At age 9, my mother led me in the sinners prayer, yet we never went to church growing up. At the age of 16, I got connected to a youth group and began going on my own. It wasn’t long before I was called to preach and surrendered to ministry. I struggled with doubt quite a bit because of never growing in my faith from 9-16yrs old. After I came back from my last summer camp, I got assurance of my salvation and was baptized two weeks later.
I went to Heartland Baptist Bible College and graduated from the Master’s program. For the past 15 years, I have served the Lord in whatever way I could- eight of those years I have served as a youth pastor at South Knollwood Baptist Church.
I have always been open to missions, but never felt God leading and directing me that way until this year. In July of 2018, we took a missions trip to Itapua do Oeste, Brazil. It was on a Monday morning when I woke up and, as when I was called to preach, it was clear that I was to be there in Brazil. After three days, I talked with my pastor, and we decided to take a couple of months to pray. During those months, God made it clear to me that missions was still His will. There were providential meetings and conversations, the continued promptings from the Spirit, and the confirmation of my spiritual mentors– especially that of my pastor. It was in fact made so plain to me that, I am without question, convinced I will be sinning if I do not go.
I asked Jesus to save me from my sins at the age of nine at vacation bible school. After that event in my life, I didn’t attend church except for your occasional Christmas or Easter service. The lack of God’s Word in my life was evident in my teen years as I began heading down a scary path of living. By the grace of God, I got back on track and started attending Trinity Baptist in Jacksonville FL. Then two years later, transferred to Heartland Baptist Bible College. It was there that I met my husband and we married soon after graduation.
In July of 2018, our church took its first ever missions trip. One night, my husband told me that he had a burden to come back. I was not excited about this news—it wasn’t America, the driving is crazy, there is no Chick-fil-A, etc. Though at one time I had surrendered to the mission field, having children made the thought of being a missionary very scary. Having enjoyed the everyday comforts of living in America did not help either. He was very understanding of my not being ready and told me we would not go unless I was on board 100%.
As time went on it became more clear that this was something that God was doing in Mike. Everyday I would pray and beg God that if this was real, He would help my heart surrender. As time went on, God did what I asked. I surrendered to God’s will for our family and we then began to set out the plan for our transition.
We are beyond excited about God’s leading in our life right now and can’t wait to see the way He will continue to lead!
I believe that the Holy Bible was written by men supernaturally inspired; that it has truth without any admixture of error for its matter; and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the age, the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man.
1. By “The Holy Bible” I mean that collection of sixty-six books, from Genesis to Revelation, which, as originally written does not only contain and convey the Word of God, but IS the very Word of God.
2. By “inspiration” I mean that the books of the Bible were written by holy men of old, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, in such a definite way that their writings were supernaturally and verbally inspired and free from error, as no other writings have ever been or ever will be inspired.
3. The King James Version of the Bible is the only English translation that will be used.
Psalm 19:7-11; 119:89,105,130,160; Proverbs 30:5-6; Isaiah 8:20; Luke 16:31; 24:25-27,44-45; John 5:39,45-47; 12:48; 17:17; Acts 1:16; 28:25; Romans 3:4; 15:4; Ephesians 6:17; 2Timothy 3:16-17; 1Peter 1:23; 2Peter 1:19-21; Revelation 22:19
I believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, the maker and supreme ruler of heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
Genesis 17:1; Exodus 20:2-3; 15:11; Psalm 83:18; 90:2; 147:5; Jeremiah 10:10; Matthew 28:19; Mark 12:30; John 4:24; 10:30; 15:26; 17:5; Acts 5:3-4; Romans 11:23; 1Corinthians 12:10-11; 8:6; 12:4-6; 2Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 2:18; 4:6; Philippians 2:5-6; 1Timothy 1:17; 1John 5:7; Revelation 4:11
I believe in Jesus Christ, God the Son, pre-existent with the Father; becoming God in human flesh through the virgin birth; sinless in His nature and life. He made atonement for the sins of the world by His substitutionary death on the cross. I believe in His bodily resurrection, His ascension into Heaven, and His perpetual intercession for His people, His coming again. I believe that the promise of His “second coming” includes: first, ” The blessed Hope” of every believer, namely the personal, pre-millennial and pre-tribulation return of our Lord And Saviour, Jesus Christ, to rapture His saints according to I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Secondly, His return with His saints to set up His millennial reign.
John 1:1-14; Isaiah 7:14; Romans 8:3; Acts 1:3,10&11; John 14:1-3
I believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person; equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the evil one until Godʼs purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of judgment and of righteousness; that He bears witness to the Truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the agent in the New Birth; that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer.
