Riley’s Testimony
Salvation Testimony:
As a five year old boy, I was asking my mom questions about salvation on our way to church on a Sunday morning. I remember staying out in the church parking lot to talk with my mom. I honestly don’t remember anything about that time, except that I wanted to be saved because my older brother and sister were saved. When I was ten years old, I was up in my room reading my Bible, and God convicted me that I had not actually made this important decision for the right reasons. I immediately went down to talk with my dad. I already knew what I needed to do, but we looked through some verses just to be clear. That night, in my living room, I admitted I was a sinner that needed Jesus. I realized I could not pay for my sin and enter into heaven without Jesus. I received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I was baptized at the age of eleven.
Call to Ministry:
When I was thirteen years old, I went to the Wilds in North Carolina for the first time. Tom Farrell was the preacher that week. On a Friday night, I felt the Lord calling me to preach and serve in full time Christian ministry. That night I went out to talk to a counselor and pray. I surrendered to God and told Him I would serve Him vocationally. Throughout my teen years, I prayed that God would give me some more direction in what that would look like.
Call to Missions:
Several years later while counseling at the Wilds in North Carolina, God gave me an answer to that prayer. I felt God’s clear call to foreign mission work and the vast number of people around the world who have not heard the gospel. I finished my pastoral degree at Pensacola Christians College and worked as an Assistant pastor in Michigan for almost four years. At that time, I was primarily the youth pastor but also was able to lead outreach and be involved in missions. Abby and I kept praying that God would give us direction as we were able to lead and be a part of missions trips to Mexico, Vermont, and Japan. In the summer of 2024 we went to South Africa, and God gave us clear direction that this is where He would have us go next as missionaries.
Ordination:
I was ordained by the church I served at in Michigan on June 11th, 2023.
Salvation Testimony:
As a five year old boy, I was asking my mom questions about salvation on our way to church on a Sunday morning. I remember staying out in the church parking lot to talk with my mom. I honestly don’t remember anything about that time, except that I wanted to be saved because my older brother and sister were saved. When I was ten years old, I was up in my room reading my Bible, and God convicted me that I had not actually made this important decision for the right reasons. I immediately went down to talk with my dad. I already knew what I needed to do, but we looked through some verses just to be clear. That night, in my living room, I admitted I was a sinner that needed Jesus. I realized I could not pay for my sin and enter into heaven without Jesus. I received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I was baptized at the age of eleven.
Call to Ministry:
When I was thirteen years old, I went to the Wilds in North Carolina for the first time. Tom Farrell was the preacher that week. On a Friday night, I felt the Lord calling me to preach and serve in full time Christian ministry. That night I went out to talk to a counselor and pray. I surrendered to God and told Him I would serve Him vocationally. Throughout my teen years, I prayed that God would give me some more direction in what that would look like.
Call to Missions:
Several years later while counseling at the Wilds in North Carolina, God gave me an answer to that prayer. I felt God’s clear call to foreign mission work and the vast number of people around the world who have not heard the gospel. I finished my pastoral degree at Pensacola Christians College and worked as an Assistant pastor in Michigan for almost four years. At that time, I was primarily the youth pastor but also was able to lead outreach and be involved in missions. Abby and I kept praying that God would give us direction as we were able to lead and be a part of missions trips to Mexico, Vermont, and Japan. In the summer of 2024 we went to South Africa, and God gave us clear direction that this is where He would have us go next as missionaries.
Ordination:
I was ordained by the church I served at in Michigan on June 11th, 2023.
Abby’s Testimony
Salvation Testimony:
Growing up in a missionary’s home and then in a pastor’s home, I was blessed to be surrounded by the knowledge of the gospel at a very young age. When I was eight, I made a profession of faith with my teacher and was immediately baptized at my home church. I can hardly remember anything about that profession or conversation. Looking back, I know it was only a head knowledge of what Jesus had done for me. Between eight and eleven years of age I specifically remember sinning (i.e lying, disobeying, and cheating in school) and being proud at how good I was at it. When I was eleven, I remember watching a movie with my family that was about knowing where you will go when you die. It terrified me, because although I had always claimed salvation, I had never truly understood it, felt peace, or experienced the presence of Christ with me. I was always convicted when hearing salvation messages but never did anything about it. That night on December 31st, 2009, I went to my dad’s office and told him that I was not saved. He walked me through passages in the Bible, and I clearly understood that I was a sinner in need of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. I prayed with my dad and asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins. I had so much peace after that night.
For a long time, I told people that I was saved when I was eight and had gotten assurance of my salvation when I was eleven. I told myself that this was why I was never re-baptized. After feeling conviction, praying, and talking to my husband, I realized I had been clinging to my reasoning solely based on a fear of embarrassment. I knew I needed to get baptized and my husband was able to be the one to sweetly baptize me in front of our church people in November of 2023. My only regret is waiting so long to do it!
Call to Missions:
When I was thirteen, I felt God clearly calling me to either be a missionary’s wife or a pastor’s wife. Because of that, I chose to study elementary education in college in case I needed to get into a closed country in the future. The Lord has since given me a passion for teaching, but my main desire is to be a missionary, wife, and mother. Throughout my college years, I felt a pull towards Africa that I couldn’t explain. I began to be obsessed with it, and I thought God was calling me there. I took a trip to Zambia my junior year of college, and I fell in love with the people and the continent. God began to work on my heart in my senior year of college. I felt the Spirit asking me if I was wanting to go to Africa because I wanted to, or because God wanted me to. I surrendered it back to Him, and for a long time, the Lord was just asking me to wait and stay in the states. I taught for four years here in the states, as well as helped my husband with youth ministry. Since we have been married, we have specifically prayed that the Lord would show us when and where He would have us to serve on the mission field. We have been waiting for His timing. Last year, He began to open doors for us to go to South Africa. It was entirely His planning and connections that led us to visit. We prayed for financial help since we were not prepared for how expensive the flights were to get there, and He provided down to the last penny. God gave both my husband and myself peace about returning to South Africa to minister there. I’m overwhelmed at God’s kindness in choosing to use us as His vessels and letting us return to a place that has been on my heart for a long time.