About Us

Alicia's Story

One Sunday evening Donnie McDonald came to speak at a small church in New Bern, NC. In the audience that night was a young lady who had been desperately seeking a job after college to no avail. As she sat and listened to the missionary tell of Japan, she recalled the promise she had made years before to follow God wherever he would lead. Could he be calling her to be faithful to that promise now?

After the service, Donnie was surrounded by people wanting to hear more exotic stories of the Far East. Alicia wanted to ask him some questions, but the crowd around him was large. She decided to leave because he was obviously busy. Just then he called out to her, "Hi there, What are you doing with your life?" The question seemed to be the same one that she had been asking for 2 years while searching for employment. She said, "I'm looking for work with my computer degree." He was quick to answer. "We have a need for computer teachers in Japan. Would you think about coming?"

As she left that night she understood that God was reminding her of the commitment she made to him. Three months later she was on a plane for Japan.

Josh's Story

Upon returning from a summer in France, Josh realized that working in the realm of Missions was his ultimate goal. He was looking forward to serving with the international board of his denomination and as a result was moving to Chicago to complete an internship. This move was not easy. Chicago is a difficult place to carve out a church for Christ. By late-July the city had worn down Josh's resolve and left him feeling as if he might have bitten off more than he could chew.

Thoughts of quitting and going back home to the sunny South came often. These thoughts seemed loudest when he was sitting on a crowded CTA bus, waiting for his stop. Though every time they would come, there was a gentle nudging that it was going to be alright. The words of Pastor David Potete rang through, "Quitting is not an option!"

Josh made it through. He was reminded time and time again that there was purpose to the events in life and it was truly going to be alright. During the transitional time in Chicago, he discovered a land that was unknown beforehand. A friend at church had just returned from Japan and shared with him the need that existed there and convinced him there was a part that he could play.

The Stories Join Together

When Alicia arrived in Japan, she was aided greatly by her roommate named Shannon Little. Shannon had been in the country for a year and served as a priceless resource for Alicia during her time there. Shannon's sweet spirit and great sense of humor kept Alicia from losing her mind while making the transition into Japanese culture. The two girls hit it off and before long were best friends.

When Shannon's time in Japan came to a close, Alicia found it hard to tell her friend goodbye, but she knew she would be returning soon. Shannon was headed to Wheaton College Graduate School in Wheaton, IL to get her Masters degree in Intercultural Studies. After getting her degree, she would return to Japan to serve as a career missionary.

Shannon arrived in Wheaton and began attending the Northwest Church in Chicago. It was the same church that Josh was attending to complete his internship and the two hit it off right away. As she described Japan and the need for workers there, Josh felt a desire to participate. He began to pray for the country and the believers. These conversations with Shannon played a crucial role in helping Josh decide on his future in missions.

One Sunday while hanging out after church, Shannon was showing Josh some of her pictures from Japan. As he flipped through the album, he came across Alicia and she really caught his eye. He asked Shannon about this attractive missionary and Shannon suddenly had an idea. With a little urging, she talked Josh into emailing Alicia. Shannon, the match-maker par excellence, corresponded with both Josh and Alicia until they finally emailed back and forth for a few weeks until Alicia came home for Christmas and flew through Chicago. There in the winter of 2004, they met for the first time in person.

The emailing continued and eventually upgraded to instant messaging online. Upon arriving home from their internships, they began to talk over the phone and the relationship gained a solid foundation. A year later on May 28, they were married on the banks of the Bogue Sound in North Carolina.

They are currently in their second year of marriage and are on deputation to raise funds for their first term of career missions in Japan.