Mariana Watson

Mariana was born in Michigan and raised in a rural farming community in Iowa, spending much of her time outdoors, working with animals, and gardening. When she was 15, she made a venture to a small church camp in Nebraska, where her love for ministry was sparked. That summer was transformational for Mariana, as she discovered her deep passion for children, cooking, and making others feel seen. Although she experienced some major upheaval in her family around this time, she was so thankful for the church family which poured into her. As she grew older, her desire to love and care for people grew deeper and deeper. By the time she reached the age of 17, she knew the Lord was calling her to the mission field. At age 18, Mariana ventured far outside her comfort zone to the Sunshine State, where she went through Boot Camp at Teen Missions and traveled to Tanzania, Africa with about 16 other teenagers. One day, during that summer in Tanzania, as she rode in a bus over the bumpy dirt roads, looking at the sunflowers and blue sky, she thought to herself, “I’ll be back in Africa one day.”

Days after her arrival back in the States, Mariana made the commitment to join Sojourner School of Ministry, and has been faithfully serving the Lord at Teen Missions since. Little did she know, the Lord would call her to serve in the warm heart of Africa (Malawi) for 9 months! She is serving the Lord in Malawi through office work and teaching classes. She has the privilege of getting to know the students one-on-one, as well as leading a girls’ Bible study on Monday nights. She loves seeing how the Lord uses the ministry of presence even more than the things she is doing!

Birthday: March 27, 2006