Susannah

I was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya where my parents served as missionaries with Cru. When I was almost five years old, I understood my own sinfulness and need for God’s grace and prayed with my dad, believing in Jesus Christ for salvation. My parents returned to America before my eighth birthday and I went through a difficult time of culture shock and adjustment. At the age of twelve, I surrendered my life to the Lord for His service and began to actively grow in my faith. After graduating from high school, I went on a summer mission trip to the Amazon region of Brazil. During that time, I felt God calling me to serve Him in overseas mission work.

Initially, I planned to get a degree in Nursing and serve as a medical missionary, but God had other plans for my life. I completed a TESOL certification in order to teach English overseas and a year later moved to China where I served as an English teacher for several years. During that time, I also studied the Chinese language and assisted several house churches in their ministries. Eventually, I returned to America in order to continue my college education. After graduating from Columbia International University with a Master’s degree in Teaching English as Foreign Language (TEFL), I returned to China and taught English for two years. Due to political changes in China during that time, I was unable to continue my outreach and ministry to the Chinese people and had to return to America. I continued to teach in the United States before moving to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where I worked with international college students for two years.

In the fall of 2020, I began serving the international refugee community in Pittsburgh through a ministry called Agapao. I served with this ministry until the spring of 2022, when I married my husband, Dhiraj, and moved overseas to join him in southeast Asia. My husband is a doctor and is faithfully serving the Lord by ministering to the poor and underprivileged people living here in this country. The hospital he works at was started by a missionary and continues to this day as a Christian mission and training hospital. As the wife of a national, I am allowed to live here in this country on a spouse visa but cannot work a job due to the visa restrictions. However, I am able to volunteer and have been using my teaching experience and credentials to serve as a volunteer teacher at a local Christian school where I assist the local teachers, plan lessons, and teach Bible and English classes for the students. My husband and I also host a weekly Bible study at our apartment every Saturday where we gather with a group of about 15-20 local believers and study a book of the Bible together. I am thankful for the incredible opportunity to share God’s love with the people around me in this beautiful country as I seek to faithfully serve the Lord. 

Thank you for your prayers and support and may the Lord bless you!