My Testimony and Calling
My name is Amber Yingling. I was raised in a Christian family. I was saved at a young age; I grew up as a missionary kid. My family was missionaries to American Samoa. When we returned to the states in 2001 my dad began his ministry with Baptist International Outreach. As a teenager I began to doubt my salvation. I was about 14 years old when I made sure of my salvation. I was baptized soon after. I surrendered my life to the Lord when I was around 15 years old. I told the Lord I would go anywhere He wanted me to go. While I was in college at Pensacola Christian College there was a Filipino national pastor that came and spoke about the children living in the dumps in the Philippines. A seed was planted in my heart.
I had to come home from Pensacola Christian College for financial reasons after two and half years. A year and half later my mom went home to be with the Lord. During these times the Lord gave me a verse that has become my life and ministry verse. Titus 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” This verse encouraged me; it reminds me that I will see my mother again and the Lord Jesus Christ. I rest in this amazing hope. Now I want to give this Hope to the Hopeless. There are so many people around the world with no hope at all. Some are lost in the death of their loved ones, many are homeless having not even the basic necessities of life—food and water. They are alienated from God because of sin. They are hopeless! The Lord has given me a vision for reaching the hopeless, especially the women and children, with the blessed hope that I have found in Titus 2:13. This is the hope that they can have: that the Creator of the world loves them and that He died for them and rose again making a way for them to be reconciled to their Creator, that He is coming back for them soon, and that from now on He will be their sufficiency! Ever since the Lord confirmed this in my heart I began to seek Him as to where He would have me share this hope.
God used a mission trip that I took with my dad in 2017 to Indonesia and the Philippines and a survey trip in 2019 to the Philippines to give me a practical focus for my vision. I know the Lord is leading me to give His hope in the Philippine Islands. I spent four weeks with the Kevin and Jo Ann Trout on the Island of Mindanao, but God used circumstances to get me where He actually wanted me for the last week of my trip. I was supposed to be with Chris and Carol Woodley and Nap and Shirley Donado for my last week in the Philippines. I ended up in Lipa City on the Island of Luzon with Pastor Rusty and Baby Lita Ocampo. It was just one week, but it seemed like I had been there my whole life. I have never had such a hard time leaving a place before. I struggled and begged God to allow me to stay longer, but the time came to come home. As the plane took off and the city lights began to disappear, I asked the Lord to assure me that I will go back. I believe the Lord did give me this assurance. About a week after I had returned, Pastor Rusty invited me to come and serve with them for my first term as a missionary. I will be learning the language (Tagalog), the culture, and the people as I serve in their children outreach programs and daily Bible studies.
The Lord has called me to give Hope to the Hopeless no matter the cost, and I believe that this will be in the Philippines in His timing.
I had to come home from Pensacola Christian College for financial reasons after two and half years. A year and half later my mom went home to be with the Lord. During these times the Lord gave me a verse that has become my life and ministry verse. Titus 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” This verse encouraged me; it reminds me that I will see my mother again and the Lord Jesus Christ. I rest in this amazing hope. Now I want to give this Hope to the Hopeless. There are so many people around the world with no hope at all. Some are lost in the death of their loved ones, many are homeless having not even the basic necessities of life—food and water. They are alienated from God because of sin. They are hopeless! The Lord has given me a vision for reaching the hopeless, especially the women and children, with the blessed hope that I have found in Titus 2:13. This is the hope that they can have: that the Creator of the world loves them and that He died for them and rose again making a way for them to be reconciled to their Creator, that He is coming back for them soon, and that from now on He will be their sufficiency! Ever since the Lord confirmed this in my heart I began to seek Him as to where He would have me share this hope.
God used a mission trip that I took with my dad in 2017 to Indonesia and the Philippines and a survey trip in 2019 to the Philippines to give me a practical focus for my vision. I know the Lord is leading me to give His hope in the Philippine Islands. I spent four weeks with the Kevin and Jo Ann Trout on the Island of Mindanao, but God used circumstances to get me where He actually wanted me for the last week of my trip. I was supposed to be with Chris and Carol Woodley and Nap and Shirley Donado for my last week in the Philippines. I ended up in Lipa City on the Island of Luzon with Pastor Rusty and Baby Lita Ocampo. It was just one week, but it seemed like I had been there my whole life. I have never had such a hard time leaving a place before. I struggled and begged God to allow me to stay longer, but the time came to come home. As the plane took off and the city lights began to disappear, I asked the Lord to assure me that I will go back. I believe the Lord did give me this assurance. About a week after I had returned, Pastor Rusty invited me to come and serve with them for my first term as a missionary. I will be learning the language (Tagalog), the culture, and the people as I serve in their children outreach programs and daily Bible studies.
The Lord has called me to give Hope to the Hopeless no matter the cost, and I believe that this will be in the Philippines in His timing.