AIMEE
“I grew up with both parents and 3 older brothers believing in Jesus and God. I never doubted God and Jesus existed, but my family didn’t go to church, read the Bible or talk about what it meant to have a personal relationship with Him.
"I thought I understood what it meant to be a Christian, but my understanding was superficial. I believed God created everything and He was real, and it was good to live according to His ways. Yet my life was still my own and it was all up to me to make the best of it. I did not understand how the grace of God would help and I relied on my own decision making and judgement of what was right and wrong.
"Looking back, I can see how self-centred my perspective was. Although I believed in God, I lived independently of Him. I had little understanding of His grace and how that plays out in life, I don’t think I understood my need for His grace. I didn't realise that true Christianity wasn't just believing that God exists—it was surrendering my life to Him and allowing Him to transform me from the inside out.
"As a teenager I hung out with the wrong people and did not live like a Christian. I didn’t have a grasp/revelation of how important it is to God to live according to how he says and the grace that is available for us to do that, and so I was blind to how bad I was living and how this was affecting me. Decisions I made outside the word of God did not lead to anything good, just anxiety, sadness and darkness. I could see so much destruction in relationships and what drinking, and drugs can do. I was never heavily involved in that lifestyle myself. In fact, among my friends I was often known as the "grandma" of the group because I tended to be more cautious than others.
"In my twenties, after a painful relationship breakup, my mother and I prayed together. It was my belief in God that had led me to end the relationship because I knew it wasn't what God wanted for me. From then on, I wanted to follow God.
"Looking back, I realise I had never truly committed my life to Him. I thought that because I believed in Jesus, I would go to heaven. My faith was genuine but very superficial. Although I was Baptised, I still lived by my own understanding, making my own decisions rather than fully surrendering my life to Christ.
"I tried going to church a few times and felt so uncomfortable. I thought all the joyful people were just fake and it must be so exhausting pretending to be happy all the time. I thought they were not my kind of people, so once again I allowed the wrong crowd to pull me away.
I continued living in the world but there were many little things that brought me back to God. A Christian lady at my work told me she had a dream that I could not stay on the fence. She gave me the verse in Revelations 3:15 about being neither hot nor cold.
"I also had Christian flat mates who gave me such a contrast with the darkness in my world. I felt a heaviness I couldn’t escape from.
God took me on a journey. He needed to burn some things off me and I was on a rollercoaster. He began revealing things in my heart I had been unaware of. Where my focus was, and why I had fears and anxiety.
"In my late twenties, I experienced a devastating autoimmune attack that affected my nerves, spine, joints, and stomach. Overnight, the body I had always trusted seemed to turn against me. Having enjoyed perfect health until then, I was completely unprepared for the physical suffering that followed.
"I was unable to sleep and became deeply distressed as one symptom after another emerged. My body seemed to be failing me, yet despite medical consultations, the doctors were unable to identify a solution or provide the relief I so desperately needed. I felt frightened, exhausted, and increasingly overwhelmed as I watched my health deteriorate.
"I felt I had hit rock bottom. I felt like everything in my life had gone wrong. I had tried so hard to be a good friend, do the right thing, study at university, get the right job. I felt I had failed. I felt like the auto immune attack was all my fault and I wondered if my faith would ever be strong enough to follow God.
"I was at a point of desperation and the fear felt demonic. I believed God could heal but didn’t think He would heal me, because I was such a bad person and had screwed up so many things in my life.
"God in His graciousness took me on a journey of love. He revealed to me His grace, and what Jesus really did on the cross. God changed my focus to reading books with testimonies of healing and people of faith who lived these long lives of ministry. This changed my whole understanding of God and belief in Him – God wanted me to be healed. He paid for me to be healed. In my desperation, I reached out to God, and He answered me.
I learnt so much about the grace of God that is available to the whole body of Christ. I recognised I could depend on Him, seek and cling to Him for my faith to believe that by His stripes I am healed.
"It says in the Bible to speak it out – faith comes through hearing and hearing from the word of God. The word is spirit and life, so I believed it was spiritual and powerful. I could speak to my own body with authority. It wasn’t an overnight healing, but I noticed parts of my body getting better. The insomnia of 5 years, improved. I had such a revelation – Jesus took all that for me. All that pain and torment, He took on Himself for me.
