Though she is still in high school, missions has been a priority in Beth Birchfield’s young life, and her work at home and abroad has earned her the recognition of 2014 Outstanding Alabama Baptist Missions Volunteer of the Year.
Beth, a homeschooled high school senior and a member of First Baptist Church, Montgomery, in Montgomery Baptist Association, said her parents, Andy and Tanya Birchfield, have had a tremendous influence on her faith and missions service.
“My passion for missions is a direct result of their sacrificial obedience to the Lord,” Beth said. “Through their love for serving God I have seen the power of obedience and the joy in missions.”
Serving orphaned children
The Birchfields were instrumental in founding Children’s Hope Orphanage in Jacmel, Haiti, which began to serve children orphaned after an earthquake devastated the island nation in January 2010.
Tanya Birchfield said it has been a blessing to see how God is shaping Beth and using her to influence the lives of others. Beth truly understands that missions work is an opportunity and an act of obedience.
“In our family we have tried to exemplify that being involved in missions is simply accepting the privilege that God gives us to be part of His work. If we truly believe that Christ redeemed us from our hopelessness then our response will not only be to get involved in serving but to live a missions-minded lifestyle. Beth gets this concept,” Tanya said.
Beth, who plans to attend college and then medical school, felt God calling her to medical missions after a missions trip to Haiti.
“I fell in love with being a part of God’s healing ministry by meeting spiritual and physical needs,” she said. “Ultimately my goal is to become a doctor and serve full time in Haiti.”
For now, however, Beth is learning on the job. She has been to Haiti 15 times since 2010, serving in medical missions, outreach and orphan care. One of her short-term goals is to become fluent in the Haitian Creole language. She was most recently in Haiti in November.
In addition to her work in Haiti, Beth’s missions work also has taken her abroad to Moldova and Zimbabwe as well as to Colorado and New York. In June she spoke at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Baltimore about her work in Haiti.
Chip Colee, minister of music at First, Montgomery, has worked with Beth on choir trips and local missions projects and nominated her for the missions volunteer award. Despite her youth Beth “has accepted God’s calling as a Great Commission Christian and (her) life embodies the gospel-sharing strategy outlined in Acts 1:8,” Colee said.
Beth’s pastor, Jay Wolf, said her commitment to missions sets an example for other young people.
“Beth authentically personifies a Christ-follower who does the Great Commandment and the Great Commission,” Wolf said. “She is a living portrait of a student who fully follows Christ in every way.”
Joy Schwindling, one of the directors for the Children’s Hope mission house, said Beth works tirelessly with the children, teaching them English, leading Bible studies and playing with them.
‘Good Christian influence’
“Having Beth here, I know I can depend on her to do whatever is needed and to be a good Christian influence on the children and teenagers,” Schwindling said.
One important truth Beth has learned is that missions cannot be confined to a certain place or time. Instead it’s a passion and a way of life she embraces.
“There is no greater way to show people who God is than by loving people. Specifically in missions, the Lord has given me a heart for children and the people of Haiti.
“I have discovered that there is no greater joy than worshipping God through obedience to Him by giving myself as a living sacrifice for the gospel to be heard,” Beth said. “I am constantly amazed that the Lord allows us to be a part of His plan of making His name known throughout the nations. I am in love with our great God, and the only appropriate response is obedience in missions.”
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