Shara's Story

I went on my first mission trip to Nome, Alaska to honor my father, who had just passed away, and to praise God. I found a feeling of being a part of something way bigger than myself.  We were bringing people from all walks of life and areas together to work as one for God.  Step outside of your comfort zone.  It will change your life.


Local Missions

I began in local missions work here at Berea Baptist Church. I began working with Dinners in a Bag which provided groceries to local community members who were experiencing food insecurity.  After the conclusion of that ministry, I began working with the NC Baptists through their Dental Bus program.  The mobile dentistry office allowed our congregation, in conjunction with the North Carolina Baptists, to reach people who had an unfilled need for dental care.  We provided no cost service to local veterans and uninsured community members once a year for several years. 

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I then got involved with Operation Christmas Child and Backpacks for Appalachia.  Each of these organizations fills a similar role, Operation Christmas Child provides shoeboxes of school supplies, medical supplies, and toys to underprivileged children around the globe, and Backpacks for Appalachia provides backpacks of school supplies, gifts, and snack foods for underprivileged students in the KY/VA/WV areas of the Appalachian Coal Mine areas of the country.

Living a Life of Missions

Going on mission trips made me realize that I had done similar work in conjunction with my job on Type 1 and Type 2 Incident Management Teams with the Department of Forestry.  I had helped families that had their homes and businesses damaged or destroyed by fire and natural disasters.


I went to Nome to honor my father, who had just passed away, and to praise God. I found a feeling of being a part of something way bigger than myself.  We were bringing people from all walks of life and areas together to work as one for God.  Step outside of your comfort zone.  It will change your life.


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