Mission Ministry

Mission Ministry

My name is Sheadon Ringor and I am called to mission ministry. I was raised in a strong Christian household. From as long as I can remember, attending church every Sunday with the family was mandatory, along with VBS and any other events our church put on. I got involved in my youth group as soon as I met the age requirement. Even though I was a bit rebellious through my junior and high school years, I still managed to be the president of a Christian club at my public school for two years, where an average of a hundred students met every week.

Although I was raised in a Christian home, very much involved in church and youth group, and president for two years at the Christian club, my faith hadn’t become real to me until the middle of my senior year in High School. Our youth group went on a short-term mission trip to Mexico, and it was there that I fell in love with Jesus and he gave me a glimpse of what I will be doing for the rest of my life: love God and love people.

The desire to be a full-time missionary was born during this mission trip to Mexico. But instead, I went to Biola University (Bible Institute of Los Angeles). During my time at Biola, I continued to visit and serve at an orphanage in Mexico every chance I got. During my sophomore year, and after much prayer and wise-council, I left to do mission ministry in Mexico.

I spent four years in Mexico. I spent most of my time at an orphanage in Tijuana and doing consistent street ministry throughout the week. Part of my ministry was taking kids off the street or supporting them in school. I started a ministry in the red-light district that helped street kids with schooling and basic medical necessities. (Testimony: Joaquin was thirteen when I first started helping him. He lived in a shack made of pieces of wood in the poorest area of Tijuana, he was also without education. Today, he is 19, continues to go to school and one of the main leaders at the orphanage while helping with numerous outreaches throughout Tijuana. I recently gave him the responsibility to help the kids that are in the street ministry that I’ve started. He was one of the first kids in the program and now he is leading it. His dream after school is to be a missionary).

After being involved in mission ministry in Mexico for four years, God made it clear to me to leave and head back to Kauai for a short period of time to take care of my responsibilities. I had $30,000 of student loans that God told me to pay off before heading back into the mission field. I had a financial plan to pay off my loans in five years, but instead, I paid it off within three years from working four different jobs at the same time.

Once I paid off my loans I knew God would call me back into the mission ministry field, but the exact location was unknown. All I knew for sure was that God was calling me elsewhere than Mexico and most likely somewhere in Africa or maybe India.

I recently came back from a short-term mission trip to India. God clearly closed that door as far as a full-time ministry. Within days of being in India, I got extremely sick from the pollution. Sadly, I had to return home early. I believe it was God’s way of saying, “Stick to Africa, Sheadon!”

Several months before I went to India, I went on a short-term mission trip to Kenya, working with widows and orphans. While there, God clearly spoke to me. He didn’t make it clear to me that the organization I spent time with while in Kenya would be where I should move to, but he confirmed my desire to move to Africa, which started eight years ago. After much prayer and wise counsel, I now serve in Africa as a full-time missionary with Iris Ministries Malawi.

I’ve been labeled a Christian my whole life but have actually been in love and walking with the LORD for about a decade. Today, I am more desperate for Jesus than ever. I am eager to study at Christian Leaders Institute to learn all I can about Jesus, ministry and serving in God’s kingdom. Every day, I wake up with Jesus and a cup of coffee, either in prayer, scripture, worship, devotional, journaling or all of the above. From moments of intimacy, I can walk out of my house in confidence of who I am in the Father’s eyes and live according to His Will throughout my day with the help of the Holy Spirit. My day is not complete unless it ends with spending time with the LORD. Every day, I fall deeper and deeper in love with my Savior and I am compelled to live for him and love others!

Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.