It all started on an old, blue church bus. During a summer VBS, we pretended to fly into a jungle area to take to gospel to people who hadn't ever heard about Jesus. I clearly remember that day because it was then that I knew that God's plan was for my life was for me to be a missionary. From that time on, God nurtured that call. My parents often invited visiting church missionaries into our home and I was probably one of the few that enjoyed looking at their slides for hours. I loved to read, and still do, biographies of missionaries like Amy Carmichael, Gladys Aylward, and Helen Roseveare. Paired with my call to be a missionary, was a call to be a nurse. Whenever I thought of being a missionary, it was always paired with nursing.

As a child, I took God's commission for all of us in Matthew 28:19-20 to go and make disciples of all nations very literally and as a command for me to physically go. I continue to base my call on this verse. More specifically, from the perspective of being a nurse and using my gifts as such, studying the life of Jesus and how he served has been inspirational to me. Jesus preached, but he also touched the physical needs of the people around him by healing, providing food and teaching people about their sin and need for repentance and forgiveness. I have come to understand I Corinthians 12:12-30 as further explanation and encouragement of my calling. As the body of Christ, God has given us different roles. This was very important to me as I was sent by my church through a church planting mission as a nurse. God's desire is that none should perish but that all should come into a relationship with him. As a nurse, my specific skill will be used, not just to build up the body of Christ but to fulfill God's commission to the church and his desire to reach all nations through his people.