There are a few things that the Bible calls all Christians to do. One of them is what we often refer to as The Great Commission, spoken by Jesus to his disciples before his return to Heaven:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20a NIV).”
The Apostle Paul was a missionary who continued to remind his followers of the importance of sharing the good news of the gospel throughout the world.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news (Romans 10:13-15)!”
I have found beauty (not so much in the feet) but in the heart of a young girl who has accepted the call to go and encourage others to call on the name of the Lord. Hannah Hunter is 17 years old and she is preparing to accompany her family to Spain in the fall. Please pray as Hannah shares her heart.
My name is Hannah Hunter and I just finished my junior year in high school. I have a huge passion for missions. In 2008, I went on my first mission trip with my mom to Ukraine. As a 14 year old preparing for the trip, I thought about not being able to talk to my friends for 14 days, sleeping without air conditioning, and not having my normal bathroom. Once I got there, however, none of those things concerned me. Instead I started worrying about how I could get Jesus’ love across to others—that mission became more important than not having my cell phone or understanding the language. During those 14 days, God grew a passion inside my heart. I started to care more about others that needed to know Jesus than being in my comfort zone.
The entire trip my mom kept saying, “The mission trip isn’t over until you get home. Even on ‘The Tourist Day,’ the mission trip isn’t over.” I just shrugged it off, but on our last day which happened to be our Tourist Day, I ran into a lady in the bathroom at McDonalds and talked to her about why I was in Ukraine. That’s when it hit me that I was called to be a missionary. I didn’t want to leave Ukraine.
After much prayer, my family started preparing for our call to the mission field. Along the way, I kept saying, “Let’s go somewhere that speaks Spanish.” I am excited to share that we are going to Spain. We visited Spain in January and I fell in love. In the back of my mind I always considered it my new home but once I arrived there, it really felt real.
Approximately a year ago, I connected with a girl in Spain who is also named Hannah. We clicked immediately but when we met in person, it was like we have known each other forever. It was extremely hard to leave Spain. I really felt like I was leaving home and I wasn’t prepared for it. Every day I get more and more excited to move.
Before we visited, I focused a lot on saying good bye to all my friends but when I came back, I realized that I really have something to look forward too—a new life is waiting for me there. Of course it will be hard to move to a new country, but I couldn’t be any more excited to get over there and for my family to get straight to work. I can’t wait to make some Spanish friends, get involved in a church, and attend my new school. I keep praying every day that we will get our support raised, the timing for our VISA will work out perfectly, and everything will go according to God’s plan.
My family has not been called to the mission field, but we are excited to financially sponsor the Hunter Family in obedience to the international ministry that God has called us all to, and as an extension of the specific ministry that he has for the Hunter Family.
For more information about the Hunter’s Mission Trip to Spain, see read Cindy Hunter (Hannah’s mom) blog post “Missions Exist Because Worship Doesn’t” and check out their “Our Mission Journey” blog.
I often say, “If you cannot be an international missionary, please support one.” I hope that you will prayerfully consider partnering with the Hunter Family as they go to shine light in the darkest places of Spain. The Hunters need 100% financial support by the end of summer and they are approximately $3500 away. Please contact them through their blog.
Have you served on a mission trip? Have you ever supported a missionary? Please share your stories here…
© Natasha S. Robinson 2011
Want to hear from two other young girls sharing Jesus’ love throughout the world?
A SISTA'S JOURNEY 
Well,she may be my granddaughter,but I’m proud of Hannah and her comments. I know that she will be a big part of her parents mission for God in Spain. What a blessing as she can interact with her age group, if only on an informal (friendly) manner. Grandma