Testimony

I grew up in the home of a minister, my Dad surrendered to the ministry when I was 6 years old and we moved from London, Kentucky to a little Baptist college named Clear Creek in Pineville, Kentucky. I had always gone to church and my parents taught me the Bible at home, as a matter of fact, I was home schooled so Bible Study became a part of my schoolwork also. When I was 7 years old on October 10, 1999, a few months after moving to Clear Creek, I accepted Christ. There wasn't a great awakening in my mind nor was there some circumstance that drove me to this decision. I had simply known this message all my life and I knew that I needed a relationship with God. A week later I was baptized at Hart Missionary Baptist Church and I became very active in the childrens program, which was very easy for me cause my Dad was the youth and children director at the time. When I was 10 years old, Dad graduated college and we moved to Wake Forest, North Carolina, so Dad could go to Southeastern Seminary. While we were there I got involved in the youth group at Wake Cross Roads Baptist Church, there I learned how important it is to read the Bible and to pray in order to grow in your relationship with God and I really started growing in the Lord. After living there for about a year and a half we moved back to London, KY and we started going a church right down the road from our house, Corinth Baptist Church. I met alot of good friends there and survived being in middle school (which, as everyone should know, is probably more difficult than High School just because life is so awkward then).After living there for about a year Dad was called as youth and education minister at First Baptist Church of Walton, Kentucky. We were there for about three years and I grew in my walk with the Lord tremendously while were there. I met alot of great friends and they were and are still a great blessing in my life.

Since I was about 9 years old I had expressed a desire to become a missionary, so just before we moved to Walton my Mom and Dad suggested that I go on a mission trip with Corinth to Jamaica. I was excited and ready to go, so at 13 years old Mom and I took our first international mission trip. We were able to work with kids at an orphanage and to help improved their building by painting it for them. We also did a Vacation Bible School in one of the school houses were we had people from age 1 to age 30 coming to learn about Christ and His love for us. Mom and I and another mother/daughter team worked in the Kindergarten-down class and the entire week I got the lovely job of holding this little baby who probably wasn't even one year old yet, ordinarily it would have been a great job, except that it was extremely hot and I couldn't put hi down or else he would get mad. But there was a purpose in that, his daddy was in the youth class and he put his faith in the Lord that week. After that trip I knew with out a doubt that I was called to be an international missionary.

After living in Walton, Dad went back to Seminary and while there he was called as Pastor to a small but big-hearted country church in Merry Hill, North Carolina. While we were there I was privileged to go on two more international mission trips and one summer North American mission trip. This church  blessed me and supported my call to missions. I was told that in the hundred years the church has existed they had never had a missionary go out of it, and they jumped whole-heartedly into helping in my overseas ministry. We moved there the end of November just before I went to South Africa and I was $1,400 short in my funding for the trip and two weeks after we arrived they payed the whole thing. The two summers that I served in New Mexico they were consistently sending me supplies and money and anything else I needed and I didn't even have to ask. Then when I went to Southeast Asia Christmas of 2009 they as a whole and as individuals payed more than half the funding. They are so amazing and I thank God for them every day.

I am now pursing an education in order to better prepare me for my life long pursuit of serving Christ by attending the College at Southeastern Seminary and mastering in Christian Studies and Humanities (Philosophy). I have about three more semesters till I complete my Bachelors studies. And afterwards I would like to pursue a Master's Associate in Christian Education and Biblical Counseling.

I have recently married a wonderful man, Jonathan Stout, that I've known since moving to college. He also shares in my desires and pursuits and we plan to join together in order to better serve Christ through our life and through our ministry.