Paulita Hernandez: AIMer to Latvia
Paulita Hernandez and I met at Texas Bible College in 2012. She is a fantastic woman, and she is undeniably on fire for God. I have kept up with her journey over the years, and today she is taking over the Just Aneissa Blog to inform us about the amazing these happening in the country of Latvia.
Her story:
“I am an AIMer to the city of Ventspils, Latvia, a city of about 40,000 and it has never had an Apostolic church. I am part of an AIM team/family. There are currently three other young women in this city as well, one of which brought us all together. At the age of fifteen, I felt a call to missions- not truly understanding what it was, or how it would play out. To be quite honest, until I came to the mission field, I had a completely different mental picture of what missions was about. It was during my time at Texas Bible College the summer before my senior year that I met Abigail Trapani. I had one conversation with Abigail about ministry in 2015. Fast-forward to North American Youth Congress 2017, it was during that week that God spoke directly to me. No one was praying for me. It was just a moment between the Lord and me. God said, “I am about to open a door for you, and when I do, you must walk through it- no matter what.” My path didn't cross with Abigail again until September 2017. She randomly sent me a Facebook message about an AIM opportunity to the country of Latvia. So, in September I did not doubt that this was that door. After talking to my Pastors and my parents, I had a yes, and so I moved forward until November.”
“The month of November of 2017 is one I will never forget. I had a million reasons to no longer apply for AIM or even try to go to Latvia. My father was in the hospital the entire month, and at one point the doctors planned on sending him to hospice. It was then I asked God what He was doing, and He responded with a few words and a warm embrace. He said, “Do you trust me?” Within the same week that the doctors said they were going to transfer him. God stepped in, and instead, they sent him to a rehab center to allow him to recuperate. Long story short- not once did God forsake Him, or us during that time. More things occurred from that point forward. It felt like things were never going to add up, but again, God confirmed His plan. There was a feeling of great peace in the midst of a storm. I genuinely believe that tragedy does not define one’s calling, it does not change one’s calling. Tragedy births greater anointing if we allow it to.”
A week in Latvia:
“My schedule is quite simple. Tuesday through Sunday we train. We evangelize and meet with contacts, to make more connections. Our training is “Revival by Design” practice which was written by missionaries Mark Shutes and Raymond Nicholls. It is by far the most significant ministry training I have ever received, and it applies to everyday life. Saturdays have become our Latvian service days, where we have a house church service with our contacts. These services include about fifteen minutes for everyone to settle in and talk/catch up with each other. We have worship, prayer requests, a Bible study; then we continue fellowship. At the end of every month, we have a celebration service in the capital city of Riga.”
“When we evangelize we connect with the people in local coffee shops, the grocery store, and such places. We join with these people, ask them their name, and we either invite them out for coffee or invite them to our flat. It’s incredibly simple, and the more we try our best to communicate, the more they begin to open up. February 7, 2019, we had a young man receive the gift of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues while playing a board game! He was baptized in the frigid waters of the Baltic Sea the next morning! This was after an encounter one of our team members had with him at a coffee shop. Now, his mother wants to be baptized!”
Future Plans:
“I will be leaving Latvia in March of this year. I will be returning to lead another AIM team in the EU. The door has opened for me, and the team is coming together. There are currently six other young ladies who will be a part of this AIM team, and I am so excited about it! The country we will be going to has believers. However, Karen Kingsbury says, “We have a deep, desperate need for salvation, and we require someone bold to tell us the truth, truth in love.” A missionary once said, “I thought it reasonable that I should seek the work where the work was the most abundant and the workers fewest." That is what I do desire to do, and what God has called me to do. There is so much work to be done and so many countries that need the Gospel. One Apostolic church in a city of 1.7 million, with the country populating at about 38 million- one church is not enough. Foreign missions is in my blood, and I know that overseas is where I am supposed to be. This what God has called me to do.”
One last thing:
“I believe the biggest misconceptions are the duties of an AIMer. You can do more than assist! God can use us to help plant churches and minister in so many ways. Someone reading this may doubt their calling or burden, but I’m letting you know God is still calling you, and He wants to use you. That thing you think is too crazy, too radical, or that no one will understand- God knows about it. If He has placed that in you, it was not by accident.”
Paulita does have a PayPal account set up for her missionary journey if you would like to donate.
https://www.paypal.me/PaulitaHernandez
PIM {Partners In Missions} forms can be filled out online or sent in via mail. She can also be contacted via email for any questions or more information about travels + upcoming events.
You can follow her AIM team in Ventspils on Instagram @VisionVentspils.
