Denise Troyer

Missionary Intern to Colombia, South America

I am very thankful to have grown up in a Christian home with parents who love the Lord and raised me in church. When I was very young, my mom told me about Jesus and how He died for me and I prayed to accept Him into my heart. As I got older, I had some doubts about my salvation because I could not remember all of the details about that prayer. At the age of about 11 or 12, I found a lot of peace in Ephesians 2:8-9. I realized that all I had to do was trust in Jesus alone to save me from my sins. I knew that there was nothing that I could ever do to add or take away from the sacrifice that He had made on my behalf. I found assurance of my salvation and the peace that can only come from trusting Christ.

In 2020 I started working at the Boise Rescue Mission and have loved my job there. God has taught me so much about human nature and meeting people right where they’re at; showing them grace while still holding very firm boundaries.  About 3 years ago we had some ladies come to the shelter straight from Peru.   They only spoke Spanish and struggled to communicate with the staff.  Even though my Spanish was pretty basic at the time, I started working with them and helping them as much as possible.  God used this to spark a desire for me to study Spanish again (I had learned the basics in school).  I continued working with these ladies and started studying Spanish in my free time.

Then last year I had the opportunity to go to Guatemala for a Spanish immersion program.  As I was heading down there I had a lot of uncertainties about what I would be doing and how I would be able to serve and work in ministry.  But God was so faithful and worked in so many ways that I could’ve never planned on my own.  I was even able to go do a medical missions trip to Colombia/ Peru in the middle of my time there.

After 5 months I returned to the states and spent some time with my family and then moved back to Idaho.  I returned to my job at the Boise Rescue Mission not sure where God would lead me in the future.  I still loved my job there but I also had the sense that God was moving me on to something different.  He has given me a love for the people of South America and with more time and prayer it has become more and more clear to me that He is calling me to overseas missions.  My heart is specifically for the Amazon region.

I am prayerfully moving forward and hoping to be back in South America soon, if the Lord allows.  I would like to spend some time reinforcing the Spanish that I have learned and also build on that foundation.  I know quite a few missionaries in Medellin, Colombia, and I think that would be a great place to start, learn, and serve.  But eventually, I am hoping to move to the Amazon region and work with the people there.