IF MY FEET NEVER
STOP MOVING
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If My Feet Never Stop Moving
HELLO, I’M
KAYLA
I was born in Watford City, ND on May 17, 1995, where I was raised for 18 years until I moved away for college. My life was pretty crazy; my dad left when I was two years old and my mom’s marriage after that was abusive. My mom actually divorced my step dad and became an alcoholic and drug addict in the same time frame that I was invited to church for the first time. Over the course of my life I had been raped, watched my mom try to kill herself, and had to take care of my three younger siblings, so I was a broken girl and I didn’t even know it.
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If My Feet Never Stop Moving
I
was born in Watford City, ND on May 17, 1995, where I was raised for 18 years until I moved away for college. My life was pretty crazy; my dad left when I was two years old and my mom’s marriage after that was abusive. My mom actually divorced my step dad and became an alcoholic and drug addict in the same time frame that I was invited to church for the first time. Over the course of my life I had been raped, watched my mom try to kill herself, and had to take care of my three younger siblings, so I was a broken girl and I didn’t even know it. I loved going to church. People there loved me and I made new friends. I ended up going to a youth convention a couple months later and that is when I accepted Jesus into my life. Wow, that moment changed my life. I remember the exact time and place. I felt like a blanket of peace and healing covered me and like God wrapped me in His arms. It was so overwhelming, but exactly what I needed. Ever since then, August 2007, I have been on a great road in my relationship with Christ. He never leaves or forsakes me. I have been on nine specified missions trips. My very first mission trip was to inner city Chicago in the summer with Pastor Cal from Fargo, ND. We ran Vacation Bible School sites all over, helped with work projects, and held night rallies in multiple locations. I actually went on this trip three years in a row. Pastor Cal actually just went on his 25th trip there and has been in contact with me about helping lead trips. My first overseas trip was to Managua, Nicaragua in 2012. I went with a group called AIM (Ambassadors in Missions). We went down there to help a church/ private Christian school. We also worked with some college-aged Christian translators, helping them practice and learn more English. While discipling them. I met a little boy named Demos there. He was about eleven years old. Him and his sister were found in the mountains of Nicaragua and then brought to the church. Demos is almost completely blind in both eyes. I sat down with a a translator and him and he was telling me his story. I was holding back tears as he said,
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“I KNOW THAT I DON’T HAVE AN EARTHLY FATHER, BUT MY FATHER IN HEAVEN WILL TAKE CARE OF ME. I AM VERY THANKFUL TO BE HERE.”
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“I know that I don’t have an earthly father, but my father in Heaven will take care of me. I am very thankful to be here.” So there I sat, with this eleven year old, orphaned boy who had no eyesight, and this kid was more mature than I was! Demos was a huge testimony to me about how God has the power to change people’s lives and that once people experience what He has to offer to His children, they really do not need anything else because God is more than enough. It was on this trip that I knew I was called to be a missionary. I have been on a missions trip to an Indian reservation in Sisseton, SD with a program called Pack Your Bags in 2013. I was in the very first group of this mission-based and mentorship program at Trinity Bible College. In Sisseton, we partnered with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) as they had an amazing opportunity to perform Hawaiian fire dancing, motocross, and power-strength shows in the public schools! This team also gave altar at the end, which was definitely an opportunity that was God-given. We helped set up, tear down, and talk to/pray with people. We also did some door-to-door ministry while we were there. In Pack Your Bags, we also took a trip to Chicago, a different area than I usually went to. We worked in Little India at an after school program for Muslims. It was Christian led, but the teachings about Christ were under the radar, as parents would not have wanted their children at this. I helped a little girl named Amna with her homework for the week we were there. She came from a rough background, as she had emigrated from Pakistan due to the war. We became very close by the end of the week, and I had many opportunities to tell her stories of Jesus and my testimony. Nothing amazing happened before my
eyes while I was there, but it was neat to see her recall stories that I had told her. Anna taught me a lot about how sometimes as missionaries, all we can do is plant seeds and wait for them to grow! In 2014, also with Pack Your Bags, we went to South Africa for six weeks. This was the greatest trip of my life. We did various types of ministry, but one of my favorites was feeding programs. Hundreds of kids would literally walk miles barefoot to simply come eat a full meal. We had skits, Bible stories, prayer, and playtime with the children. None of them spoke much English, but Love doesn’t have a lingual boundary! Some of those kids never had hugs, never been held or smiled at, and they were starving for someone to do so. We worked with a couple orphanages there and wow; I have so many stories from those kids that I could tell. We also help some school assemblies, built a house, and spoke at some churches! I went with my school in 2014 to inner city Minneapolis to hold a Thanksgiving outreach. We held a children and adult service, and fed over 300 people a full thanksgiving meal. We also went out on the streets and handed out hot dogs and hot chocolate to homeless people and prayed with them too. It was a simple and short trip, but it was serving those who Jesus would have served and it was worth every moment! My most recent missions trip was in 2014 to Guaimaca, Honduras. I actually went on this trip by myself. I went strictly to work in an orphanage of over 500 children. This was one of the hardest things that I have done. I, alone, was in charge of 30 three to five years olds, of which many had disabilities and malnutrition. My days there were pretty simple, as I spent the entire day taking care of these kids.
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If My Feet Never Stop Moving
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This trip stuck out to me not only because I was alone but because orphans are a huge burden on my heart. I pray that God uses me wherever I am so that I can change people’s stories, not through my own work, but through God and His doings. I want to be the catalyst for change in people’s lives. I want to be the middle grounds between people and God’s love/will/power for them. It would torture me to know that I hold the key to the greatest thing this world has known and I was doing nothing to share it. Right now I am currently a Junior at Trinity Bible College. I am getting my bachelors degree in Intercultural Studies with the intentions (and calling) to be a missionary. This next summer I was actually be overseas for two months doing my internship in an undecided place. After graduation, if the Lord doesn’t call me overseas right away, I am looking at getting certified as a midwife so that I can use that not only in an orphanage-type ministry, but also as a key to get into countries that are closed to missionaries. I do not know exactly what my future holds, but I do know that God has an amazing plan for my life; I am just taking it step by step. I would eventually love to live overseas, start an orphanage, and evangelize, which is a realistic possibility! When I was called into missions, the Lord told me, “Your feet will never stop moving.” And as far as I am concerned, if my feet never stop moving, then people will never stop hearing about Jesus, because wherever I am, I make it a missions trip. The only difference is that sometimes God tells me to hop on a plane. ◊
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If My Feet Never Stop Moving