Shields International Ministries

  I’m not going to pretend as if I have the words to justify it. Truth be told, there’s not a single set of words in our finite language that can explain the miracle of what He has done. Yet, here I am, asking Him to give me the strength to do just that.  I got saved on a Good Friday when I was twelve years old. Our pastor at the time had chosen to preach on the rapture of the church and how that tied into Jesus’ death on the cross for our reconciliation. He began his message with a video of a large congregation in worship on the day of rapture- half of them suddenly taken, the other half left behind. For those left, there was weeping and there was sorrow at the realization of what had taken place. For them, it was to late. And it was in that moment that I realized the urgency and importance of making myself right with God.  That night, I lay in bed tossing and turning. I couldn’t get the thought out of my head. My heart was burning for a relationship I never knew I neede...

If the month of June taught us anything, it's that God's provision is always timely and perfect. While we may not understand why circumstances arise, we can know that He is consistently working on our behalf. "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord; "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11, NIV On Sunday, June 12, we left home at five in the morning to start out on our long trek to ABWE mission headquarters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for a week-long training assignment. Seven hours in, and two hours from our destination, our car breaks down on the Pennsylvania turnpike and we are forced to get towed to the nearest town for repairs. In the moment, we doubted we would make it to headquarters in time for the start of our training conference the next morning. It was a Sunday evening and no one was currently on the clock. However, by the grace of God, the man who towed us to Somerset felt...

     The month of May proved to be a very busy and productive month in regards to our journey to the mission field. It began early on May 1st with a visit to the First Baptist Church of Durand, Michigan where Trenton preached his first sermon to an audience of about fifty people. This church was our first at which we had no personal connections previously established. However, we were very encouraged by their desire to accept us with open arms and hear about the Lord's work in Australia.    Following on May 6th, Hanna was able to attend her college graduation ceremony online. She officially graduated from Colorado Christian University with a bachelor degree in Communication and graduated at the very top of her class which consisted of over sixty college of adult and graduate study students. To celebrate, we had a small gathering at our home church on May 29th. It was a blessed time with good friends, family, and food. And it was also a wonderful day to reminisce...

Shields International Ministries                                                                                              Trenton Shields Studying Philippi – Part 1 ABWE | House of Faith Church | Shields International Ministries Thanks for Their Gifts    What can we learn from what Paul is telling us? Bible Verse in Review {Philippians 4 11:13}      “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty, I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Circumstances – What i...

     My years of childhood were filled with the knowledge of Christ and the Biblical Teaching of Scripture because my father was a Pastor. But as I had become older, I started believing that the life I wanted to live was more about doing what I wanted instead of what God was calling me to. I took my father’s obedience to Christ as him trying to rule over me and control me to what “he” wanted me to be. Rather than seeing him as a Loving Father – I saw him as the enemy. Twisted and Contorted as my thoughts were, I began believing the lies and promises I was telling myself that I could provide more than what God could. I see now that my actions at this point in my life are what lead me to choose my desires as my master – for you can only serve one master whom will you choose?  You see, I was a very selfish young man in my earlier years and did not realize that that could spell out disaster for my eternity. That was a lost concept to me, eternity. Understanding that comp...

  "But why Australia?"     Of all the questions we've been asked these past few months, this continues to be the most prominent.       Why though? Didn't Christ command us to go into all the world and not just the best or worst parts of it? Didn't Paul demonstrate this throughout his own ministries in Antioch, Ephesus, and Corinth?      If the Bible is so clear on this point, then why do so many people find it surprising that first world countries need missionaries just as much as those in the third?     The answer is quite simple.      When I was a young girl, I thought alot like those around me. When I heard the word "missionary ", I thought of poverty stricken, starving people in Africa, South America, or the Middle East. I thought of tough living conditions, unappealing food, and undrinkable water. I thought of hostility to the Gospel in countries it is known to be illegal.      When I was a yo...

As of today, April 25, 2022, our first full month of pre-field ministry has officially come to an end.  It has been a long month of adjusting to a "new normal", and there is still much adjusting to do; but we have been presently surprised by the amount of support we have received from family and friends who are just as excited as we are about this new journey we have recently embarked on.  It is not surprising, however, that there have been some struggles as well. Among other things, we are often struggling to learn how to balance full-time jobs with a full-time ministry schedule. While we are in the process of trying to decrease our hours in secular work and increase our hours in ministry, our hands are tied until we can figure out our housing situation.  We have reached out to a few churches in the area over the past month seeking missionary housing that may be of use to us as we prepare to raise support and leave for the field. But progress has been slow and nothing ha...