I grew up in Southern California and attended high school at Loma Linda Academy. I can look back and see that during these years the Lord had already begun to plant seeds for further overseas mission service. Although I wouldn’t realize it at the time, the summer vacation between my sophomore and junior years brought an opportunity that I now realize had a profound impact on me and my desire to serve the Lord cross-culturally.
A group of Loma Linda University resident doctors planned a medical mission trip to Brazil to work aboard a traveling riverboat clinic on the Amazon River. A group of fellow high school students and I were invited to go along, assisting the doctors and taking care of duties aboard the boat. This was my first experience serving the Lord cross-culturally. It left an incredible impression on my heart that has stayed with me until this day.