At the young age of 6, I was challenged to walk out my faith and go beyond the borders of my country to an ethnic group that did not have access to the truth of God’s Word. Now, I did not truly understand what serving Him wholeheartedly meant, but I did know that it was something that I wanted to do. In my early childhood, I heard stories of ethnic groups in Papua New Guinea in need of someone to tell them about God.
My life verse became Romans 10:14-15: “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring good news of good things.”
During my growing up years, serving the Lord overseas became my passion and focus, and I took steps—doing what I could right then. I remember using my birthday money one year to buy a baby doll to take overseas to give to another First Nations girl. Once I got a job at the age of 15, I began supporting a missionary family in Papua New Guinea monthly out of my paycheck. I went on three short-term mission trips to Bolivia, Papua New Guinea and Mongolia to serve other missionaries. For me, each missions trip just confirmed, that this — serving Him wholeheartedly overseas — was exactly what I wanted to do with my life.
At the age of 17, God brought a man into my life with the same heartbeat. Mike, a third generation MK (missionary kid) who grew up in Paraguay, knew that he too wanted to serve God overseas among the least reached. We were married once I turned 18, and together, we attended two years of missionary training, took a year to raise our financial and prayer support from individuals and churches, and moved to the country of Paraguay in 2004 with two small children. I can honestly say that learning Spanish, building relationships, mobilizing the Paraguayan church, mentoring young ladies and walking alongside First Nation leaders and their families is beyond anything the young girl at the age of 6 ever imagined when she said yes to missions.
Tricia Goyer said, “God may sometimes call you to something beyond your natural bent or abilities, but trust that as you follow Him you’ll discover more about yourself and your capabilities than you ever dreamed possible. More than that, you’ll discover more about God—His character and His ways.”
My passion remains the same, and I have learned more—and am still learning—what serving Him wholeheartedly in my home, in my city, in my country and beyond looks like. I do know that it is not easy. Sometimes, the foundation and core of my faith is challenged. It requires daily dying to myself, “walking out the Word of God and daring to do what it says,” even when it is uncomfortable. It requires selfless acts of love. It requires serving, even when I feel as though I cannot serve anymore.
“God designed us for a purpose that will impact His kingdom. The purpose we all share as Christ-followers is to worship God, love Him, love others and live a godly life.” —Tricia Goyer
My desire is to be faithful to obey His Word and bring Him glory while serving Him wholeheartedly with my family in Paraguay. Christ-followers, will you join me? Let’s obey God’s Word and do what it says! It is time to “walk it out!”
Trisha Goddard‘s passion is serving Him wholeheartedly in her family and in ministry. Married to Mike since 2001, they have three children, Michael, Lea, and Kaleb. They have lived in Paraguay, South America since 2004 and serve as field workers of Partners for Paraguay. Trisha loves to read, spend time with her family, and travel. Connect with her at mtgoddard.com, Facebook and Instagram.
This article originally appeared attriciagoyer.com.
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