The Call to Action, part 2

So in October of last year (2007) I got the chance to take a trip to Peru. Our goal was to teach the church leaders in the northern city of Piura, how to plan and hold a summer camp like we do in South Carolina. Here goes God taking what I had done for years for fun and making it a ministry opportunity. I had no idea that all that fun was actually being credited to me as “experience”. The thing I found right away is that youth are youth wherever they are.

I struggled through some language barrier but realized that these youth were just the same as the ones we gravitated toward at home. While there I felt like I was at camp in SC. God showed me the similarities in these young people to the ones I know.

Then He showed me some of the differences. I found a quality in them that is at times difficult to find in the US. These youth were hungry and thirsty for God. So much so that it eclipsed their desire for comfort. In their church culture when a young person is too old to be in the children’s ministry at the local church they move directly to adult ministry and many times to leadership. God showed me a need there.

We have many young people in the church that do not have a ministry designed to accommodate their needs. God took that moment to water a seed He had planted. He revealed to me that He had for years been pouring into me everything I needed to answer His call.

Now I was at a crossroads. It was time to find out what all this meant. I came home after a whirlwind week. Though we stayed primarily in the same locale my emotions were all over the place. I want to please God but I want to feel safe. This prospect was crazy. There was only one thing to do. Go home, get immersed into everyday life, and hope to take a look at this from a “normal” setting. A comfortable setting.

I experienced the bizarre maladjustment to my old life that Christie had tried to explain to me. Wow--it was like landing in a science fiction film. I remember the stuff I left here but for some reason I was an alien here. I couldn’t shake that feeling that Christie spoke about. I kept feeling like I left something that I had to go find. I knew we had to “go ye…”. But we still needed to find His will for our family.

We decided to fast and pray for God’s direction. Together Christie and I had a common goal and we sought Him for answers. Just as He promises in His word when we seek Him He answers. He clearly spoke to us and now we knew for sure we were going into the mission field. We needed a way to learn some of the mission ropes so to speak and God supplied that as well.

A friend that we had confided in knew we were thinking of going to Peru on a mission call from God. He suggested we look into the possibility of working with a ministry in Paraguay that a friend of his operates. We started an online relationship with Dan Miller of Paraguay Missions. He invited us to visit and take a look at what God was doing in Paraguay first hand. I wanted to go but that type of trip is not cheap and it can’t be planned on a short notice.

About three weeks later through some truly miraculous circumstances from God I was on a plane heading to Paraguay. God supplied a donor to cover all my expenses for the trip. He allowed us to find the best flight and made me understand that even though I was a full-time worker, full-time student and the youth pastor at my church, that I could pull this time out to find His will.

I went and my eyes were opened to a whole new level of God’s providence. He illuminated my vision and I saw a tremendous work ahead of me. I met a great friend in Dan and found that God had birthed in him some very similar ideas I have had for years. The problem with these ideas for me was I thought for years they were for the US. I never dreamed He gave me visions for my future in another country.

So here we are back at home. We clearly know God is calling us to Paraguay to minister. “How long?” you ask……only He knows. All I know is that now at the dawn of this incredible journey I have all confidence in Him.

And now we begin the task of making this call a reality. We will need support. We need your support. We want your constant and vigilant prayers. We set about today preparing to forge a new life in a foreign country, all for His glory. ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

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