My motivation to be a missionary is founded upon my childhood experiences.

I grew up in North Lawndale (a poverty-stricken community of Chicago’s Westside) and, even after my family and I moved away, I spent most of my days in the community because I remained in school there (from Pre-k to 12^th grade). Almost every weekend, we’d visit other family members who still resided in the community.

It is through my experiences in the community that I grew a desire to serve the community. The innocence of my youth was interrupted by the exposure to trauma (the loss of family due to preventable deaths) and the early realization that those around me had difficulty coping with these experiences. Their coping mechanisms had a direct impact on their quality of life and their health.

Multiple family members suffered from conditions that were exacerbated by issues related to poverty, mental illness, knowledge deficits, and fear of the healthcare system. Several ultimately lost their battles, and our family mourned their deaths.

It is through these experiences that I felt called to be a trusted and relatable person from the community who serves the community. It has also been my goal to help a community, who has a strong foundation of faith, to discover how their faith intersects with the troubles of this world.

My work is often based on scriptures that command God’s people to care for those in need and also Jesus’ ministry that displayed His advocacy for those who were alienated from, and overlooked by, society. My process has been significantly influenced by my parents, my Pastor, James L. Brooks, my pastor’s wife, Jacqueline Brooks, and innumerable members within my community who played a part in keeping me accountable, developing my faith, and pushing me towards growth.

I plan on continuing the work I do in the North Lawndale and Garfield Park communities.

I will continue to work as a community nurse. This includes managing the clinical needs of the care teams, assessing patients, refilling medications, prioritizing patient needs, educating patients, and delegating tasks appropriately.

My ministry work will be integrated into my patient encounters. I plan to merge the antithetical situations of life like sickness, disease, death, and trauma with theology. I want to help people have the hope that only comes through Christ, even when situations get tough.

I want to build community with my patients because I recognize that healing happens best in community, instead of isolation. I want my patients to trust the staff enough to follow our recommendations. I want to always have a safe space for people who carry burdens that affect their mental, physical, and emotional health.

All of this becomes important in Evangelism because, while people often do a great job with evangelizing to people that they have no relationship with, I find that evangelism also requires follow-up, accountability, and a community to grow with.