Ryan Aikins

Ryan Aikins is currently the Youth Minister at Inola Christian Church (ICC), a small church in Inola, OK. Ryan is 31 years old, has a wife, Heidi, who is 27, and they have two kids, Brooklyn age 2, and Hudson age 6. Heidi is an elementary school teacher, and teaches at Hudson's school. However, they both have decided to sell everything, and move to Manzanillo, Mexico to Become Missionaries and serve the Lord. However, maybe we should look at the story leading up to this.

In the year 2004, Ryan was the Youth Minister at ICC when he and wife decided to become missionaries in china. It started with a mission's presentation about Missions in China. Ryan said he felt something "stirred" inside of him. They looked into it, researched it, and prayed A LOT about it, and decided to go over. They had a very interesting time raising support and selling their possessions. Money seemed to come from nowhere and people who they knew were going "from paycheck to paycheck" were committing to monthly Support. Finally, when they had raised the support and completed the preliminary training.

While they were there, they learned that Culture shock comes in waves. Sometimes you feel really good, and you're in the honeymoon or tourist stage. Other times, you feel like trash and you want to throw in the towel and give up. Ryan told me of one time when he was talking to some friends back home on the phone, they mentioned that they were going to watch Transformers together. There are all kinds of little things that you don't realize you're giving up when you decide to go overseas. He said it was like transplanting a Plant. You remove the roots from the soil and at first you have no soil at all, then you land in your new home, but it still takes time for the roots to grow into the soil and become strong and solid like they were before.

After 3 months however, they were faced with a major set back. Their young daughter Brooklyn was suffering from some sort of breathing disorder. After visiting the hospital in China, they determined they would have to go back to the states for her treatment. The doctors in the US said it was pollution related. She would be unable to recover if she went back to China. This left them with a tough decision. Stay in China to serve the Lord and risk harming their daughter further? Or Go back to the states to save their daughter, and "abandon" the kingdom work in China?

They returned to the states. Ryan doesn't think God required him to work right there in that particular spot. However, even after returning to the states and returning to ICC as the youth Minister, they still felt a passion for overseas missions. While they put 100% into what they were doing here, they desperately wanted to go to another country to serve the Lord, and even more-so after their "failure".

This past summer, they took their Youth Group to Manzanillo Mexico on a short-term mission trip. After that, and the recent National Missionary Convention (along with LOTS more prayer) they have felt God Calling them towards Mission work there. They are starting even now to make arrangements, and will begin raising support full-time this coming February 2009.

I asked Ryan What I should do if I were to feel God calling me towards overseas missions. He said there are 2 major things. The first and most important thing is to continue to grow spiritually. When you are working harder to advance the kingdom, Satan will try harder to stop you. Therefore, grow ever closer to the Lord Jesus, and become stronger in your faith so you will be ready for the trials WHEN they come, and they will.

The second major thing is to make networks early on. You want to have connections whenever you go looking for a team or even to raise support. Its one thing to get assigned to a team with a bunch of people you may wind up not getting along with. However, imagine if your two best friends and their spouses, along with your wife, were your team. That would be much more fun, much more practical, and much more productive. The main thing is, in any situation, Trust in the Lord.