My name is Julie, I was born in 2000 in the Moselle area. I knew the Gospel from a very early age through my mother. After spending a few months serving the Lord in Zambia, I am continuing to serve for another few months in Ghana.
Last February, I went to South Africa to follow the REACH training programme, which immerses people for several months as part of a multicultural team in a context very different to their own. The REACH programme varies from one place to another but is always based on fundamental Biblical principles. Its aim is to train people for mission in different parts of the world. The training greatly helped me to grow spiritually and in my relationships with the Lord. Of course, I knew him before then, but I discovered and experienced him in new ways. I grew to love Jesus much more deeply. I learned a lot about myself, about my identity, and about what it means to be a woman. My prayer life also deepened and matured, and I’ve been enjoying spending time alone with God much more. I’ve been aware of him beginning in me a process of healing from wounds from the past that has brought me freedom and renewal. I am definitely not the same person I was before!
Not only has the training programme changed many aspects of my life, but it has above all given me a new vision for mission. I have come to understand how important it is to be committed, whatever that may entail, including going, praying, giving of my time and money, etc…
God showed me during these months that he wants me to be a full-time missionary. Before this, I kept on saying I would never become a missionary! That’s God’s sense of humour for you! But as soon as I accepted his will, he began to do wonderful and amazing things in my life. It’s a beautiful thing to see him at work.
I would encourage every Christian to get involved in mission, whether that means going, giving or praying. It is, after all, Jesus’ commandment and part of what he desires for us on earth.
But more than that, we are all missionaries wherever we find ourselves – in our families, at work, among our friends. That’s why I invite you to answer God’s call. Let him use you for his glory.
Julie S