Because of that revelation of love and grace, I felt such a willingness to give my life to God. I wanted to know more about Him. I wanted to hear His voice and know His will for my life. I wanted to be His vessel.
"A friend had given me a book about Elisabeth Elliot a missionary in Latin America doing Bible translation. When the book had been given to me, I thought I don’t want to be a missionary and put it aside for over a year. I was quite snobby about it. After going through all the health stuff and seeking God, I picked up the book, read it and thought it was amazing and so incredible. It expanded my mind to the whole world and Gods’ will for the world. The seed was planted.
"It was suggested I go do a DTS course (Discipleship Training School) and although I wasn’t happy about that at that time, God continued to bring so many people across my path that pointed to this. I felt like God cornered me in a loving way and reminded me when I was in University I was fascinated with the Spanish language and took a minor in it. The desire and excitement arose again, and I felt drawn to Mexico.
Eventually I took a step of faith and took a DTS course in Mexico. It came as some surprise how interested God was in my life. Doors I tried to open, He closed – firmly. I was still learning how to hear His voice and completely surrender, but He had a plan and knew me better that I knew myself.
I had just turned 30 when I went to Mexico. It felt like a different world. The buildings, the terrain, the people, the culture and their many dialects and religions.
"At mission school, I learned so much about the character and heart of God—why He created us, what He desires for the world, and how we each have a part to play in His purposes. As I grew closer to Him, His desires became my desires. God opened my eyes to His mission, and I saw it as an eternal treasure. I realised there is so much more happening than we can see, and I knew this was something I needed to understand and embrace.
In the Mexican people I saw so much beauty, warmth, passion and full of life and colour. Many have such humble hearts. They are very spiritual people and from the ancient Mayan days have held onto many spiritual practices. Intertwined through Catholicism is a strong thread of witchcraft.
"In contrast there is poverty, lawlessness, drug addiction, fatherlessness, violence – two extremes. The Bible speaks about the spirit of light and darkness, and it was physically evident. Despite this, God is moving through His church and fighting this battle. He backs their every step of faith".
Part 2
"In Mexico learning about the Kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness became a tangible reality for me. I could sense the spiritual darkness and witnessed the very real suffering it produced. I met families whose sons had been kidnapped, and others driven from their homes by drug cartels, forced to survive in the desert without shelter, clean water, or medical care.
"I also learned about a religious movement that is particularly popular among some members of the drug cartels. Although it incorporates Catholic imagery, it centres on a figure known as Santa Muerte (Holy Death), a skeletal female figure who the Catholic Church does not recognise as a saint and has repeatedly rejected.
"Many devotees seek her favour, protection, or success, believing they are accepted without judgment. Among some involved in organised crime, prayers and offerings are made in the hope of receiving protection while continuing lives marked by violence and drug trafficking. Seeing this helped me understand how spiritual deception can coexist with outward expressions of religion.
"Locals hold colourful festivals and processions honouring Santa Muerte. To an outsider, they can appear vibrant, joyful, and full of life. The contrast between the celebration and what it represented reminded me that darkness often disguises itself as light. The enemy rarely presents himself as evil; instead, he masquerades as something attractive, accepting, and life-giving, while leading people further from the true source of life found in Christ Jesus.
"Yet God is there. I saw humble volunteers step out in faith to serve these communities with the love of Christ. They preach the gospel, disciple families, build homes, run medical brigades, minister in rehabilitation centres and institutions, and care for women and children. Wherever the kingdom of darkness has established a foothold, the kingdom of God is advancing through His people.
"These volunteers are simply giving away what they have first received from Christ. Every act of obedience pushes back the darkness and makes room for the kingdom of God to advance. Without believers responding to God's call, darkness would continue to multiply, like compound interest. But I witnessed the opposite. I saw the light of Christ breaking into places of despair, changing lives for eternity, and revealing the immeasurable value of storing up eternal treasure where neither death nor darkness can destroy it.
"As I met these local people, I could see the unique beauty and God-given potential in each one. They were created with purpose, and I longed for them to know Jesus, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to become all that He created them to be. There is nothing more beautiful than a life surrendered to Christ, bringing glory to Him and Him alone.
