My BNF Summit Testimony By Susan “Momma Toots” DeJesus

My personal experience in joining the Baptist Nursing Fellowship and attending the Annual Summits.

It is truly a blessing and an honor to share with you today why I believe the Baptist Nursing Fellowship is such a wonderful Christian organization and why I want to encourage each of you to attend the 2026 Baptist Nursing Fellowship Summit in Alabama on October 16–18.

As nurses, and other healthcare professionals, we are called to care for people physically, emotionally, and spiritually. BNF brings together Christian believers who share that calling. It is more than a professional organization—it is a family of like-minded Christians who encourage one another, pray together, grow in God’s Word, and equip one another to be the hands and feet of Christ wherever He sends us.

When I attended the BNF Summits in 2023, 2024, and 2025, I expected to learn and enjoy fellowship. What I did not expect was that God would use those meetings to change the direction of my heart, even at this age. I was 71 and retired when I joined the BNF after attending my first Summit in 2023.

Those summits ignited a passion for missions that I didn’t know was going to fill my desires not only to travel but to do it with a purpose! Hearing missionaries share their stories, listening to God’s Word, praying together, and seeing how healthcare can open doors to share the Gospel made me realize that God still has work for me and others to do.

For a long time, I believed I had missed my opportunity. I thought I was already too old. I told myself that if I were going to be active in ministry or missions, I should have done it years ago when I was younger.

But God has shown me something different. He doesn’t ask us how old we are. He asks whether we are willing. I realized that what matters most is not when we begin, but that we faithfully obey Him today.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:19–20 NIV remind us: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This Great Commission wasn’t given only to the young. It was given to every believer. My desire now is simple. I want to serve the Lord wherever He leads me. I want to use the gifts and experience He has given me for His glory. And when my race is finished, I want to be able to say that I obeyed Him and that I “finished well.”

The Apostle Paul expressed this beautifully in 2 Timothy 4:7–8 NIV: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

That has become one of my favorite passages because it reminds me that it is never too late to faithfully serve the Lord.

Now I want to speak to you very personally and directly.

If you have never attended a Baptist Nursing Fellowship Summit—or if it has been a while since you’ve been—I strongly encourage you! Do not miss the 2026 Summit in Alabama, October 16–18. Make the decision now to register and come.

Do not wait until “someday.” Do not assume it is just another conference. I can tell you from experience that it is a divine appointment. God meets us there in ways that renew our faith, redirect our purpose, and often awaken a deeper calling.

Whether you are a student, a new nurse, mid-career, or retired, you are needed there. Your presence matters. Your heart will be encouraged, your faith will be strengthened, and your life may be changed in ways you do not expect—but will never regret.

I am asking you—truly encouraging you—to take that step of obedience and come. Please Register. Make the commitment. Bring a friend. Pray about it now, and do not let this opportunity pass you by.

I am so thankful that God used the Baptist Nursing Fellowship to remind me that His calling has no expiration date. As long as He gives us breath, He gives us opportunities to serve Him.

My prayer is that all of us will continue to answer His call with willing hearts, faithfully share the love of Christ especially to those who don’t know Him, and one day hear those precious words: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Matthew 25:23a NIV

Thank you, and may God bless each one of you. I hope to see you in Alabama in October 2026.