The dream of Elliot’s Bridge began long before it had a name.

It started 58 years ago at work, when my co-worker Linda told me that God loved me and had a plan for my life. Up to that point, I had no plans, no goals, and no direction. A few weeks later, I met Jesus, and everything changed. My thoughts, attitudes, and actions began to be transformed day by day.

 

​God surrounded me with incredible people who encouraged me, discipled me, and loved me well. I had a hunger and thirst for His Word and a deep desire to become more like the One who had redeemed me.

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Someone gave me the book Through Gates of Splendor, and I was profoundly impacted by the sacrifice of those young men who gave their lives for the kingdom of God. My prayer became simple: “Lord, if You can use me in even the smallest way to continue that vision of reaching a lost and broken world, I will go.”

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In my first Bible, I wrote a statement that I have carried into every Bible since: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” With that truth, I now had a focus, a goal, and a plan.

 

Ray soon became a central figure in my growth and discipleship. He taught me Scripture, introduced me to the works of wise Bible teachers, and helped me grasp the depth of grace and mercy — God’s free gifts to all who believe. Ray often reminded me, “God cleans His fish after He catches them,” a truth that has stayed with me to this day. Ray and I later married, and after seminary, we pastored for 10 years in a church that poured into us as much as we poured into them. Then, with our three small sons, we followed God’s call to Brazil with the IMB (International Mission Board) for 27 years. Those years in Brazil forever marked my faith. In the Northeast, we lived in a capital city with no other Americans, but God filled our loneliness with Brazilian brothers and sisters who labored beside us. We saw churches planted, leaders raised up, and lives changed by the power of Jesus. After 10 years, we moved to Rio, where Ray served in evangelism and led the translation of materials still in use today.

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The last decade of our ministry in Brazil was, for me, the culmination of the prayer I had prayed when I first met Jesus — to help impact a lost and broken world. My dear friend, veteran missionary Elizabeth Oates, asked me to join her in leading a three-year partnership between Tennessee churches and churches in Rio. That partnership grew into 10 years, during which more than 10,000 volunteers served. We witnessed
miracles, salvations, lives surrendered to ministry, churches planted, a rescue mission founded in downtown Rio, homes for street children established, and a community center built in the favelas. One community once known as Sem Esperança (“No Hope”) was transformed and renamed Esperança — “Hope.”

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After 18 years in Rio, Ray and I returned to the U.S. and joined the staff of a large church in Brentwood, Tennessee. For 15 years, I served in the Missions Department, helping to send more than 2,000 volunteers on short-term mission journeys across the globe. Many times, I had the privilege of leading those teams myself to places I never imagined I would go.

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Eventually, I knew it was time for the next step. As I shared with my children the vision of continuing to serve with global partners, their response was overwhelmingly positive. My daughter-in-law, who had served as a journeyman in Brazil, reminded me of the worldwide network God had already established and the many opportunities still ahead.

 

That conversation was the seed that grew into Elliot’s Bridge, our 501(c)(3) organization.

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The name Elliot’s Bridge is deeply personal. I believe our calling is to serve as a bridge — between lostness and purpose, darkness and light, brokenness and healing. Two truths have shaped my life: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” And the words of Elisabeth Elliot herself. During a women’s conference in Brazil, she stayed in our home for three days. Over a cup of tea, I asked her what truth had sustained her through both the good and the hard seasons. She simply said: “Do the next thing.”

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So that is what we are doing now — the next thing. With Elliot’s Bridge, we are continuing to focus on lostness wherever it may be found, and striving to be a bridge God can use to bring His hope to the world.