"I think God gives glimpses of people and who they are created to be. The people look for something outside of themselves and turn to false religions and warped religious teaching. They need the truth to set them free.
"During the 12-week mission school in Mexico I learnt about the character of God with spiritual warfare being a strong topic. After, we all went on an outreach around Mexico and by ship to one isolated community.
"One of the highlights for me was visiting an indigenous community. The Seri people speak their own language, have their own flag, and live separately from mainstream Mexican society. We were incredibly privileged to be the first mission team invited into their village.
"The Seri people are known for their spiritual practices and rituals, and people travel from around the world just to see them. It was a real privilege to be welcomed into their community and share the love of Jesus with them.
"The main bilingual Pastor of the village has a massive task as this is tough spiritual ground. We hosted worship nights and church services. Every time so many of our group would get the most intense headaches. I had never experienced anything like that, and it always came when we were worshipping and praying to the one true God.
"During one house visit, the wife/mother told us she had a dream the night before that people from all over the world would be coming to her house to pray for her and her family. She cried when we arrived and in this one room lay her bedridden husband who couldn’t talk or move and looked like he had scales over his eyes. In another bed lay her son who had been involved in demonic rituals including cutting himself and was possessed. The wife/mother was desperate and wanted God to move and answer her prayers from her heart. During the prayer one of our group was given a word of knowledge which revealed the son had barbed wire entwined around his neck. We saw neither of them at that time completely set free or healed, but we saw the power of God working and coming against the darkness. What an eye opener for me, that God would send 7 people from different nations of the world to this one little room in this remote community in an isolated area of Mexico because He wanted to set the lady and her family free and bring light to the darkness. It was so real.
"God is on a mission, and because it is His mission, I want it to be mine too. Seeing God's light shine into dark places stirred something in my heart. I want to see more people come to know Jesus, because every life transformed brings glory to God and grows His Kingdom.
"There is so much need in Mexico, and there is still so much to do.
"What impacted me most was learning about the translation of the Bible into indigenous languages. Mexico has over 300 indigenous groups, many speaking only their own dialect. Yet only 13 languages have a complete Bible translation. It reminded me that God's heart is for every person to know Him, and He wants to speak to them in the language of their own heart.
"I was able to sit in on a Bible translation meeting and watch a group of dedicated people carefully discussing which words to use to translate Scripture into an indigenous language. It was incredible to see the care they took, knowing that every word mattered.
"I couldn't help but imagine people reading God's Word in their own language for the very first time. The same Word that has the power to bring hope, healing, and transformation would now be available to them in a way they could truly understand. It reminded me how important God's Word had been to me when I was struggling with illness. It strengthened my faith, gave me hope, and drew me closer to Him.
"The people live with such simplicity - the way they prioritise life and look out for each other, it’s so beautiful. I wondered if this was how God designed us to live originally. Even though they don’t have much money, fancy cars or cellphones they have life and a community purpose.
"Even though I had travelled from New Zealand to Mexico to attend the discipleship course, and taken a step of faith, I had no clear picture of where God wanted me to be. I felt I had jumped off a cliff in faith and trusted God would catch me. I can see now God wants me to be involved in translation work and has pulled that thread from my love of Spanish at university through to assist me in this area.
"After six months in Mexico, I returned to New Zealand for a year while God prepared me to go back. He filled my heart with love for the people and kept drawing me back to them. Through many confirmations, He made it clear that I was to return to Mexico. From then on, I viewed life differently. I wanted to live for what would last forever and invest my life in storing up eternal treasure.
"If the God of the universe was calling me to Mexico, then I knew I was walking in His will.
"I believe God is leading me to serve with the oral Bible translation team. This work is a long-term investment. It means spending time with communities, building relationships, walking alongside them, praying with them, and helping make God's Word available in a language they understand.
"My next step is to return as a volunteer, first to Guatemala for three months of intensive Spanish study. Then I will return to Mexico, trusting God to place me where He wants me to serve in the body of Christ. My prayer is that He will use my words to help people encounter His Word and reach the deepest places of their hearts.
"Where do you start? By simply taking the first step and trusting in God's grace for the next one.
"When I was told years ago that I would become a missionary, I said, "Not me." Today my answer is, "Yes, Lord. What a privilege." To be a small part of His redemptive plan and invest my life in what will last forever—eternal treasure”.