Since the tenth grade I had dreamed of doing some sort of mission work the summer before I began college, but I didn’t know what. I didn’t want to be gone an entire summer since I’d be going to Liberty in the fall, and I had to get a job to raise money for college.

Then Betty Hertzler called and asked if I’d be interested in joining a team that would be teaching Bible School in Jamaica for two weeks. She gave me a week to decide if I could go, and everything seemed to fall into place. Dad and Mom were as excited about the prospect of my going as I was. The week before, my Uncle Carl had offered me a job working for him that would allow me to leave for those two weeks, July 12-27. I took these as signs from the Lord that I should go.

I’m thrilled that God has opened this opportunity to me, and I am very excited about what He is going to do.

We have seen God's hand leading us individually and jointly to this place of a missions assignment. We have both had short term missions experiences that opened our eyes to God's work in other places. God has continued to put a restlessness in our spirits that has made us hunger for Him and makes us ask where He wants to use us.

We have so enjoyed working with the youth group and being involved in worship. Both have stretched us and caused us to rely on God. Last fall when Dan and Melike Smeenge were at church, we both felt the nudge that God was calling us to pursue missions. Our move to VA almost four years ago was a step of faith. As we were seeking God then concerning where He would have us go, we felt that we were to go to Powhatan but that it was for a season. We see how God has worked in our lives here, how we have been able to build new friendships and reestablish old ones and how God has brought growth in our lives.

We are excited about the doors God is opening for us to serve and be His witnesses in another part of the world. Acts 1:8 says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth." Our desire is to be arms that help to spread the love of Christ to the ends of the earth and to build unity in the body of Christ. We want to see His kingdom advanced that the world may know!