It all started with a quick decision to join a YWAM (Youth With a Mission) school I was barely ready for, far from you and everyone I knew. In just three months, I raised all the money needed for the six-month school, and for the first time I truly watched God provide. It came in unexpected ways, including a letter left on my porch that simply said, “God WILL provide.” And He did.

When I told you, you became my first supporter. You said, “I wish it was more, but this is all I have,” and gave the first $40 that became monthly, still one of the most meaningful gifts I’ve ever received. Between God, you, Grandma Mary, and my parents, I had all the confirmation I needed. As a six-month-old Christian, it was still a huge step, and at that point only you knew how new I was to faith. I knew saying yes meant giving up my career in hospitality and exchanging my desire to travel for myself with a call to travel for God, without a plan B. Even then, I sensed this wasn’t temporary. Somehow, I think you knew that too. You told me, “I’m so proud of you. Have fun, work hard, and know God is worth it all.”

The adventure began in September with quarantine. That plane ride was full of fear. I missed everyone I had just left, and within hours I realized how much of an adjustment lay ahead: fourteen days in a room with women I didn’t know, on an island I’d never been to, as a brand new believer. Those first weeks were hard. I had to learn how to live out what I’d been taught and what I’d watched modeled by you and Grandma Mary my whole life: faith shown through consistent loving action.

I didn’t do that perfectly. I made mistakes, especially with my roommates. But God used that season to form meaningful friendships, including one with a woman I met, Noelle; she was kind, funny, rebellious, and not yet a Christian. I had the privilege of seeing her give her life to Jesus before a motorcycle accident later took her life. Looking back, I see how the simple love you modeled shaped that friendship and the beginning of my missions journey.

During the lecture phase, which was the first 3 months, God became deeply real to me. I saw Him in daily details and in one moment that changed everything. After silently living with Crohn’s disease for fourteen years, I finally allowed people to pray for me. I’d never believed healing was possible. That night, as hands were laid on me, the pain went from an eight to zero in an instant. I walked in believing miracles weren’t real and walked out healed. It changed how I stepped into outreach.

Outreach looked different because of COVID. We started in Colorado, serving food ministries and preparing Christmas gifts, then quarantined again, this time with teammates who became friends. Spending Christmas and New Year’s away from home was the first time missions truly cost me. That cost deepened when I wasn’t able to be there for Grandma Louise’s final moments that came at the end of outreach. It was painful, but it clarified the weight and worth of the call.

We traveled through Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, sharing the gospel wherever we could; churches, thrift stores, door to door, even a skate park where I shared the gospel for the first time with a stranger who chose to follow Jesus. As outreach ended, we returned to Colorado to debrief, just as I was heading home for Grandma Louise’s funeral. It was only the beginning of many things I would give up, but it taught me something important.

You taught me that too, by choosing hard work, service, and faithfulness over comfort. You showed me that work done for God is always worth it, no matter the title or pay. Missions isn’t just adventure; it’s costly, faithful labor. I’m grateful I learned that from you and Dad long before I ever stepped onto a mission field.

I hope this helps you understand how my journey began. I’m excited to keep sharing what God continues to do. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this, Papa. I love you.

'And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” '

Isaiah 6:8