Meet Mary Kathryn Brake, a missionary at Abaana's Hope

When God calls us to pursue His purpose for our life, all we need to do is walk in obedience and He will handle the rest. Even if we don’t fully understand or have all the answers, the Bible instructs us to put our trust in the Lord and He will make our paths straight. This is something that Mary Kathryn Brake recently experienced. Despite her uncertainties, doubts, and fears, MK obediently followed the path the Lord laid out for her, which brought her to Abaana’s Hope this year as a long-term missionary.

Growing up in the Bible Belt, MK heard the name of Jesus often, but she first heard the gospel, the good news of what God has done to save sinners through Jesus, in 2020 when she was an incoming freshman at Auburn University. The summer before her first semester started, she and some friends attended the Oaks Retreat. The goal of this weekend retreat is to help freshman connect to other freshman and upperclassmen, to equip students with knowledge to help them navigate college, and most importantly, to give students a deeper understanding of the love of God.

“Before, I thought being a Christian meant being good, and I knew I wasn’t good,” MK said. “I went to the Oaks Retreat and heard the gospel for the first time in its entirety, and I was changed. I wasn’t good, but that’s the point. The only thing that makes us clean is Christ.”

MK began her college journey as a new believer. She set out to find her path, prepare for a future career, and build her relationship with Jesus. The Oaks Retreat helped MK get plugged into Christian community and get connected to friends and mentors who could disciple her. Upperclassmen took MK under their wing and introduced her to First Baptist Opelika, where she is still a member. When the COVID-19 pandemic was at its height, MK was especially thankful for her church family. She grew closer to her freshman peers and to the Lord.

“The Lord really blessed me with community and with people who loved me in Auburn and at First Baptist Opelika,” she said.

Throughout college, MK struggled to pick a field of study and switched her major several times. After much prayer, she felt led to choose Human Development and Family Sciences with a concentration in Early Childhood Development. This field would allow her to work with children, and she could use it anywhere she ended up. She was comforted that the Lord was showing her how she could use the gifts He blessed her with while pursuing what she enjoyed doing.

Next, He began opening doors for MK to enter ministry work with Four Corners.

At a young age, MK first heard about Four Corners Ministries when a family from her hometown was preparing to move to Africa as missionaries. A few years later, the family came back to Gardendale, Alabama, and their children went to MK’s high school. While she was a freshman at Auburn, she was reminded of the ministry when another missionary family shared their testimony at a Wednesday night church service. Later, she was reminded of the ministry again as two girls from her church served as interns for FCM and shared their experiences.

MK didn’t consider the possibility of getting involved with FCM until the next summer. She continued asking the Lord to show her what He wanted her to do, and He helped her recall the FCM internship. In 2022, she applied for the summer internship program, and she had the opportunity to travel to Abaana’s Hope to experience firsthand how the Lord was restoring the lives of the Acholi people. The mission trip and the Acholi people made a big impact on her life and changed her perspective. 

The next summer, in 2023, the Lord opened the door for MK to return to Abaana’s Hope for 3 months.

“I think the Lord used both of those experiences and my time back at home to continue to shape and mold me to be able to come back long-term,” she said. “These are the people who the Lord has put in front of me to love. This is where He wanted me to be, so this is where I am.”

MK graduated college in December 2023 and continued praying for God’s direction, hoping she would be able to return to Uganda. In the meantime, she got a position with Alabama Council on Human Relations as a home visitor, working with pregnant mothers and with babies to help them with their child development.

One month later, she was approved to become a long-term missionary at Abaana’s Hope. She immediately began fundraising and the Lord provided everything she needed to make the trip within three months. In May, she went to Missionary Training International (MTI) in Colorado where she met missionaries of all ages who were also being equipped and prepared to be sent off around the world.

“The month I spent in Colorado at MTI was wonderful. I don’t even know how to articulate it. It was so great, and I learned so much that’s helped me already. I’ve seen the ways that what I learned is helping me now,” she said.

After finishing her training in June, she got on a plane to return to Abaana’s Hope. The community was prepared to welcome her back with a parade and dance party. When she arrived, they scooped her up and carried her into the church building where they danced and celebrated. The Living Stones Christian School students sang a song they’d written for MK and one student gave a speech.

“I didn’t know they were going to do that. I didn’t expect that at all,” MK laughed. “It didn’t have to be that wonderful and special, but the Lord allowed it to be. I think that may be the best day of my life. I was home again.”

Since then, MK’s main goal has been learning the Acholi language so she can better communicate the gospel with the people in their native language. Every day, she has lessons with her teacher Apiyo Kevin, and the Lord is opening opportunities for MK to share the gospel with her.