First Person: Trip to the Ukraine was my ‘uttermost’

As a young girl, my heart’s desire was to someday become a missionary. When I take the time to look back at my life, I can see where I would pick up something else and make it the priority of my life and forget the tugging at my heart. I felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit and tried from time to time to make amends for not becoming the missionary that I so wanted to be. The hunger to reach out to others with a message from Christ never left me.

Diane Norris

After a number of secular jobs, a failed marriage, and more wrong decisions, the hunger hit again, and this time I was allowed to make my dream – the yearning of my heart – come true. I was on my way to the Ukraine!

I have been blessed to make three trips to the Ukraine with Master’s Mission. Each time I came home with a greater desire to go back.

Life sometimes takes turns that we do not plan. For me, it was a stroke on Aug. 20, 2005. Since then, I have not worked at my job with the hospital system, where I had been for 15 years. I hope that my health will improve so that I will be able to make another trip to the Ukraine.

I was so blessed by other people – people who could not make these trips – to supply the funds. All three trips I have been on were paid for primarily by the doctors and nurses and other workers at the hospital. Some of the funds were given by members of my church family.

It would take too long to tell everything that happened on our trips, but the events were impressive. To see a teenage girl and a man in his 80s accept the Lord in the same service brought tears of great joy and praise to the King of Kings for letting this happen before our eyes. It will never be forgotten. Heaven came down on the Ukraine!

A team went to the Ukraine in January to take JOY boxes (JOY is an acronym for Jesus, Others, and You). This year, there were more than 9,000 of these boxes, and seeing the faces of the children receiving them was something wonderful to behold.

I was 54 years old when I finally made my first mission trip. I am now 60 years old, and I pray that my health will improve and that God will allow me another trip to my “uttermost” – the Ukraine.

Norris is a member of Beulah Baptist Church, Fountain Inn.