Mrs. Marjolein Guerisma

In the life of every Christian there is a turning point of choosing to make one’s faith personal. Even though I grew up in the Netherlands, in a Christian home and committed my life to Christ at some point along the way, that turning point really took place in my early twenties. After many conversations with loved ones and studying God’s word I decided to trust the Lord fully with my life and got baptized. My long-time thought of getting baptized was always put on hold by wrongfully thinking “I had to be a perfect Christian first.” Understanding that baptism is a public declaration of my commitment to fully follow God, has set me free in my relationship with Christ, knowing that He can use me for His glory! And He can use broken and imperfect people for His perfect plan!

Shortly after that moment of surrender, I could start seeing God’s new direction for my life. He started using my passions and desires for His glory.
I met my wonderful husband while in Haiti on a mission trip, and all the things the Lord has taught us on the road to where we are today, are a huge testimony of His goodness and faithfulness!

I got the opportunity to serve as a teacher to the children of a missionary couple in Haiti for 1,5 year. This really taught me to rely on the Lord. I had the chance to learn the culture and language of my husband while doing what I’m passionate about: teaching to contribute to spiritual, educational and personal growth in students.

After this influential time in my life, the Lord kept putting me and my husband in situations where trusting Him was constantly being practiced. Every time when uncertainty hit, we could rely on knowing one thing to be true: God is not surprised by any of this and He will provide a way out!

When I immigrated to the United States in 2013, I struggled a lot to find purpose and fulfillment, since my type of visa did not allow me to work. I’ve learned over time that my identity is not in what I do but in who God created me to be. God provided so much peace along the way and many opportunities through volunteer work to grow and find fulfillment. I’m so grateful for all the experiences God has used in my life so far and I’m so excited to be back working with children!

The Lord has blessed us with two beautiful children; Tesorah and Benaiah. We love worshipping with our church family at Highland Community Church where I serve as the MOPS (Moms Of PreSchoolers) Ministry Coordinator and on the Worship Team.