It was always my dream to become Miss America. Crazy? Maybe, but I loved competing in pageants! Singing, speaking, meeting new people, becoming a public servant, and representing a cause I believed in (my platform) thrilled my heart! I loved every minute (and if I got to wear a beautiful evening gown and crown, well, that was even better!) And so, for 19 years I competed in 45 pageants across the state and held titles at the local, regional, and state level. I even held two local titles in the Miss America Organization, which gave me the opportunity to compete in the Miss Alabama Pageant. I also met hundreds of amazing people, and became friends with many of the incredible young women I competed with who I still love, admire, and am blessed to call my friends.
At this point, you’re probably asking, “So how in the world did you become a missionary?!”
Well, I’m here to tell you – God has quite a sense of humor! One summer I was onstage in front of 5,000 people in a beautiful evening gown, gorgeous jewelry, and five-inch high heels competing for the title of Miss Alabama. Two summers later, I found myself in the middle of the most AIDS infected country in Africa, with no electricity or running water, wearing clothes that hadn’t been washed in at least a week, barefoot, sitting in the dirt and surrounded by orphans. They were filthy, hungry, diseased, and poverty stricken. They were also more beautiful than any crown I’d ever worn.
“We fall down, we lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus…”
– Chris Tomlin
I don’t know how He does it, but sometimes, God changes our dreams. Somehow, He knows our hearts, and He knows what will truly satisfy our souls. And somehow, when our hearts are willing, He takes our dreams and transforms them to match His dreams and His heart.
I graduated from Auburn University May 10th, 2007 with a degree in Communication. Just 16 days later I was in Swaziland, Africa. It was there that I fell in love with thousands of beautiful, desperate orphans who captured my heart.
“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
– Psalm 37:4
Two months later I was offered a job with AIM (Adventures in Missions) – serving as their Orphan Advocate! My job includes many things, but my favorites are speaking, singing, serving, meeting new people, and representing a cause I believe in – the fight to rescue those beautiful orphans I fell in love with.
Funny – that sounds a lot like my “job description” as a pageant titleholder (minus the glamorous gowns and crowns of course). Who knew that God could use beauty pageants as training for the mission field?!
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
– Isaiah 6:8
If so, please join us! To support us financially, just click the red “support me” link on the left. These funds will be used to provide for our needs as missionaries and are tax-deductible gifts. To commit to prayer or if you’d like more information, just click “contact me”. We look forward to hearing from you!
“So you want to change the world… what are you waiting for?”
– Natalie Grant
In HIS hands,
Ericka Jackson
