As a little girl Joye knew she wanted to be a medical missionary one day. She earned a degree in nursing and worked as a nurse. She also taught nursing at the University of South Carolina until she retired in 1993. In 1989 she joined a short-term medical mission team to Brazil through the SC Baptist Convention partnership in that country. After that, her journey’s took her to Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala and Peru. On one of the trips to Colombia, she asked the missionary, “Can you use somebody here longer than ten days”? To which the missionary replied, “of course we can.” Joye then served in medical clinics in Colombia for four months and later for two years with the International Mission Board’s International Service Corps program. During her time there, the team provided much needed care to young mothers living in poverty and many others who lacked access to health care.
On a trip to Tanzania, Joye’s experience and education in Nursing and Hospital Management provided much needed help opening a new hospital. During one of those trips Joye could not make it home to be with her family at Christmas. Such was the strength of her commitment to medical missions.
Joye said, “If God is calling you to serve in missions, then that’s what you need to do.” She committed to serve wherever and whenever the missionaries needed after her children had finished high school. This led to her serving several years as a medical missionary in Colombia, South America where they always shared the Gospel with the patients that came for care.
Joye Watson is a living testimony of how God used someone with experience in health care and a passion for missions because she was willing to go.
Will you allow God to use the encore of your life for His mission?