A little girl sat in the car with her mother and brother. Her brother was only a few years older, but he and their mother were talking about becoming a Christian. He asked his mom, “Has my sister accepted Jesus yet?” Their mother replied, “No, but she can if she would like to.” Turning to the girl, she asked, “Would you like to do that?” The little girl said yes, and so it began.

That is my faith story, and though it is far from a dramatic conversion, it has set my life on a distinct path. That path led me to other faith stories which touched my heart. The drama of God’s power revealed across the world attracted and intrigued me. I heard stories like “Overnight Mountain” by Joyce K. Ellis, where a missionary family prayed for God’s protection, and woke up to a mountain of snow covering their home. I read stories about the great missionaries like Gladys Aylward and Amy Carmichael. Gladys Aylward was sent to calm a prison riot because the officials were at a loss of what to do, and through God’s power she was able to quell the rioting men. Amy Carmichael prayed as a child for blue eyes to replace her brown ones. God didn’t answer her, but later in her life she was able to dress as an Indian woman and rescue girls from temple prostitution without her eye color giving away her true identity.

It was these stories, and many more, that gave me the desire to become a missionary myself. The theme through all of the stories was God’s plan and God’s power. I knew from reading these stories that I wanted to be a part of God’s working in the world. I wanted to follow His plan and be an instrument to display His glory and power.

Now I have another new beginning, since I am finally to the stage where I can move toward working full time with Pioneer Bible Translators. And though in my life so far I haven’t had a need for God to move a mountain of snow over my house, or for His power to stop a prison riot, or for His blessing as I rescue girls from temple prostitution, I have already been guided by His plan and seen His power in my own life. I can only imagine where this new beginning will lead.