all God’s plan for my life.  God did call Andrew to a specific place when he was young, but God called me to Andrew.  And he also gave me a passion for specific areas that I will be able to minister to when we move to Africa. 

I have a complete peace and excitement for giving my life to missions, and I do not doubt that God called me to Africa like he did Andrew.  He just used Andrew to bring me to that understanding.

 I can honestly say now that it is only the peace of God that has gotten me to where I am today. I could not be preparing to move to Kenya at this time if I had not received God’s calling and blessing on my life.

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The Journey Begins

To get this blog started I am going to dig a bit into the past. Abby and I are already on our way to moving to Kenya in December, but to fully appreciate where we are going, it is helpful to know where we came from.

I, Andrew, have known that I wanted to do missions in some capacity since a little before the 8th grade. It was over the summer after 7th grade that I came face to face with God in a realization that as much as it looked like I was seeking him, I was still as selfish and sinful as the day I was born.

 I grew up in a Christian home, had prayed to receive Christ multiple times, and had even been baptized, but I realized that I was still faking a relationship with God. it was time to die to myself and truly follow Him.

Looking back, I have no clue why I thought that Isaiah was a good place to start my renewed Christian journey, but that is where God lead me. When I came across Isaiah 6:8, “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’” I knew this was what my life must look like.

The summer of 2004, in between my sophomore and junior years of High School, I visited Jerry and Sherry Daniels with a group from Grace Fellowship Church. I knew in my heart that this is where God was calling me. I returned in 2007 after my freshman year of college for 7 weeks by myself.

Now, after talking about being a missionary for years, I have graduated college and it is time for the next stage in the journey to begin.