My life has been kind of like a tapestry, God’s tapestry – everything done with a purpose in mind.
Neill, Gabi, Colleen, Margit and Ana Mims enjoy a family outing.I was born in Germany to a German single mother. Until age 5, I lived in an orphanage. Then an American military family adopted me and my younger half-sister. We settled in West Columbia, where I grew up and began going to a local church.
God used my new family to help mold me into who I am today. Through the influence of my mom and dad and my home church, I grew to know that God loved me and had a plan for my life. Little did I know that he would take me to the ends of the world.
I grew up going to Girls In Action (GAs), a girls’ mission group at my church. I heard about missionaries and how they were spreading God’s love all over the world. This always intrigued me.
When I was 11, I went to GA camp, and it changed my whole life. Through the testimony of a missionary, I knew that God was calling me into foreign missions. I wanted to be one of those people who went to a foreign land to tell others about God’s love. I asked Jesus into my heart that summer and grew in Christ every day after.
As I grew older, I became anxious about this call that God had given me. I actually was running from this call. I thought, “How can God use such an inadequate person like me?” I found out that God is a very persistent God, and he just kept pursuing me. Finally, I knew that I would have to submit to his will. I told God I would go where he wanted me to go.
Coy and Marie Jones, Margit Mims’ adoptive parents; Stephen (Colleen’s birth brother); and Margit with her daughters, Colleen, Gabi and Ana (front row, left to right) enjoy a family visit together.I became a nurse during this waiting period, continuing to grow in my spiritual walk. Then God brought Neill into my life. After serving a two-year term in Seoul, South Korea, Neill knew that God had called him to international missions. Neill wanted a wife whom God had already called, too. We dated and married within six months, and started our journey toward the pursuit of international mission work.
We served seven years working in Southeast Asia and then felt the call to move to South Asia six years ago.
It has been an exciting journey with many peaks and valleys – times of crying out to the Lord to sustain us and times of praising him for his constant presence in our lives. He has always been faithful to us.
Neill and I have three daughters – Ana, 11; Colleen, 10; and Gabriela, 10. Colleen is my niece, whom we adopted more than four years ago. We wanted to find ways our three girls could also get involved in ministry. One of the first ministries we began when we moved to South Asia was giving out “beggar bags.” Seeing poverty always around us and feeling helpless in meeting all the needs, our family decided to touch those we could. We started filling bags with crackers, juice, raisins, peanuts and tracts to give out to the numerous beggars who approached us. This is a tangible way our family can reach out and help someone in the name of Jesus.
Habakkuk 2:14 states our vision, which is that the glory of God would cover the earth as the waters cover the sea!
Mims serves with her husband Neill, who is regional strategy associate for the South Asia region of the International Mission Board.