Nearly 10 years ago, before our family moved across the world to begin foreign work as missionaries, I reflected on my life and the path God had led to where I was. I had seen how God had prepared my heart and provided Godly influences and opened doors of opportunity to equip me for the task of ministering abroad. 

It is my desire to challenge and Inspire young people in particular and encourage them to have a passion for God and to be used for God’s glory. 

I want to Inform of the present needs today in the area of foreign missions. Not only do I want to present specific areas that are unreached and people groups that need labourers, but I want to Instruct how to minister effectively through Biblical principles. 

Instead of releasing this manuscript in a traditional book format, I am instead making one chapter available at a time on my blog and here on my website. In addition to the chapter, I will share a Bible challenge by way of video. 

-by Luke Knickerbocker, Author                                                

 

 

Do You Have What it Takes to Give God Your All?

 

 

The Hardest Thing For a Man to Do

Valuable Lessons Every Generation Must Pass Down

My First Taste of the Mission field

In my freshman year, I learned about the people in Bangladesh being the largest unreached group! I was just so eager to go where God wanted me, and I just knew it had to be where the most needy people were. During a church service, I went forward and surrendered to go as a missionary to Bangladesh, if that was what God wanted. I went to the library and started to gather information about these impoverished Muslim people. What would it take to take a mission trip there?

The top 10 largest UPGs in the world are as follows:

1. Shaikh in Bangladesh….population of 132,950,000
2. Japanese in Japan……………………………………….….121,950,000
3. Shaikh in India……..………………………………………..….73,079,000
4. Brahman in India………………………………………..…..54,955,000
5. Yadava in India………………………………………………..54,272,000
6. Turk in Turkey…………………………………………………….52,739,000
7. Chamar in India………………………………………..…….48,011,000
8. Rajput in India…………………………………………………39,839,000
9. Han Chinese, Xiang in China…………………36,031,000
10. Sunda in Indonesia……………………………………….35,105,000

During my sophomore year, I began to learn about the Muslim peoples in Central Asia. In the countries of Uzbekistan, and its neighboring countries, there is very little Gospel witness. I thought, perhaps this is where God wanted me to go. Should I take a mission trip there? Uzbekistan is surrounded by many other “Stan” countries, and there is a saying that “As Uzbekistan goes, so goes Central Asia”. 

Take the opportunities God gives you

Because I was a Mission’s Major, I needed to take a foreign language. I wanted to take Arabic, as that might be helpful with working with Muslims. But there was not enough interest for the college to offer that class. So I took Russian, knowing that many of the former Soviet states spoke Russian, at least as a second language. I ended up taking three semesters of Russian. One semester was during a semester of Greek simultaneously! That was fun. Actually, many of the letters are the same in both languages.

As my time in college continued, I had opportunities to travel with evangelistic teams taking mission trips to churches that were beginning or struggling. This was a real joy to be able to get a taste of pioneer works. A highlight during my junior year was being chosen to join a group of about 20 men from the church and college to go to New York City after the terrorist strikes on September 11th, 2001. 

Look for opportunities to minister

When we arrived in Manhattan, you could still see the smoke ascending from the spot where the twin towers were leveled. We rode the subways, roamed the streets and ministered to people everywhere. There we were given permission to use various church buildings. We set up tables and gave out cookies and water along with Gospel literature. We had the opportunity to lead a number of folks to the Lord on that trip! You may read more about this outreach on my blog about the week of September 11th here.

In Bible College, I was continually challenged outside of the classroom by good reading material that friends gave me. One book that really impacted me was Shadow of the Almighty by Elizabeth Elliot. As I read about the life of Jim Elliot, I noted many parallels of his experiences with my own. His personal discipline physically and mentally became a personal challenge. He was an intentional student or servant in training because he understood what it would take to be engaged with a pioneering mission. Jim Elliot gave himself whole-heartedly to being fully equipped for the task – what an example! He competed on the wrestling team and studied Biblical languages. Even while standing in line for meals, he redeemed the time by memorizing Scripture from index cards he had written them on.