Genesis 1:13; Matthew 3:11; 28:19; Mark 1:8; Luke 1:35; 3:16; 24:49; John 1:33; 3:5-6; 14:16-17,26; 15:26-27; 16:8-11,13; Acts 5:30-32; 11:16; Romans 8:14,16,26-27; Ephesians 1:13-14; 2Thessalonians 2:7,13; Hebrews 9:14; 1Peter 1:2
I believe that Satan was once holy and enjoyed heavenly honors; but through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, fell and drew after him one third host of angels; that he is now the malignant prince of the power of the air, and the unholy god of this world. I hold him to be man’s great tempter, the author of all false religions, the chief power back of the present apostasy; the lord of the anti-Christ and the author of all the powers of darkness–destined, however, to final defeat at the hands of God’s own Son, and the judgment of an eternal justice in hell, a place prepared for him and his angels.
Isaiah 14:12; Ezekiel 28:14-17; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 2 Thess. 2:8-11; Rev. 20:1-10
I believe in the Genesis account of creation and that it is to be accepted literally, and not allegorically or figuratively; that man was created in God’s own image and after His own likeness; that man’s creation was not a matter of evolution or evolutionary change of species, or development through interminable periods of time from loIr to higher forms; that all animal and vegetable life was made directly and God’s established law was that they should bring forth only “after their kind”.
Genesis 1:1,24; Genesis 2:21-23; Colossians 1:16-17
I believe that man was created in innocence under the law of His maker, but by voluntary transgression fell from his sinless and happy state, in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not by constraint, but of choice; and therefore under just condemnation without defense or excuse.
Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 5:12; Romans 3:10-19
I believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, who by appointment of the Father freely took upon Him our nature, yet without sin, honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins; that His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was the voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the just dying for the unjust, Christ the Lord, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that, having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in heaven and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection. He is every way qualified to be a suitable, compassionate, and all sufficient Saviour.
Ephesians 2:8; Romans 3:24-25; I Peter 2:24; 1Corinthians 15:20
I believe that the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the Gospel; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept them by a cordial, penitent, and obedient faith; and nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on the earth but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel, which rejection involves him in an aggravated condemnation.
I Thessalonians 1:4; Colossians 3:12; 1 Peter 1:2; Romans 8:29-30; John 3:18,36
I believe that repentance and faith are solemn obligations and inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the quickening spirit of God; thereby, being deeply convicted of our guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, I turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ and openly confessing Him as our only and all sufficient Saviour.
Acts 20:21; Mark 1:15; Luke 18:13; Romans 10:13
I believe in the visible local Church, the Body of Christ, which is a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible confession of faith, and associated for worship, word and fellowship. I believe that to these visible churches was committed for perpetual observance, two ordinances: the Baptism of believers and the Lord’s Supper. I believe that the true mission of the Church is found in the Great Commission. I believe that Jesus established the Church with His disciples.
Acts 2:41-42; 1 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 4:11; Matthew 16:18
I believe that Baptist Baptism is the immersion in water of a believer; in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost with the authority of the local Church to show forth in solemn and beautiful emblem of our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is pre-requisite to the privileges of a Church relation and to the Lord’s Supper. To be scriptural the baptism must: (t) be administered by a Baptist Church that continues to hold to the doctrines once delivered to the saints (Matthew 28:19, 20), (2) must be administered under the authority of a local Baptist Church (Acts 2), (3) mode must be immersion (Romans 6:3-5), (4) candidate must be saved (Acts 2:41). The Lord’s Supper is to the members of a local Church, who by the sacred use of unleavened bread and the unfermented fruit of the vine are to commemorate together the dying love of Christ; preceded always by solemn self-examinations.
Acts 8:36-39; Acts 2:41-42; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28
I believe that every born again believer is saved forever; they are kept by the power of God sealed by the Holy Spirit and hid in Christ. In addition, a saint can never loose his salvation because he did nothing to gain it.
John 8:31-32; Colossians 1:21-23; John 10:28,29; Romans 8:35-39
I believe that Tithing is a command of God established very early in the Old Testament and continued with the establishment of the Church; that the giving of Offerings was also established in the Old Testament and continued with the Church; that the giving of Offerings should be done in love not out of necessity but in joy, otherwise they are given in vain; that it is impossible to “out give” God. Tithes and Offerings should be brought to the House of God upon the “first day of the week”.
Hebrews 7:2-4; Malachi 3:10; Matthew 23:23; Acts 4:34-35; I Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:1-7
Every church has a responsibility to their own city and every other people worldwide. This responsibility includes going, sending, giving, and praying. Scriptural missionaries should be sent out and be under the leadership of local churches only.
Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 10:2; Romans 10:13-15, Acts 13:1-4