Holly Smith

Holly Smith's father, Mike, graduated from Fairhaven Baptist College when Holly was just five years old. Mike had joined the military right out of high school; and while in the service, Mike got close to God and decided to attend Bible college upon his release. While a Marine, Mike found West Coast Baptist Church of Vista, California. Led by Pastor Phil Clark, it was here that Mike heard of Fairhaven Baptist College. Soon, Mike and his family, including little Holly, were on a trek across the country to begin preparation for service.

Mike was called to missions at Bible college, and so Holly soon experienced the life of a missionary kid. Both deputation travel and the first term of work on the mission field proved very exciting for Holly, particularly since their field of service was in Magadan (near Siberia), in far east Russia. While here, young Holly learned to speak fluent Russian, experienced temperatures of 40 degrees below zero, and saw her father love people who were very poor and often steeped in sin. She saw people being saved; in fact, two young people from this ministry came to the United States to attend Bible college at Fairhaven. The Smith family soon realized, however, that government control of religion was still very much at work in this region of Russia; and after about six years of ministry, the Smiths were forced to leave Magadan.

In the following years, God directed Holly's father to Estonia, another former Soviet country. Now Holly spends her summers there, working in the church ministry and involving herself actively in the summer Vacation Bible School.

When asked about her future, Holly said, "I'd love to be a missionary if God directed that way. I never felt shortchanged growing up on the mission field. I love it."

Pray with us that we have more young people with the same spirit of surrender to whatever God wants for their life.