Seek to make friendships with missionaries

Being at Bible College, I had the privilege of meeting many missionaries who came through and would encourage us young zealous men. One representative from the Gospel Furthering Fellowship asked me to go on a trip with him to Indonesia. Although I never went, I began to learn specifically of the need of people groups within the borders of countries. In fact, there are over 300 Unreached people groups in Indonesia alone! There were three groups specifically that this missionary was targeting and strategizing to reach. One of these was the Madurese with 14 million people and no church present! You will learn later how this information would affect me and how God would further direct my steps.

Another great blessing in college was spending time with Dr. Ed Reese, who is a wealth of knowledge on great heroes of the past and the compiler of the Chronological Bible. He would tell us of his past experiences with Youth for Christ crusades he participated in. Dr. Reese always thought big and planned big! He had an idea to systematically evangelize the world. He made a list of all 3,000+ counties in America. Then he made a list of all the countries in the world divided by their provinces with their populations. We would divide the provinces or countries of the world into groups of approximately 2 million. 

Ideally, Bible preaching churches in each county of America would be responsible for one of these areas of the world. 

They would sponsor a church planting evangelist to reach the two million people in the designated region of the world.  I enjoyed spending hours looking at maps and working on this project. I felt like I was having a part in making a world-wide difference. 

If you have never been on a foreign field, I challenge you to take a mission trip with your family or church. Prepare now by learning about missionaries your church supports. Start saving up money for a plane ticket and get your passport!

Please check out the video below that accompanies this chapter titled “Committed to His Cause” about the life of David and his faith, vision, and sacrifice.

The Relationships that Impact Your Future

If you are interested in learning more life-lessons from my experiences and travels, you may click here in another free online book title Fully Equipped: Having What it Takes to Give Your All.

 

I am thrilled to be able to make these books available at no charge to you. However, if you wish to make a donation, you may click the button below or email me for at knickprint@gmail.com to request another form of payment.

Thank you so much!

Mentored for Mission

30 Days on Amtrak: Life as a Legal Hobo

From Bible College to the School of Hard Knocks

It is essential that we keep a Biblical balance in our approach to the Christian life. We must not confuse a busy schedule for obedience in God's work. A servant is to do exactly what his master tells him in the way he instructs him. Mere religious activity is not the same as Biblical spirituality. We must also beware of emphasizing one spiritual discipline at the expense of ignoring others mandated in Scripture. A Biblical balance is vital for God's servant if he wants to truly be useful. 

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. – Acts 17:11

 

Counsel after College

In May of 2003, I graduated from Bible College with a Bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies. I stayed an extra month in Powell, Tennessee to work and pay off the remainder of my school bill. Before I moved back home to Florida, I made an appointment with Pastor Clarence Sexton to see if he had any counsel for me. I remember him reminding me that I came from a Godly family. He advised me to spend at least two years working under a Godly man. Though in my heart I knew he was right, I was restless and had other ideas. 

 

While studying at The Crown College, my major was in Missions and I had learned about the emphasis of God's work through the local church to fulfill the Great Commission. As I considered how I may serve in foreign missions, I was challenged by the thought of what a church would look like on foreign soil - especially in countries considered "closed" to Christianity. Some of my friends and I had studied the early churches in the Bible and were reminded of their simplicity and power. It made me curious about other groups who had a different approach to church planting methodology than the traditional model I had grown up around all my life. 

 

House Church conference in Texas

In the Fall of 2003, I took a bus from Knoxville,Tennessee to Dallas, Texas to attend a House Church conference. There I met Neil Cole and many others touted as the premier house-church planters of our day. I went with basically no money and a credit card I had borrowed from my friend Dominick in case of an emergency. I took lots of notes and learned some helpful things about evangelizing people and church-planting reproduction. Like anything you learn in life and books you read, I had to “eat the meat and spit out the bones.” 

