Meet Mike…..EA’s newest missionary

“For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11. This verse has always resonated with me having been blessed my entire life by getting to see God’s provision during different stages of my life. Growing up on the mission field, I had heard the stories of how missionaries had been called by God to do kingdom work in other countries, and I always longed for that affirmation in my life. I know that God uses us in any circumstance to do His will, so I wanted to make sure that I was following his calling while living in the States instead of wishing that I was somewhere else. I didn’t want to become a missionary because that is what my parents did, so I waited to go on the mission field until I knew that it was God calling. While my sister was teaching in Cameroon, I was able to visit her for a month and that helped to reinforce that I would always feel more at home in a third world country than in the United States. After that trip, I spent a lot of time working at different restaurants and country clubs while trying to find the path that God had for me. I have always had a heart for missions and was given the opportunity to visit Budapest through my church to see if maybe God wanted me there. It was such an amazing trip. The city is absolutely beautiful, and the missionaries I got to meet had such a passion for reaching Budapest… it was contagious. I knew that if God wanted me there, He would give me insight as to what I would do there and lead me to the people that would help support me. While contemplating and praying for guidance, I signed up for a short term mission with my church to El Ayudante to help refocus and get out of the States for a week. From the beginning of that trip, I knew that it was going to be special because upon arrival to Honduras, our plane was diverted due to bad weather. After landing in San Pedro Sula instead of Tegucigalpa, we were then sent back to the states because of customs issues. To me, this was God telling me to pay attention. In my head, everything was all planned out, but God’s plans are always better. Once we finally re-arrived the next day, everything about Honduras felt so much like home. It was hard to shake the feeling. Midway through the week, I couldn’t escape the fact that my heart was here to stay.  I loved everything about Honduras from the culture, to the people, to how El Ayudante does ministry, and I felt like the best part of me was staying behind when I returned to the States. I knew that God was calling me here, and all I needed to do was say yes to His will. Throughout the entire process, God’s hand has been evident, from having my start-up costs covered by one family, to being able to raise support while still working long hours during the summer. I knew that the only way I would be able to arrive in such a small time frame was if God provided all my needs, and he did so much more. I am so blessed to be part of such a great team here at El Ayudante as we do our best to build relationships, but most importantly to bring glory to the name of Jesus.