Many years ago, I was a wayward young man in his twenties trying to find his way through adulthood, very poorly I might add.

I grew up as a ‘church kid’ first attending my family’s local Presbyterian church, then a large First Baptist congregation in my middle-school and high-school years. As I’ve previously mentioned, I was a bit rebellious in my teen years (as many boys are) but I still had God in my heart and my faith was strong. As I entered adulthood, my focus shifted from faith & family to me … how to serve me, how to satisfy me, how to pleasure me … everything was about me. Unfortunately, that trend continued until around 1997, when I awoke one morning and realized I was tired of being hungover and useless.

I decided to hand the reigns back to God and got my butt back in church on Sunday mornings. I started attending the local bible college – Northwest Christian College (later Northwest Christian University, now Bushnell University). While there, I became a ‘Jesus Freak’ – quite proudly, I might add, and had the chance to become a missionary.

THE BACKSTORY: all of my summers in my teen years involved two things – band camp (yes, I was a band nerd), and church camp. One of the most enjoyable aspects of church camp was being exposed to missionaries from around the world, where they shared the customs, clothing, culture and food. I would sit in chapel and allow my mind to travel to those distant, far-away lands, imagining myself in the missionaries shoes (so-to-speak).

So when the opportunity came up at NCC to travel Guatemala for a work project missions trip, I jumped on it. Although I was new to NCC, I was a transfer student, which technically placed me in my junior year. The missions team was compromised of students from all grades from Froshman to Seniors. Our team traveled to Santiago Atitlan, where we stayed with an American, turned Guatemalan, from Sandy, Oregon who was the owner/proprietor of Posada de Santiago. Our days were spent building concrete block multi-family homes for needy villagers along with some travel of the Lake Atitlan region to see how God was working in the country. We also helped with some concrete work on the local Christian church that was being built. To say it was life-changing and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is an understatement. Until recently (moving into the trailer) I still graced the walls of my bedroom with a large tapestry, photos & trinkets I picked up on my journey. I’ll never forget the people & experiences – God truly changed my heart on that mission trip.

So, here we are again – God put on my heart to enter the mission field again, after meeting a college exchange student from Papua New Guinea last Thanksgiving. A friend invited me over to their house for dinner, since I’m a bachelor, and Mom is now in assisted living. There I met Jeni, who was accompanying my friend’s daughter. I had a wonderful time chatting with Jeni, who I later learned, was here studying Business Management at Corban University. Jeni’s family sent her to the U.S. to earn a business degree, so that she could run the family pig farm. I was fascinated hearing Jeni describe the landscape of her home. The island is split into two – Papua (a province of Indonesia) & Papua New Guinea, an independent nation state. Papua New Guinea is primarily a Christian State, whereas Papua is primarily Muslim, although Christianity is recognized as a state accepted religion. I’m completely fascinated by Papua New Guinea, as my grandfather fought there in World War II. Had it not been for men like my grandfather and great-uncles that fought in the Pacific Theater, Papua & Papua New Guinea would not be the nations they are today.

So, when a recent opportunity presented itself to visit Indonesia with a team from JBC, I was ‘all-in’. I signed up for the team and started attending planning meetings. I wasn’t sure how I was going to come up with the funds, but as always, I figured if God willed it, the funds would appear. However, my health had other plans, and during a pretty intense session of Kajukenbo, I dislocated my shoulder doing forward rolls & ended up tearing my supraspinatus rotator cuff (fat guys in their 50’s probably shouldn’t be doing forward rolls). So, after much prayer and discussion, the elder leading the team & myself decided to scrub me from the roster. This obviously wasn’t the opportunity for me, and as I’ve come to learn, as Paul says in Romans 8:28, everything happens for a purpose, according to God’s will. As I write this – the JBC Team comprised of Pastor Mike H., Elder Jon & Jenny are boots-on-the-ground in Indonesia.

Romans 8:28 (ESV) And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

So, fast forward to September, my shoulder was improving (I was in physical therapy) and despite having additional issues with my heart and ending up in the Emergency Room for emergency cardiac intervention, I felt again called to join a JBC missions team. The new team was planning a trip to Sierra Leone, where our church has a long-standing established presence, spreading the Good News. Again, I wasn’t sure where the funds were going to come from, but I knew if God wanted this for me, he would provide. So, I started putting feelers out for support, created a crowd-funding campaign and started spreading the news (including here on my blog, via a previous post that this is replacing).

But … God had other plans for me. It seems my heart is just too unstable right now, and after seeing another cardiac specialist (an Electrophysiologist) a decision was made to reverse the previous game plan, and make me a candidate for surgery. That surgery will happen in the next two months. So, after much prayer, reflection, and listening to peers, friends and mentors, I started to withdraw from the mission team. I didn’t completely close the door, because I still felt God calling me to the mission field. However, several things changed over the last (2) weeks, showing me that God is sending me a different direction here on the homefront. So, as of this last Sunday, I am no longer part of the Sierra Leone Mission Team.

So, what’s the new direction? Well, I’m not ready to reveal all of that yet, but … it appears God is calling me into the pastorate & chaplaincy (more on that to come).

For more information about Jefferson Baptist Church ministries or Missions, visit www.jbc.church.

Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV) ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”