Welcome!!!

Welcome to my blog, Living the Call!

To start, I'll give you a little background to who I am & what I'm doing.

My name is Alicia Crabtree. I am 25 years old & live in Atlanta, IL, where I was born & raised. I am a member of the Atlanta Christian Church. I am a Registered Nurse & work in the NICU at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, IL.

To make a long story short, I'll start about two years ago. I was at a point in my life where I had everything I thought I wanted. I was happy, but I felt like something was missing. So, I began actively seeking God's call for me. Almost immediately after turning over my wants & surrendering my life to His will for me, I got an answer. God was telling me to serve Him on the mission field. I knew this calling was from Him because never in a million years did I ever think I would be a missionary. In fact, growing up & hearing about mission work, I knew I would never be a missionary. The thought of leaving my family & everything I knew was not a pleasant thought & not something I wanted to do. But now, God was calling me to do just that.

I started by researching & learning about what it means to be a missionary. I felt a strong pull to children & orphans, so I looked into orphanages & orphan ministries. A couple months after starting this journey, I was approached by Brian Siltman one Sunday after church & he asked me if I would want to go on a medical mission trip to Thailand. Without hesitation, I said yes. I thought if anything, this trip would be good experience for me to know if mission work was truly where God was calling me.

The Mission Team from Atlanta Christian Church traveled to Thailand October 16th-26th, 2009. During this time, we set up several medical clinics in the villages around Chiang Mai. (You can read more about the trip at www.accmission.blogspot.com)

Within the first few days of this trip, I knew without a doubt that it was my calling from God to serve on the mission field. More than that, I knew that God was calling me to serve in Thailand. I spoke with the Mission Team about this while we were in Thailand. After returning home, I continued to pray & seek guidance about it.

After being home & continuing to seek & listen to what God was calling me to do, I continued to believe that it is His will for me to be a missionary & to serve in Thailand. On Sunday, April 25, 2010, I announced that when the ACC Mission Team returns to Thailand on February 3, 2011, I will be moving there.

I have been working with Stephen & Mary Wongratanamajcha, who live in Chiang Mai. They are currently building a Christian Gospel Center in Chiang Mai, where I will be living with their family. The Gospel Center is a multi-purpose location where church services, camps, & other ministries will be held. I will be helping with the Women's Ministry, teaching English for the Children's Ministry, & providing some medical care.

That's my journey the past two years up to today. It's been extremely humbling and amazing to surrender my own selfish wants & to see what God has called me to. I know it won't always be easy, but with God in control, everything is possible!

Check back for updates & to continue on this journey with me!

Alicia