A conversation at church, a social media post spotted on the way to work and months of prayer all helped guide Lorinda Bennett toward a summer mission opportunity nearly 9,700 miles from home.
On June 2, Bennett will leave Carroll County for Launceston, Tasmania, where she will spend two months serving alongside a growing church community.
Mission work has been part of Bennett’s heart for many years.
“I’ve always loved doing missions, so that was something always in my heart to do,” she said.
The opportunity began when missionaries visited her church and shared about their work in Tasmania, an island located off mainland Australia. The couple explained their efforts to help establish a church in Launceston, Tasmania’s second largest city.
Bennett connected with them almost immediately.
“I was talking to them about my heart for missions,” she said. “Before they left, they said, ‘If you ever want to come over, we’ll have a spot for you.’”
At the time, she tucked the conversation into the back of her mind. Then one morning while heading to work at Kathryn Winn Primary, she came across a social media post from the same missionaries through the United Pentecostal Church International organization. They were seeking help with several needs that matched Bennett’s experience and skills.
She told her mom Lori she was going to serve on that mission field. “Of course, there was also the prayer aspect of it,” she said. “I made sure I was making a decision God wanted me to do.”
Through prayer, conversations and the application process, the opportunity became reality.
In Tasmania, Bennett will serve with The Sanctuary Church, a congregation that launched about a year ago and has been steadily growing. Much of her summer, which is actually winter in Tasmania, will involve leading children’s ministries, teaching Sunday school classes, helping with student ministry and supporting church activities similar to the work she already does at her home church, Relevant Church.
“The first weekend I’m there I’ll be doing a children’s service to teach them about the Bible and different activities,” she said.
The work feels familiar, but the setting will be very different. While Kentucky enjoys summer, Tasmania will be in the middle of winter, though Bennett notes its temperatures are milder than Kentucky winters.
This trip will be Bennett’s longest mission experience so far, though not her first. She has previously traveled to Guatemala, France and Oahu, Hawaii through mission opportunities and church organizations, often traveling alone before meeting up with groups at her destination.
“It’s not as scary as it seems,” she said with a laugh.
Those experiences have shaped her perspective and deepened her appreciation for people and cultures beyond her own community.
“I think sometimes it’s easy to get stuck in a little bubble of your community and people,” Bennett said. “I love going on mission trips because it gets you out of that and you get to meet new people.”
Her faith journey has evolved over time. Raised in church as the daughter of the Rev. Rusty and Lori Bennett, she said there came a point when faith became something she needed to understand and claim for herself.
“It became my personal devotion and walk with God,” she said. “From there, it just sprang into following after His voice and what His word says, and it opened the door for missions.”
Once in Tasmania, she expects to continue learning as she settles into the community. As she prepares to spend her entire summer overseas, Bennett hopes simply to contribute in whatever way she can.
“I think my expectations are just that I come back with a sense of I helped or I was a part of that in some small way,” she said.
Supporters can follow Bennett’s journey through monthly email newsletters and updates on her Instagram account. Her fundraiser remains open throughout the trip, though she says encouragement and prayers are equally appreciated. You can use this link to support her financially. https://fundraise.givesmart.com/vf/gmSTM/LorindaBennett