My Testimony

Hi! My name is Isabel Hertz. I was born in Fountain Valley California and grew up there till the age of ten. Ever since I could remember, my whole life has been about missions, serving others, and spreading the gospel. My first mission trip was with my family to Mexico when I was a toddler. There, my family built houses and worked with a local orphanage.

 

Around the age of seven, during the crash of 2009, my family was called to serve in the domestic mission field. We sold our five-bedroom house, all of our belongings, and moved into a small twenty-one-foot RV. We named that RV "Sabbath" and used it to travel across California serving amongst the homeless villages in the mountains, olive groves, and beaches.

 

I've known the Lord my whole life. Although I grew up surrounded by ministry, miracles, and the move of the Holy Spirit, my parents encouraged me to make my faith my own. 

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As a child my Mom used to ask me “have you invited Jesus into your heart?”, and four-year-old me would reply “no I don’t have to, he’s already there”. To which my Mom would say “but did you INVITE him in?”. At four years old, I didn't understand the difference. 

 

The more I grew in my faith, I began to realize that my relationship with the Lord is not based on the assumption that I am saved, or being around the church, or even the faith of my family.

 

Today I look back to that question my Mom asked me, “but did you INVITE Jesus in?”, and recognize that living my life for Christ means inviting him in every day. It means to invite him into my heart, my conversations, my daily walk; my whole life.

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My Mom and Dad, and the way they raised me, helped grow a passion in me for serving others, but the call of the Lord gave me a heart to serve the nations. The more I grew to know the Lord, the more I knew I wanted to serve on the mission field full-time, I wanted to serve the Lord with my whole life.

 

Over the course of my life, I've moved more times than the number of years I've been alive. It hasn't always been easy, but it's given me countless reasons to give God glory and pursue him wholeheartedly. 

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Since, I have graduated high school and began attending missionary training at Southeastern University. 

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I am incredibly grateful for every season, past and present, restful and difficult, that has and continues to prepare me for a life of missions. My testimony continues to grow, as does my relationship with the Lord.

 

My prayer now is to continue growing and learning in full pursuit of the Lord's heart.

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                                                                     Thank you for listening, xoxo - Isabel

 

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