I am blessed to have grown up in a church where serving those less fortunate was a priority.(www.oakhillbaptist.com). Missions was not just a good idea, but very much a reality. Every summer our church traveled to Mexico, the Philippines, Russia, Lithuania, Peru, Hong Kong,and several places within the USA meeting physical,emotional,and spiritual needs. The same story was always told upon our returning: we went to be a blessing to others, instead the people were a blessing to us....and we were forever changed. You see, we always came home realizing how much we took for granted and that it could've been us starving in the inner city or a third world country. I am now much more sensitive towards the needs of others because I had the opportunity to experience it first hand.

Many of you have known my passion for missions and many of you have also shared this passion with me. It is so true that your heart must be open to hearing from God before you will be able to know His purpose for your life. I remember clearly this being the case for me. This continues to be the case for me as I seek Him one day at a time. There's no doubt that my heart was changed from the time I was saved at age nine. However, my desire to really know Christ and to search for His will in my life came when I was fourteen years old. We are all searching for meaning and purpose and I am grateful to have known at such a young age that my passion for serving others through missions would be a central focus. I am thankful to have been taught the importance of giving and serving others. It has shaped the way I think, the way I love, and the way I choose to live my life............

I now have an amazing opportunity to work in ministry while continuing my education. Through the Master's degree program in Social Work at USF, I have been approved to study internationally and receive clinical experience in an HIV/AIDS related agency. I appreciate how the program directors have allowed me to channel my desire to work with the African people and the HIV/AIDS initiative. The University of South Florida in coordination with the University of Botswana has created an avenue for me to experience the full perspective of social work by providing spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical support to those affected by HIV/AIDS in Gaborone, Botswana. I will also be working with college students in ministry alongside the campus missionaries.

The “legacy” I want to leave here in Africa is one of “hope”. An eternal hope that only comes through a personal relationship with Christ. I received a beautiful card that I read daily that says, “God has a call upon your life. It is the call of grace. It is the call of compassion. It is the call to walk with Him and know His heart. It is the call to the beauty of His holiness. It is the call of purpose and direction. It is the call of all it means to be a blessing to others”. Through serving alongside the people of Botswana, I desire to gain a better understanding of the HIV/AIDS pandemic by putting a face to the disease....through personally engaging with one family at a time, one orphaned child at a time, and with one victimized woman at a time. Although it is impossible for me to know what they live with everyday, I can learn effective ways to advocate for change and to offer hope in what seems like a hopeless situation. My prayer is to leave this type of legacy through my service here in Botswana.