MY TESTIMONY OF GOD'S GRACE & MERCY​

Little did I know that in 2013, at one of the lowest points of my life, God began stirring a holy discontentment in my heart—a deep desire to find meaning, purpose, and most importantly, to find Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. However, the Lord allowed me to endure painful trials and tribulations to prune the dead areas of my heart that weren’t bearing fruit. He gave me the opportunity to repent of my sins and showed me the necessity of truly dying to self if I was to pick up my cross and follow Him. But was I ready to make Jesus Christ the Lord and Master of my life after spending forty-three years caught in a cycle of sin and disobedience?

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The final event the Lord sovereignly used to awaken me from my lukewarmness was calling my dear mother, Flor de Lisa, to her eternal home on May 27, 2015. I was beyond blessed to have such a mother and to share an extremely close, loving relationship with her. Her passing rocked my world, and I clung to the Lord—heartbroken, devastated, and stricken with a grief I had never known.

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In time, God revealed that the gifts He had given me—my communication skills that fueled my sales career, my inclination to nurture, teach, motivate, and encourage, along with twelve years of remote work that allowed me the blessing to travel the world—were all sovereign prerequisites for what He would later call me to do.

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On July 5, 2017, I was baptized in the Sea of Galilee, and from that moment, the Holy Spirit began to move quickly and powerfully in my heart and mind. For the first time in my life, He had my full attention, and I was determined to understand how I was to serve Him. Two months later, I reached a point where I could no longer bear to live without clarity about the Lord’s calling on my life. Desperate for His guidance, I committed to fasting and praying for a week, earnestly seeking direction and discernment. Praise the Lord, He answered mightily! He not only gave me three vivid and impactful dreams but, more importantly, the wisdom to interpret, discern, and act on them.

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"And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29:13

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A month later, I immersed myself in researching ministry training programs, Bible colleges, missionary internships, and discipleship initiatives—all while fervently praying for direction. I explored programs that combined theology with practical applications. In October 2017, as I sat in my New York apartment, I felt prompted to search for "missionary training schools." Whether it was my thought or the Holy Spirit’s guidance, I typed the phrase into Google. Like many others have shared in their testimonies, the first link that appeared was Global Frontier Missions (GFM) and their five-month intensive cross-cultural missionary training school. As I explored their website and watched their videos, a profound excitement stirred within me!

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The training captivated me because it offered a unique, hands-on approach to learning. I gained a deep understanding of biblical missions by focusing on studying God's Word (head), character development (heart), and practical skills (hands) for cross-cultural ministry. What resonated most was the chance to apply what I learned in Clarkston, an incredibly diverse suburb of Atlanta. Known as "the most diverse square mile in the U.S.," Clarkston is a resettlement hub for refugees and international students, home to people from over 60 countries who speak more than 110 languages. This created a unique and powerful opportunity to share the gospel with those who have never heard the name of Christ.

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In January 2018, I moved to Atlanta to begin my training. That season, filled with growth and transformation, was a monumental time in my faith—a true game-changer. Although I planned to serve in Indonesia after training, life’s twists and turns led me elsewhere. I moved temporarily to Los Angeles, and when COVID hit, I found myself relocating to Mexico for two and a half years. There, I experienced a growing discontentment, feeling that I wasn’t fulfilling my calling to reach Unreached People Groups. I continued praying, asking the Lord to show me what He wanted me to do once again.

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In December 2021, I read a newsletter from GFM announcing their plans to finally open a hub in Bangkok, Thailand, focused on mobilizing, training, and multiplying disciples to reach the least-reached people groups of the world, summarized by the acronym THUMB: Tribals, Hindus, Unreligious (China), Muslims, and Buddhists. The moment I read it, I felt a secret excitement, asking, "Lord, is this what You want me to do?!"

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Through God’s sovereign timing, I embarked on a vision trip in April 2022 to discern whether I was called to serve in Thailand. Though I had visited the country before, this time I saw it through a completely different lens. I spent a week meeting pastors, missionaries, ministry leaders, and Thai believers who had come to faith, learning about various ministries and the immense opportunities to serve, while also witnessing the great need for more laborers in this harvest field. All the while, I observed the daily life of Buddhists as they sought to 'make merit' through their works in everything they do, which broke my heart, knowing they will perish without Jesus Christ.

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Afterward, I had a long list of questions for Tom, my boss and the Hub Director for our Bangkok base. Before leaving Thailand, I wanted to make a clear decision about how and where the Lord wanted me to serve. I spent time debriefing, in the Word, praying, and counting the cost, seeking one final confirmation from the Lord that this was His will.

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For several days, I heard absolutely nothing. To say I was confused and unsure would be an understatement. Then one morning, I felt as though the Lord allowed me to reflect on how He had sovereignly orchestrated every single aspect of my life up until that very moment—from not knowing Him for most of my years, to the mercy He showed in saving me when He did, to the deep desire He gave me to honor and serve Him. I realized that, over the decades, He had been preparing and equipping me for such a time as this. He had planted the seed of a missionary heart long before. He guided me to make my life count for eternal purposes, led me to GFM after a week of fasting and prayer, and burdened my heart to labor among the Unreached so they too can partake in the pearl of great price—the message of true unconditional love, hope, restoration, joy, peace beyond understanding, and salvation found in Christ with the promise of eternal life to come!

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I marveled at each step He had directed, and in that second, it felt as though I was standing face to face before the Lord, with Him asking, "You said you would do what I asked. Are you going to do it?" With a heart full of conviction and tears streaming down my face, I asked for forgiveness for my doubts and responded, “Okay, Lord. Let’s do this!

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