Despite growing up in church, Ginny doesn’t remember really hearing the Gospel until middle school. Somewhere between summer camp and youth group she heard the truth that Jesus died and rose to be her Savior and that there is nothing she could do to save herself. The Lord also showed her in this time that He would never leave her nor forsake her, and with those valuable words spoken to a 12 year old girl who felt alone a lot, He met Ginny in her need. Although she accepted Christ as her Savior one night at youth group, it wasn’t until college, after getting plugged into a solid church and community there, that Ginny truly began to grow in her walk with the Lord and to learn His word. In His grace and love, He carried her through those tumultuous high school years, though she continually turned her back on Him. Ginny truly believes He kept her from some serious scars it seemed she went searching for. There is no doubt in her mind that He protected her and was relentlessly pursuing her all that time.

One night, her sophomore year in college, the Lord brought Ginny to her end, in the middle of a situation where she was clinging to want she wanted, although she knew He’d told her to let it go. In His gentleness, He said “Ginny, you have to let Me hold this,” and for the first time in her life, she finally trusted Him with everything and fully surrendered. A blessed, amazing season of fruit followed.
In 2003, God made the way for Ginny to serve with several others as a summer intern with Buckner Orphan Care International in Guatemala. One afternoon, after seeing all kinds of depressing and frustrating situations in some of the homes around the country, they visited Casa Aleluya with the hope of seeing a place where “things are right.” And it was. So much so, that most of the team members said, “these kids are so well taken care of, they don’t need any more help here; let’s go back to one of the more needy homes.” What Ginny didn’t realize then was that the kids at Casa Aleluya are so well taken care of because of the dedication and selfless giving of the many churches and individuals who faithfully give their time, money, and prayers throughout the years, and that God would eventually call her to be one of those individuals.

That same summer, the Lord spoke to Ginny through Hebrews 11 and called her to serve Him long-term as a foreign missionary. He showed her that the US was to be for her as Egypt was for Moses, when he left all the creature comforts and pleasures of that land behind, counting the cost of suffering for Christ as far greater riches. Ginny had always loved working with kids, and figured that would be part of this call, but had no further details yet. Still, she prayed and said ok.

Guatemala, and its children in need, remained on Ginny’s heart through the next few years, and though she kept praying for the opportunity to return, she was only able make a couple of short visits, and the doors kept closing for her to return long-term. One day in the Spring of 2006, she remembered coming to visit Casa Aleluya, and decided to apply to serve long-term and see what doors the Lord might open. And He did! That fall, Ginny returned to Guatemala for the first time since 2004, to study Spanish and to visit CPNA for a couple of weeks to see if this was where the Lord meant her to be. The second night she was at Casa Aleluya, the Lord answered her prayer: while she sang “He Leadeth Me,” He spoke the words, “Come here,” meaning to Casa Aleluya, which He also confirmed for her a couple of weeks later.

So one year later, He faithfully delivered Ginny to Casa Aleluya, to live and serve as a mentor to the career girls, a role for which He had so beautifully designed and prepared her through her passions and past work experiences with teens, in a group home, and in dorm life as a RA. Ginny rejoices in knowing this is exactly where her Lord has her and in seeing how He has prepared the way to now. Praise His perfect name!