Hi! My name is Calise Billman. I am 21 going on 22 and about to graduate from college with my bachelors in criminology, law, and society from George Mason University. And I would love to tell you my story and how I got here.
I grew up in church but never felt like my faith was mine. It was always my parents’. Throughout my life I knew God was there, but because of my experiences I never felt He was a good and loving Father. So, I shut Him out and when I came to college I was ready to quit church, because it was on my terms. I grew up in church but never felt like my faith was mine. It was always my parents’. So, when I came to college I was ready to quit church, because it was on my terms. But my roommate, Jamie, invited me to go with her and I remember my dad saying “If you don’t go your first Sunday, you never will.” And while I didn’t want to prove him right, I couldn’t deny the gut feeling I had to just go. So I did. It was the best decision I made because from there the Lord continued to show up. He showed up so much that I was recommended to apply to be a freshman womens small group leader with my roommate. Once again, I just did it, I applied. Lo and behold I got the position, and was signed up to go to our annual end of year camp. The entirety of InterVarsity chapters around Virginia come to spend a week learning and worshiping the Lord. This was a breaking point for me as I saw the goodness and faithfulness in every person around me, and I couldn’t help but see how much I fell short. They had something distinctly different about them. They had Jesus. And in a moment of total submission, I chose to give the entirety of my life to the Lord to mold me for His glory.
The path from there was not perfect, in fact the circumstances of my life got harder than anything I’d ever experienced before. On October 10th, of 2025 my mom unexpectedly passed away. I went from the highest of highs in my faith to the lowest of lows, wondering where God even was. It was one hard thing after the other, life was unforgiving. The entire foundation of my life was changed forever, and in that my future to. I had a plan for my life, but it was just one door after the other shut in my face. How could this be His plan? That is a question I am still asking, but there is a different story behind it. The truth in all of this is that God is either God, or He’s not. And I promise you He is. I have seen His provision in every area of mine and my family’s life in this past year. He showed up because His people showed up. I know He is good because His people and His church are so relentlessly good.
My walk with the Lord has not been easy, but it has been a walk in which He has been present in every step. So in keeping my walk solely guided my the Father, I have answered His call to serve for the following seven months in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Busan, South Korea. I will be leaving for Philadelphia in January, to serve with Productive Lives Philadelphia. Then in May, I will be leaving for Busan to serve with the International Mission Board. I am so excited for these opportunities to serve the Lord through food distribution, school outreach, evangelism, and church planting.
I’m both excited and humbled by these opportunities because while I don’t know what God has planned, I just know that He is leading me into a season of growth and learning through service.
If you feel led and are in a position to do so, I am raising financial support to help cover the costs associated for these two programs. Any gift, regardless of size, would be a blessing and would help make this opportunity possible.
And above all else, I am asking for prayer. My hope is that in praying for me in these next 7 months, you can join me in my mission to faithfully serve the Lord.
If you would like to see exactly what I will be doing, I encourage you to explore these websites!
https://www.productivelives.org/
https://www.imb.org/give/project/busan-team/
