Personal Story
I grew up in a Sunday and Wednesday
type of religious lifestyle. Only to child to a single mother who worked all
the time to provide for me. When my mother died at the end of senior year in
high school, I stopped the Sundays and the Wednesdays altogether. Effected by
sexual abuse from a family friend and feelings of abandonment, I went full
carnal mode diving into sex, drugs, and homelessness not desiring
responsibility or accountability.
After 6 years of homelessness and hitchhiking when I was in New Orleans
in 2014, I headed towards Jackson Square where a group of people called me
over. They prayed for me and rubbed my tired, beaten and hopeless shoulders,
speaking of secret things only an intruder of my heart would know. I was
convinced to give God a season in my life to explain Himself and to fix what I
felt He had broken.
I began a journey of healing with the help of God and gave my life
publicly to Him in baptism on April 27th 2014. In a time of
desperation, not knowing what the future held for the little one I discovered
inside my womb I cried out, “What am I supposed to do Lord?” He gave my spirit
two words to meditate on.
The first word was adoption. This word led me to discover how to
love greater that my own capabilities. I know that I have a legacy here on
earth through my beautiful, intelligent, fierce and amazing daughter Hope and
her powerful and loving family.
The second word was about missions.
This is my life calling. Wherever I go I will make it my mission to make my
attitude, interactions and heart reflect and include Jesus.
I was led to train at Youth With
a Mission in 2015 and have completed three courses: Discipleship Training
School, School of Evangelism, and School of Supernatural Missions. During these
courses I developed a love for urban areas and have traveled to many places on
outreach. These include Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, Alaska and Tacoma.
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My most recent encounter is a personal ministry being born in which
Tacoma will play a key role in development. Sarah Mattin’s Missions' focus is on
the LGBTQIA or queer community. I will reach these peoples in many ways by
working with, spending time with, and attending service with them. God will
show me what the details look like daily. This demographic is largely untouched
or uninterested. Reaching this community with the Gospel will be time
intensive, it is a part of the culture to be a bit cold to outsiders. I must
become more to the community than a stranger. In the gay community, strangers
are possible threats. Intentions are invisible. I will be searching for a
part-time job in a queer heavy workplace as well as seeking out the local gay
community.
