Shelbyville resident joins mission to Uganda

Earlier this year, Shelbyville resident Beth Ann Carkuff was busy finishing her senior year at Lambuth University in Jackson and applying to medical schools. Yet as she pursued the path everyone thought was her destiny, something just didn't seem right.

"Filling out grad school applications kept feeling like a chore," Carkuff said. "My heart kept leading me to Africa and I just had a feeling that I was supposed to do missions."

After much prayer and soul searching, the young woman, whom friends and family describe as outgoing, fun-loving, empathetic, determined and selfless, decided to put her education on hold and serve God in Africa.

To do this Carkuff will be joining African Inland Missions, a non-denominational ministry started in 1895. AIM's Christian outreach takes place through medical clinics, hospitals, schools and orphanages.

Carkuff and five other U.S. women from ages 21 to 24 will work as a team at an orphanage and medical clinic in Tororo, Uganda, a small village about 115 miles from the capital of Kampala. The orphanage houses 400 children, many of whom are refugees and orphans of the wars and genocide in Rwanda and Sudan.

While in college, Carkuff spent a lot of time working with the teens at her church in Jackson.

"They inspired me and made me realize my passion for working with young people," Carkuff said.

She isn't deterred by the idea of living with sporadic electricity or eating unfamiliar foods consisting mostly of rice and beans.

"I'm not a picky eater," Carkuff said.

Instead, she's focused on the mission of sharing God's love.

"I'm going with a childlike faith and am excited about meeting new people," Carkuff said. "I feel so at peace about what I'm doing."

"She always looks at the positive," said her best friend Hannah Dailey.

Carkuff's parents, Maurice and Becky Carkuff, have slowly warmed to the idea that their only daughter, one of five children, will leave the U.S. Saturday to spend three months living halfway around the world.

"It was kind of a shock to me," said her father, who is a teacher and assistant football coach at Cascade High School. "There's no way I can protect her."

Likewise, her family wishes she weren't going to miss Thanksgiving, Christmas and the birth of her brother's first child. But they understand this is a call she must answer.

To participate in the mission work, Carkuff must raise $6,000. In addition to receiving financial assistance from First Christian Church in Shelbyville, she's sent support letters to friends and family, held a yard sale and golf tournament, has worked as a substitute teacher and sold T-shirts that say, "Give Love."

While in Uganda, Carkuff hopes to keep in touch with her family and supporters through her blog, found on the Internet at givelovejourney.blogspot.com.

Her pastor, Bryan Elliott of First Christian Church, said Beth Ann's selfless attitude is inspiring. "Beth Ann is a great example of a woman of Christian character," he said.

He, along with family and friends, are putting Carkuff's care into God's hands and trusting that great things will come to pass.

How you can help

With less than a week until her departure, Carkuff still needs several hundred dollars to meet her goal. She also hopes to raise enough to purchase gifts for the orphans. Those wanting to contribute should send checks made out to AIM International to: Beth Ann Carkuff, 163 Highland Circle, Shelbyville, TN 37160.