Today we’d like to introduce you to Susan Dixon
Susan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Faith Journeys was founded in 2015 out of a desire to disciple people in Christ. We believe saying YES to Jesus is critical and transformative step of faith, but it is only step 1 of a journey. Unfortunately, we’ve found that step 1 is typically where most Christians stay; not because they want to but because they haven’t been shown what a relationship with Christ can look like. Often, we make the Christian faith about following rules and behaving how we believe we are supposed to, but true devotion to faith comes when we realize we were created with a purpose by a God who loves us more than we could ever imagine.
Personally, I did not become a Christian until my early 20’s and even then, it was not something I made a priority in my life or a value system I used to make my decisions. By age 23, I was a divorced single mother who had made some poor choices in life and I decided it was time to make my faith a more serious thing. In my pain, Jesus became my refuge. I spent a lot of time reading about Him, studying his Word, and I started to realize I must be pretty valuable to this Jesus for Him to make the kind of sacrifices He made for me. And for you. Vocationally, I was initially employed by a local theme park to help bring tourist groups from all over the world here to Orlando and after more than a decade, I chose to leave that role to become an Associate Pastor at our Church. I spent several years learning under some amazing mentors while helping to facilitate volunteer opportunities locally and globally. When I left there, it was to become the Founder of Faith Journeys.
Understanding God’s love for you will change your life, just as it did mine and that is our hope through Faith Journeys. There is so much more to this journey with Jesus and we want to help people discover what that might be for them. We believe missions (when done right) can be a launching pad for amazing spiritual growth and we use that as a vehicle for discipleship as we lead teams to Ghana and India. Our goal is to help others understand the unique gifts God has placed in them so they can better live out their calling- wherever that may lead.
Our training includes a 4-month discipleship process that includes a book study, weekly meetings, and a 4-day, in person intensive training hosted in a central location for our volunteers. Volunteers get to know each other really well during this time, and before ever setting foot on foreign soil. Together, they learn the importance of serving others in a way that draws out a person’s God given dignity and with hearts of humility, ready to learn from those we have also come to serve. We do not go on a mission to bring God into any place because God is already at work all around this globe. We go with expectation that we may encounter God in a different way and with a willingness to align ourselves and our service to whatever God might already be doing in that place. Of course, we celebrate when new people make a choice to follow Christ but that is not our mission. Our mission is to love people, serve them, and grow together in Christ while doing it.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Starting Faith Journeys was a smooth transition for us. We had learned the skills needed to lead teams Internationally and were excited and humbled at the opportunity to lead others this way. Of course, it has been a learning experience these last 10 years. Our application process is a bit different than in the beginning, as is the way we select our international partners. There are lots of organizations and places we could choose to bring volunteer teams but having a true partnership is important to us and that is not as easy to find. Partnership for us looks like frequent communication, even when we are not in the process of launching teams. It looks like a consistent financial commitment on our end and frequent dialogue between us prior to bringing teams, so that our schedule of work on the ground is both relational and effective. We choose not to go do for others when we know they can likely do for themselves. Instead, we go and work alongside these organizations to help facilitate the work they are already doing and will continue doing after we leave. Missions done any other way will likely cause more harm than good and that is a hard lesson learned. Our partners in India and Ghana focus on rescuing and serving women and children who have been trafficked or are at risk for that. We are humbled to be a part of helping children capture back the ability to just be children again.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Well, some of this I have answered already but I can expand. My husband, Eric and I take turns leading our teams and occasionally we lead them together. We both have strong ministry backgrounds with Eric focused more on discipleship and the Word of God and me focused more on the Heart and Spirit of God. All of those things are important as we grow in our understanding of who God really is. We send out a survey to all of our volunteers at the end of their trip. After 10 years, we have never had 1 negative survey or comment. Each participant who has responded has said it was a trip well worth the cost of time, money, and effort they put in and we are very proud of that. Although we want to continue discipling new people through our programs, our return rate in terms of people who participate in more than one journey, is over 70% and that is a sign we must be doing something right. Although based in Central Florida, we make our training and volunteer opportunities accessible to anyone in the United States and have had volunteers from Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and California. When it is time to travel, everyone meets in Orlando to fly out together.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Finding a mentor can be a challenging thing. I always suggest finding someone further along the way than you who might be willing to pour into you while you also find someone a little greener in whom you might be willing to pour into. I have had spiritual and professional mentors, as well as “mom” mentors to help navigate that very important role. I would say don’t limit yourself to finding a mentor who thinks just like you or whose personality matches yours. Sometimes, we learn more from those who are different than us than those just like us. For me personally, I have a spiritual mentor who is an extroverted life of the party and I am more of an introvert thinker. Having her in my life brought balance and it challenged me as well. I am forever grateful for her influence.
Pricing:
- $250 trip deposit
- 100% Tax deductible
- Fundraising Support Provided
- Overall trip cost: $3,500+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.faith-journeys.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faith_journeys?igsh=amxocmE3cTcxbTl0&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithJourneysInc
- Other: https://www.guidestar.org/profile/47-5480243
