Sending Church: Ankeny Baptist Church—Ankeny, Iowa

Anna remembers when she was first drawn to missions. She was seven or eight years old, and every week her Sunday School teacher asked the students to pick out a missionary prayer card and pray for its workers. As Anna considered what she’d like to do when she grew up, she thought: If there’s a job where I could share the gospel with others, that’s what I want to do.

From that time forward, missions became Anna’s growing passion. The Lord cultivated her heart as well. She had grown up immersed in God’s Word through her church, schooling, and Bible clubs. When she was 13, a camp message on Romans 12:1-2 moved Anna to commit herself to walking closely with her Lord.

As Anna did, God guided her steps toward medical missions. She trained in nursing and biblical studies and now works as a nurse practitioner. Through self-study, Anna picked up a working knowledge of Spanish, which helped her to take part in medical missions teams in South America.

The medical trips were wonderful, even life changing for those who received care. Yet Anna regretted she could not stay behind to ensure good follow-up care or to have more opportunities to share the hope of Jesus. Anna saw how medical missions had potential to reach entire communities as people experienced God’s profound care for them. 

By becoming a full-time missionary to the Dominican Republic, Anna will have those opportunities and more. She will work alongside the church that hosted one of her mission trips, La Romana Baptist Church. Anna will help form the church’s medical/counseling team to reach further into the impoverished community where they are planting a church, and she’ll also serve at a home for boys. She’ll also assist through women’s discipleship and kids’ ministries as well as teach health classes at a seminary. 

As Anna combines the gospel with medical care, she has finally found her dream job—a job where she will help build up God’s church for His glory.