About Megan J. Barton

I think God has been preparing me for the mission field since I was a child.  My parents are dedicated servants of Christ who placed a high priority on raising me and my two brothers to know God and His Word.  My dad has been serving in the local church as a preacher and minister since before I was born and my mom has served faithfully alongside him in the church. But her main ministry has always been to us kids. 

It is difficult to remember when I first understood how big the world was but I attribute this understanding to God’s work in my life because I grew up in a very small town which was very insulated from the happenings of the world and other countries.  When I was just 6, my dad went on a short term mission trip to Mexico and came home with some really interesting stories.  I was also intrigued by a missionary who visited our church often and especially in his ability to speak a foreign language.  In high school, I enrolled in Spanish class and finished all four levels that were offered at my school.  I had always excelled in English grammar and it was then that I began to discover that I had a keen interest in languages. 

During my senior year of high school, my dad encouraged me to apply for a short-term mission trip with Christ in Youth.  I chose to go to the Dominican Republic in hopes of using the Spanish I had learned.  I was accepted and began raising support to go.  It was the beginning of my world travels.  While in the DR, I fell in love with learning about the culture and trying to relate with people who were so different from me and yet so very much the same.

At Lincoln Christian College, I had many more opportunities to travel and serve cross-culturally.  I went to Thailand, Laos, Mexico and West Africa.  It was during my freshman year that a missionary from Pioneer Bible Translators spoke in my introductory missions course.  She spoke of translating the Bible and living in Africa as a single woman.  It had never occurred to me that the Bible was not available in most of the world’s languages.  It seemed that God had crafted the perfect job for me to do to utilize my skills and desires to minister cross-culturally.  I was so moved by this revelation that when I attempted to speak to the missionary after class, I barely managed to thank her before I ran from the classroom in tears.  God was calling me to devote myself to Bibleless peoples.

Since that time I have pursued the necessary training in linguistics and intercultural studies to prepare me for the mission field.  God has blessed me every step of the way confirming this calling. 

I had a professor who told us that when you are in the service of the Lord, finding a mate is a matter of continuing on the path God has set for you and looking around to see who is walking beside you.  I found such a man in Michael Barton who was already a PBT recruit when we met.  We shared a passion for serving God overseas and joined forces by getting married in 2006.  God provided me with a husband who is both my best friend and my partner in ministry.  Today we are serving together in East Africa with Pioneer Bible Translators. 

I can only give glory to God for who I am and what I am doing today.  I am a testimony that God knows us better than we know ourselves and when we are willing to be used by Him, He will not only glorify Himself through us but bless us beyond belief.

If you would like to view my resume, then click on the following link:  resume