Carmen V McMillan Memorial Scholarship

People like Carmen, those whose lives are cut short, inspire us. They show us that the length of days is not a measure of a purposeful life. Carmen's life was full of promise. The magic is that her legacy is being kept alive by those who love her. This scholarship multiplies her desire to serve God through service. I will be starting my senior year of high school this August. My career aspiration is to become an architect. This does not sound like missionary work, but I will explain how it relates. The college that I will attend (upon acceptance) is Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. I already know that Belmont prides itself on sponsoring numerous mission trips during the academic year and over the summer. I have a friend who will be a freshman there for the 2021-2022 school year, and she signed up for a mission trip during her orientation last week. I plan to do the same. My goal is to complete at least one mission opportunity each year while I attend Belmont. My church cooperates with a congregation in Cuba. I was all set to go on a mission there when COVID hit. As soon as restrictions are lifted, I plan to travel and minister there. When I go, I will be helping with Bible school. I also plan to work to refurbish the facility where the church meets for its activities. I cannot wait! Maybe I think of being a missionary a little differently than most. The tendency is to limit the thought of missionary work to those who engage in it full time or to those who complete it on foreign soil. I define missionary work, for those who put their faith and trust in Jesus, as meaningful, intentional service anywhere and at any time. We all have unique gifts that need to be used to fulfill the Great Commission's mandate to "go and tell." As I think of my future career I see chances to use my architectural skills to foster shelter for those who need affordable housing- housing that can be constructed by unskilled short-term missions groups- and spaces that can be used for worship. It occurs to me that this is an unfulfilled need, for the most part, in the world of missionary activity. My contributions in this regard will further the Kingdom as I do my part to build basic needs for the people of God. I avail myself happily to maturing in my faith and architectural skills to a degree that I can personally help with the designs I will create or mentor others who can go in multiple directions at home and abroad to erect structures that will improve life and worship opportunities. It occurs to me that a grand scheme along these lines would be for me to create a non-profit organization that can assemble funding for mission groups that are willing to build. This is an exciting prospect.