Miss Collins (28) has never travelled to Sudan, or Mozambique, where she will begin missionary training with the Iris Ministries missionary training school in October, but is certain she is answering God's calling.
Miss Collins has been based in Wanaka since coming from the Bay of Islands as a 16-year-old to attend Mt Aspiring College.
She has travelled away frequently and now works in administration at a real estate firm.
Once her training at the Iris Harvest School has been completed, and if her permits for Sudan are accepted, she hopes to put her administration skills to good use helping the foundation's co-ordinator Michelle Perry, of the United States, run a children's home in South Sudan.
The Iris programme in Sudan will focus on everything from helping children get an education, to growing food and obtaining medical help.
It is similar to an existing programme that has been running in Mozambique since 1995, together helping over 2000 orphans.
"The biggest thing that impacted on me and made me want to work with orphans was when my brother went to work in an orphanage in Romania.
He bought back a video.
I was about 10.
That video was so disturbing that it started the passion in me.
"And Africa is a country that's always been in my heart. I don't know how Africa got in there. I guess it's just been there and I guess it's just me. I like the personality of the black people.
"And child soldiers - I want to work with child soldiers. I don't know if any particular child in the orphanage I hope to work in will be a child soldier, but I imagine there's many in the region who have escaped Darfur or Uganda," Miss Collins says.
Her decision to become a missionary in Africa was sparked by a visit to a church in Redding, California, on a recent trip through the United States.
The non-denominational church is affiliated with Iris Ministries and she learned about the cross-cultural mission programme.
Miss Collins expects her calling will be challenging and acknowledges she is probably going to one of the hardest places in the world.
But she has done her research.
A book, The Translator, written by a tribesman who helped journalists and aid workers in Darfur, gave her an understanding of the conflict and turmoil that child soldiers go through.
"What he says about the child soldiers is, 'We are dead already. We have just watched our families and villages die in front of our eyes. We are dead in spirit'.
"So, even if they have not been abducted, they take vengeance. They have no-one left. It is their way of having some kind of family."
Miss Collins is not daunted by the reduced circumstances she will find herself in at the Iris Harvest School.
She will be giving up her comfortable Wanaka flat for communal living and a basic diet of African cuisine.
But it will not be too bad: she will share a room with three other people and there will be a flush toilet.
However, she will have to take bucket showers with cold water and wash her clothes by hand after collecting water from its source 200m away.
"I guess for me I get frustrated about getting up for nine to five work just so as to get material possessions . . . I have an adventurous spirit. I don't have much fear. For me, I want to make a difference.
"I really feel like God's called me to this place."
Miss Collins also feels it is the right time of her life to be a missionary.
"It makes me feel really excited. I know it's going to be really hard and really challenging, I know I going to see some really horrible stuff. But it doesn't worry me. I know this is what I am supposed to be doing."
Miss Collins feels many people remain ignorant of the situation in Sudan, where villages have been ripped apart by war, drought and famine.
Before she leaves, in October, Miss Collins must raise at least another $7000 towards her expenses while training for three months in Mozambique.
She has already raised $3500.
If she continues on to Sudan after graduation, Miss Collins needs to raise $20,000 a year for her expenses there.
Her family is backing her decision, as are her Christian friends in Wanaka's Lighthouse Church.
