From the North Dakota Prairie to a Village In South Africa:

Hi, I am Jackie Wyatt. I am a missionary wife to South Africa. I am a mother of three grown children who are now living in North Dakota. Two are married and the third one will be getting married this coming June.

I was born and raised in Northwood, North Dakota. My family attended several different churches, of different faiths while I was growing up, such as Methodist, Nazarene and Lutheran. At the age of 13 our family was invited to attend Bible Baptist Church in Grand Forks, ND. At first I didn't want to go. My brother and sister and I were attending the Nazarene church in Larimore, ND at the time and I felt that if my parents went to yet another church, they may attend for awhile, but then they would stop going and we wouldn't be able to go to church anymore. I liked going to church and didn't want their changing churches, to cause us to have to stop altogether.

But we ended up visiting Bible Baptist on a Sunday evening. The church was quite small then. The pastor's family actually lived in the building where they had services. It was different from anything I had ever heard before. The message was great, the people were very friendly, and there were girls my age there! There was lots that I liked. We started attending on Sunday evenings and I could tell that there was something different about these Christians. They seemed to have a faith that affected their whole life.

In July, they were having a youth camp. My parents gave permission for us to go. It was a great week just being around Christians for five whole days. But as I watched their lives I knew that I didn't have what they had. I wanted that and I also wanted to belong. So during the week, I made a profession of faith. Not a real one, but I wanted a testimony like everyone else had.

For the next four years, I tried to live the Christian life. Some of it was possible. But yet… the pull of the world was stronger then my tie to the church. God protected me from doing anything that would destroy my life, but He allowed me to see time and time again, that a non-Christian cannot live the Christian life for long. He continued to speak to me about my life and I began to listen.

On December 5th, 1972 at the age of seventeen, I sat in a morning worship service. Bro.Silcox preached a message on “Nothing but Leaves”. Having an outward show of being a Christian, but not having the fruit in your life. As I sat there and listened I knew he was describing my life. An outward show, but no real fruit, because there was no real salvation. As hard as it was, when the invitation was given, I could not be still. I had to walk down the aisle and tell a personal worker that I was not really saved and that I wanted to have the real thing. She showed me verses from the Scriptures and in repentance and faith, I asked the Lord to forgive me of my sin, of my pretending to be a Christian and to come into my heart and save me and He did! What a joy to know it is for real and to now have the Lord to help me live the Christian life instead of trying to do it within my own power. A week later I followed the Lord in scriptural baptism and started living the Christian life….. for real.

The following summer at camp I surrendered my life to the Lord for whatever He would want it for.

A year later He called the man I knew was His will for me to marry, to be a missionary in South Africa. We have now been in Africa for over 28 years. What a great God we serve, who can use a girl from the farm in North Dakota, to help reach people around the world!