Missions Emphasis Month Speech

Today, I gave a speech at my Church (First Baptist, Tulsa) because I was asked to be one of the speakers for October’s mission’s emphasis month. They wanted me tell about my personal testimony as well as my heart for missions. And I now feel that the Lord is leading me to also put my speech in a blog post since I don’t know all the people who read my blog and it could influence somebody.

So dear reader, I hope this speaks to your heart:

Hello church, I know what you may be thinking; this girl is young. Well, I am! I’m Karlie Tipton and I am an 18-year-old missionary.  You may be thinking “hmm, missionary?” I’m a girl who loves Jesus and is willing to share her personal testimony of how powerful He is. And I believe that does make me a missionary.

I accepted Christ in middle school, but it wasn’t till my high school years that I really began to follow God. Something happened in my life that dramatically changed it forever.  During my freshman year, my father passed away unexpectedly. This was a time of grief but also a time of healing. I didn’t begin to see God in the situation until I attended Falls Creek that summer. It was then that I started to realize that God had me on this earth for a reason, and that he had a purpose for me. I rededicated my life to the Lord that summer, and along with the rededication I also received another calling—the Holy Spirit was prompting me to become a missionary.

Since I had this calling to be a missionary, I prayed that the Lord would provide me opportunities in my high school years to advance the gospel. The first big opportunity arose when I went on a spring break trip my junior year to Leon, Mexico. On this trip, I learned to share Jesus’ story as well as my own testimony.  We went from house to house knocking on doors to share, and I experienced life-changing events in front of me. I began to see how the Lord used my words to reach his sons and daughters.

That following summer, I also went on a mission trip to China. Because of the political restrictions there, sharing my testimony was a little more difficult, but that’s where the sharing the gospel in Mexico helped me. This is where I got to really see my personal testimony be used for the Lord. One day when my group was walking up to a Buddhist temple, a Chinese teen was asking me questions about Jesus. I shared with her the crucifixion story along with my personal testimony about my father. I told her that God sent my dad and me a savior so that I may see him again in heaven. She would not stop asking questions and eventually came to the conclusion that she wanted the Lord in her heart. With tears in her eyes she finished the prayer and proclaimed, “I have Jesus!”  At that moment I knew I was following the Lord’s plan for me.

This year I traveled to Guatemala. I was able to share my testimony to many believers and non-believers there and the Lord revealed many things to me through that experience. He showed me that while my circumstances may be different that the Guatemalans, the Mexicans, and the Chinese, we all have one thing in common: we were created in the image of God and made to give him glory.  And regardless of age, race, or gender, we all share the same calling to honor God and to share his story with others.

I tell you all these things to show that every one of you is a missionary for God, no matter who you are or where you are. When we  share our lives with others and show how God’s story changes our story, he will bless that.  It doesn’t matter if I am in Tulsa, in my dorm at OBU, or halfway around the world, he can use my testimony to speak to others.

 Each of you have a personal testimony that the Lord will use if you allow him. And I can speak from experience that God can use our circumstances for his good. While one could look at my family situation and see it as a loss, I can see it as a gain. I have gained a passion for Christ and God also used the circumstance of my father passing away for a Chinese girl halfway across the world to find life.

So now I am preparing for a mission trip to India the summer 2012. I am going to be working with girls rescued from sex trafficking and showing them basic life skills that they never had an opportunity to learn. So while I welcome to your support, most of all I need your prayers. I know with prayer the Lord will do powerful things over there.

            I want to end with a verse that I remember every time I share my testimony:

1 Corinthians 15:55

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Church our God is alive. Let’s go proclaim it.

Thanks for reading!

Karlie