Lori Pearson serves as an administrator and trainer for Sowing Seeds of Joy’s training program in Dallas, TX. Sowing Seeds of Joy is a mission agency that mobilizes African Americans and Blacks to serve on the mission field. Pearson also serves on Sowing Seeds of Joy’s board of directors.
What was your introduction to Perspectives and why did you take the course? Taking the Perspectives course was a requirement to go on a mission trip to Haiti with my church, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. I went to a Taste of the World Exposure to Missions and saw there was a trip to do a VBS in Haiti. I had never gone on a mission trip and felt God calling me to go. Therefore, I took Perspectives in preparation for the trip.
Can you describe your class experience and share a memorable Perspectives lesson or concept and what made it memorable? It was a great experience with great instructors. I didn’t miss a class. I even went to class when we had to take shelter in the bathroom because a tornado was near the church. This was the first time that they had Perspectives at this church, so they invited known missionaries and instructors. I think my favorite night was when Don Richardson came to speak to our class about his experience bringing the gospel to tribes who were cannibals in Papua New Guinea. His testimony to his faith in God and God’s faithfulness to keep him and his family safe was inspiring. I also remember Phillip Nelson, who is African-American and holds a wealth of information. He shared experiences with missionaries, who are African-American, and God's heart for everyone to be on the mission field to serve. I was not familiar with African Americans serving as missionaries, so hearing his long history of serving and enthusiasm to see more African Americans serving on the mission field inspired me. The last one I remember was the Muslim night where they converted the space where we met into a mosque, and they separated the women from the men. Then they went over the different prayers and what caught my attention was how reverent Muslims are in their faithfulness to pray several times a day and their posture in prayer. They don’t worship the God we serve, but it showed how sometimes we’re lacking in that reverence to our God. That had a lasting impression on me.
How would you say the Perspectives course and concepts you learned impacted your life? I learned that God has a heart for His people to be involved by praying, supporting, or going to share the Gospel. As a result of going on the mission trip, the Lord used that as an opportunity for me to change careers and focus. I owned my own business as a State Farm Insurance Agent, but then after going through these different experiences, I ended up resigning, retiring, and considered becoming a missionary, which I never thought I would. I became a mobilizer instead of a Missionary. It’s where I felt like the Lord was telling me to use my business and corporate skills. I ended up being a mobilizer for about three years with The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM) and, during that time, I ended up getting my master's in clinical mental health counseling from Liberty University. I am now a missionary in a faith-based counseling agency located in an urban underserved community. I lead a grief and loss group using Scripture. I went from being a business entrepreneur to mobilizing individuals, and now in a more service profession with faith-based counseling.
Lori on a trip to Washington D.C. with Sowing Seeds of Joy to attend a Missions Conference.
Can you tell us about your current heart, passion, and calling? Currently, I am working with individuals who have intellectual disabilities, substance use, mental illnesses, or other struggles. I have a passion to work with people, to help them in terms of healing spiritually, physically, and mentally. So my passion right now is to be able to use the word of God along with my education in mental health counseling to help people heal and get free of any spiritual bondage that they may have. What advice would you have for recent Perspectives alumni? Be open to how God is calling you. You may think you know, but it may not be in the area where you think he's calling you. Have an open heart and be open to different experiences. And then trust God, because if you do make a major life change, you have to trust Him even more than what you may have used to do. If you know that he's calling you, then he's going to meet your every need, and overcome any obstacles or struggles you may face in your journey where he's leading you.