Hello everyone! My name is Emily Gaudian. I am 22 years old and am from a small farm outside of Albert Lea, Minnesota.  I just graduated from the University of Wisconsin, River Falls.  I cant believe how fast these past four years flew by! My degree is in Communicative Disorders (Speech, Language, and Hearing therapy).  Lord willing, I will be a Speech Language Pathologist some day, but we will see where He continues to lead me.... :)

This summer, I am moving back home to live with my wonderful family and to work in my hometown.  I have fantastic parents who taught me about Jesus since I was a child and have had a huge impact on my life.  I also have two brothers who are so wonderful and a sister who is my best friend.  My oldest brother is married, and he and his wife are expecting a baby...in 2 weeks!! I am very excited to be "auntie Em" to the new baby!!

  Christ's love and sacrifice has given me so much joy and has totally transformed my life, showing me that He has a beautiful purpose for my life.

I love to sing! I have an incredibly musical family.  We have been singing together for as long as I can remember.  It is not uncommon to walk into the Gaudian home and find my three siblings and I singing a bluegrass tune. I also loved singing on the worship team at college with Campus Crusade for Christ. I enjoy playing sports. I was a swimmer in high school and still enjoy to get into the pool or jumping into the lake.  I played on several intramural teams at school (softball and broomball) and my siblings and I are always going to the ballpark of playing beach volleyball.

The Lord has blessed me with such amazing friends and has placed me in a community that strives to serve Him. This year I had the incredible opportunity of leading a bible study for freshman women on my college campus.  It was such a joy to serve the Lord through that and to see the girls grow in their love for the Lord and in their desire to spend time with their personal Savior.  It was also a huge growing experience for me! I love spending time with people, no matter what we are doing.  I love going to coffee shops with friends and spending the afternoon sipping on a chai tea latte and chatting.  I love asking questions and getting to know people.  

I am so excited that God is leading me to Kenya this fall.  I have a passion for people and a heart that aches for those living without the hope and beauty that comes from a personal relationship with Christ. Last summer, I had the opportunity to go to Ghana, West Africa on Summer Project with Campus Crusade for Christ.  It was truly a life changing experience.  Our mission focused on a college campus in Tamale, Ghana.  Each day, we would go visit girls in their dorms, get to know them, and eventually share the gospel with them.  It was so exciting to see the Lord working in their hearts and to be a part of His plan for Ghana.  God was also able to use us in orphanages, two hospitals, and high schools.  The Lord used me to lead people to Christ which was both an exciting and a humbling experience! It was so exciting to see the people's new hunger and passion for the Lord and His Word.  While God was working in the people of Ghana's lives, He was also working in mine.  I grew so much in my walk with the Lord and the God has continued to put Africa on my heart.

I am so excited to meet you all and to being doing the Lords work in Kenya! I am so excited to see how God, using us, will move while we are in Kenya.  I am looking forward to work in the orphanages and the slums.  I have been increasingly burdened with the desire to go and serve those who are in desperate need of hope and a Savior.  I am a little nervous to go because the last time I was in Africa, I got very sick.  But, God is so good, and His plans are always sovereign.  I know He will guide and protect each one of us while we are in Kenya! God continues to place Isaiah 61 on my heart:  The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” (v 1-3)

I am confident that the Lord has called me to Kenya to use me to preach good news to the poor, to tend to broken hearts, to show the people of Kenya the comfort and the hope that can only come from Him!

I cant wait to meet each one of you!! God Bless and see you soon :)