Where Are They Now: GA April Curtis

When April Curtis was a GA at Cuthbert First Baptist Church in Georgia, she had no idea the plans God had for her and her family. But He was already preparing her heart for what was to come.

“I loved learning about the missionaries,” April says. “It taught me how important missionary work is and how we need to pray for missionaries.”

She recalls going to camp one year and hearing directly from missionaries. “I have such great memories of that time,” she says. “It was great to know these missionaries are real people, and God can call anyone to be missionary, either at home or in another country. It also helped me be more comfortable with the idea of being a missionary. It made it exciting!”

When April turned 11, life as she had always known it changed: Her parents answered God’s call to become missionaries in South America. “My family is nothing special, but God called us to be missionaries. Being in GA was a way God prepared me for being a missionary kid (MK) in the future,” she shares.

April was excited to be an MK, just like the ones she read about in GA, but it was still a season of growth in her life. “It is not easy being away from family and your culture. That was the hardest thing for me as an MK,” says April. “Thankfully, I know people were praying for me.”

Today, April and her family have woven missions into the fabric of their lives. They are settled in a low-income community near Nashville in a home refurbished by their church, specifically so they can minister to the community.

April says their ministry includes care for widows, after-school care for children, free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, and monthly workdays for others in the area to help beautify the community. “Missions groups from all over the country come here as well to serve,” she shares.

April continues to see the importance of missions discipleship for children and adults. In college, she helped teach a GA group, and now she disciples her own children as a homeschooling mom.

She says missions discipleship helps teach that you can share your faith, no matter where you are. She adds that it helps remind people to pray for missionaries and Christians all over the world: “What a privilege it is to be involved in God’s work!”

April shares that her children are learning about many missionaries, like Jim Elliot and Amy Carmichael, through their homeschooling curriculum, as well as different parts of the world and their need for Jesus. It has sparked their imaginations, like her own time in GA: “My daughter even said these studies made her want to be a missionary!”

April encourages other GA leaders with these words: “What you’re doing is so important! You may have future missionaries in your class or maybe mothers of missionaries. Learning about what God is doing all over the world is so beneficial to these girls and their worldview. People all over the world are in desperate need of the saving knowledge of the gospel, and you are teaching girls to care about that. Keep on keeping on! Know the work you are doing is kingdom work!”