Susie Hilton is one of our newest members, and I recently had the blessing of sitting down
with her to learn about her incredible time as a missionary in both Hong Kong and India. I’d
like for you to hear Susie’s story as well, so for this month’s newsletter, I’m sharing an
interview I did with her.

Susie, please tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up and go to school?
I grew up in Wingate, NC. Wingate is a small college town outside Charlotte that most people
only know about as one of the small towns they drive through on the way to the beach. I studied
Cross-Cultural Studies at Toccoa Falls College and later attended the University of Richmond for
post-graduate studies.

You shared with me that you served as a missionary in both Hong Kong and India. How did
the Lord lead you to serve in those two places?
As a child growing up in North Carolina, I developed an interest in learning about different
cultures. Through Girls in Action (GAs), I learned about Lottie Moon and Amy Carmichael, who
became my early role models. My aunt further nurtured this curiosity by taking me to
JAARS/Wycliffe, where I learned about Bible translation and had the privilege of spending time
with missionaries on home assignment. These experiences allowed me to hear firsthand
accounts of how God was working in diverse communities around the world. I was captivated by
the richness of various cultures and the powerful ways God used ordinary people with diverse
skills and talents to do extraordinary things. I was inspired by these stories, and I envisioned
myself working in a village orphanage one day.

Fast forward to high school, and I felt a persistent pull to do more. When my church offered a
trip to India, I eagerly seized the opportunity. At 17, my life was forever changed by the people I
met in those two weeks. I experienced God in ways I had never experienced Him before. The
people I met in that small village in India, with their passion and love for God, lit a fire in me. I
was overwhelmed and eager to jump in, but I was 17 and a senior in high school. Right then, I
would have given up everything and stayed. The night before we left, I was crying out to God,
overwhelmed with a desire to serve. I was struggling to understand why God would light this fire
in me just to go back home and return to school to study and play basketball. It all seemed so
trivial. I was reading Isaiah chapter 6 and calling out to God for comfort.

Isaiah 6:8 became a guiding promise in my life. God asked Isaiah, “Who shall I send, who will go
for us?” and Isaiah answered God’s call with, “Here I am; send me.” I prayed earnestly for God
to send me immediately, but instead, He gently reminded me I needed to go home and finish
school. I often found myself repeating this prayer over the years: “Send me; I will go,”
envisioning a life dedicated to working in a remote village in India. However, God didn’t send me
to teach children in an orphanage. Instead, He sent me to unexpected places—Nepal, the
bustling city of Hong Kong, where I taught elementary school and volunteered with refugees,
and finally back to India seven years later, where I found myself working with Fortune 500
companies instead of children. Most recently, God has brought me here to Bethel Baptist
Church. Bethel has already been an answer to my prayers.

Over the years, one of my heartfelt prayers has been to find a community where I could grow
deeper in my faith. While many verses and passages in the Bible resonate with me, Isaiah 6:8
remains a constant reminder that I need to be willing to follow God’s call. When I feel lost or
overwhelmed, He gently reminds me that I just need to say to the opportunities before me.

I don’t have to fret about the how or the when; instead, I can trust that He will provide direction,
support, and the right people to challenge and teach me as I serve Him.

What have you learned about God through your missionary work? What have you learned
about people?
Through my missionary work, I have learned that God is immense, alive, active, creative, and
constant. He is the one who does the work; I am privileged to witness it. My experiences have
revealed to me a profound truth about humanity: regardless of our backgrounds, beliefs, or
circumstances, we all share the same fundamental needs. We need and desire a relationship
with God and the unique joy that only He can provide.

Time and time again, I have seen that nothing is impossible with God, and I know that sounds
like a cliché, but the most content and joyful people I know have lived the hardest lives and have
suffered so much from the world. Yet, they love God and worship Him with a genuineness and
depth that is indescribable.

When we strive to serve others, we will never be fulfilled. We will be disappointed and
frustrated. We will never complete the task because the needs around us are overwhelming, and
we will always fall short, physically or emotionally. What I have learned—and am continuing to
learn, as I often need God’s reminders—is that when we serve God, we will not be defeated by
our shortcomings or the shortcomings of those we partner with. We will not be discouraged; we
will not be pulled in multiple directions.

When I first went overseas as a missionary, I thought I was going to be the hands and feet of
Jesus and serve people wherever God led me. I learned that God did not call me to serve others;
He called me to serve Him. When I focus on serving God rather than serving others, I do not
become overwhelmed. I am energized rather than being drained. We are all broken, we are all
sinners, we are all selfish, and we all need God’s loving grace and provision. I love helping
people, and I love teaching, and I am thankful that God allows me to serve Him through these
gifts. My prayer continues to be “Here I am, send me,” and I pray that I will be a living testimony
of God’s love and truth.

I’d like to thank Susie for the privilege of interviewing her for this article. There were a couple
of things that really stuck with me—her reminder that we are all called to serve Christ and
keep Him at the center of our lives, and her challenge to always be ready to say, “Here I am,
Lord, send me.” Let’s take that to heart—listening for Christ’s voice and following His call,
wherever He leads. I’m so grateful that God has brought Susie to Bethel. I know she’ll be a
blessing to our church and I pray we’ll be a blessing to her. I pray God will continue to bless
Susie. May God bless you, your family, and may God continue to bless Bethel Baptist Church.

Amen.