Rebecca's Story
I was born in Arkansas to Mike and Diann Jones. I grew up in a home that didn't just claim to be Christian; my parents lived it out. My Dad worked for Lifeword Ministries. My Mom was a nurse that truly cared for her patients physically, emotionally and spiritually. My grandparents, Rufus and Mildred Crawford, were always serving in a church. My Dad’s mom always had a quiet strength about her, a piano at her house with hymnals in the piano bench, and a Bible on a stand by her chair. My older brother and I grew up in a safe home where we played outside, in the woods and at neighbors’ homes. Nature became one of the most refreshing ways for me to connect with God.
I came to know Christ personally at a very young age. Early on God cultivated two great loves in my heart. The first is a love for children. I have had a love for children since I myself was young. I remember “helping” Mama with Sunday School or children’s church at various times. I began assisting in a Sunday School class when I was a young teen. That grew into leading games for VBS and teaching preschool classes regularly. The Lord has also used that love to guide me into Pediatric Nursing. In 2008, I was able to go back to school to obtain a Master’s of Science in Nursing, Pediatrics from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Secondly, He gave me a love for missions. I remember Mama going on a medical mission trip when I was in the 5th grade. I asked to go with her. She said I was too young. Every time after that, when Mama went on a trip, I asked to go. The answer was always the same. Finally, she told me that when I was 16 and could save enough money to pay for the trip then she and I would go together. So the summer I was 16 I worked at McDonald’s and saved up the money. Mama kept her promise and we took a BMMI (Baptist Medical Missions International) trip to Guatemala. My heart was forever linked with missions.
The Lord combined my love for missions and my love for children into a dream to one day serve on the mission field by caring for children. While that dream is still being molded by the Father, I am excited to be on this journey with a man that has the same love for children and missions. In October 2013, He graciously gave us a son to join us in service to Christ. I love being a mom. I love being a wife. I love taking care of children and teaching them. I look forward to the joy that comes when children, whose lives we have been a small part of, come to know Jesus in a way that changes them forever.
I came to know Christ personally at a very young age. Early on God cultivated two great loves in my heart. The first is a love for children. I have had a love for children since I myself was young. I remember “helping” Mama with Sunday School or children’s church at various times. I began assisting in a Sunday School class when I was a young teen. That grew into leading games for VBS and teaching preschool classes regularly. The Lord has also used that love to guide me into Pediatric Nursing. In 2008, I was able to go back to school to obtain a Master’s of Science in Nursing, Pediatrics from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Secondly, He gave me a love for missions. I remember Mama going on a medical mission trip when I was in the 5th grade. I asked to go with her. She said I was too young. Every time after that, when Mama went on a trip, I asked to go. The answer was always the same. Finally, she told me that when I was 16 and could save enough money to pay for the trip then she and I would go together. So the summer I was 16 I worked at McDonald’s and saved up the money. Mama kept her promise and we took a BMMI (Baptist Medical Missions International) trip to Guatemala. My heart was forever linked with missions.
The Lord combined my love for missions and my love for children into a dream to one day serve on the mission field by caring for children. While that dream is still being molded by the Father, I am excited to be on this journey with a man that has the same love for children and missions. In October 2013, He graciously gave us a son to join us in service to Christ. I love being a mom. I love being a wife. I love taking care of children and teaching them. I look forward to the joy that comes when children, whose lives we have been a small part of, come to know Jesus in a way that changes them forever.