 

At the House Church Conference in Dallas, I learned that many house churches are filled with disheartened people who disdain pastoral authority and hold to charismatic beliefs. (Those were the bones.) There was some good "meat" to chew on, however. There are helpful lessons to learn from the way Jesus sent out his disciples two by two and how Paul established churches wherever people met, especially in homes. The process was simple, natural, familial, and reproducible. As Neil Cole would say, many modern church models today are based on "budgets, bulletins, and big shots" and are not easily reproducible.

 

In search of the perfect church model

Upon returning home to Florida, I had a burning desire to be a part of a movement in modern missions that would transcend mere tradition, yet remain faithful to the truth. My poor dad had to put up with a number of debates with me about many “new” ideas I was learning about. 

 

I soon had the opportunity to move to New Jersey where some friends I knew were starting churches that met in homes. But as I observed, something was just not right. Early on, I recognized a critical spirit from the leader that I knew was not healthy; but I overlooked it and went along for the ride anyway. 

 

When I first moved North, my friend and his new wife, who had eloped and left college, were living in the basement of their Grandmother’s house. I had no other options of places to stay, so the leader of the house church let me stay in his attic. Having three small children already made it difficult for their family. Inevitably, it was time to find new lodging. But there was one problem – I had no car and no job. Now I had to add "no home" to my list of accomplishments.

 

Homeless in New Jersey

I’ll never forget the Sunday afternoon, following our morning service, when Pastor Donald dropped me off at the flea market in Columbus, New Jersey. I immediately bought an old bicycle, and began to make my way through this small farming community. I consoled myself that Jesus had no place to lay his head. It would be okay to suffer a little. I found a dairy farm that could use my help milking cows in the evenings. Since the owner was away for a week, I could stay in the “office” upstairs. I was glad for what I had, but this was not “living the life”, to say the least. Believe me, the thoughts of the prodigal son spending time with filthy hogs came to my mind often while I took in the overwhelming dairy aroma! I was learning - albeit the long, hard way!

 

I was able to ride the River Line transit train down to Burlington and Medford where a few friends were. Some nights I would stay at a diner during the darkest hours of night, then would roam the streets on my bike. I could catch up on rest at a park during the day time. After a couple weeks, I finally had a break through. In one weekend, my friend Nathan took me to Cracker Barrel in Mount Laurel, where I got a job as a server. Another friend let me use his car till I could get my own vehicle. The Milligan family who hosted church services at a chapel they owned let me move into their large basement for $200/month. They were such a fabulous family to be with. 

 

Living by faith, again

Before I could start work for Cracker Barrel on Monday, I had to buy slip-proof shoes. At this point, I had no money. So I got on my bike and went to a neighborhood and started knocking doors offering to do any kind of yard work needed. A lady gave me two hours of work, pulling weeds and trimming her bushes. Then she gave me a check for fifty dollars! I was excited and found that the bank was actually open, so I could cash it. I rode over to Walmart where I got my needed items. How I rejoiced in the Lord to see him reward my willingness to work. I even got to eat my favorite meal of cheese steak and onion rings at the Marlton Diner that night.

 

The summer of 2004, I began working at Cracker Barrel. I must say it was my favorite secular job I have ever had. I considered my position to be that of a deacon, as I served tables! I made many friends. In fact, one Christian couple that I served many times became friends that I still have contact with to this day! I was able to start spending time with the Schopp family outside of work, and we enjoyed good fellowship. 

 

They had a family member, David in Delaware, who planned a hiking trip in the Appalachian mountains. What a time we had on our two day hike camping out in the mountains of Virginia! David Schopp was a Godly man who would ask me spiritual questions to challenge me in my walk with God. He would ask me about what Scripture I was memorizing and share what God was teaching him at the time.

 

After a couple months, I had saved up enough cash and Mr. Milligan took me to a used car lot where I bought my very first automobile. It was a small white car. I called it my miracle car because the engine was rusted out, the tires bald, and at one point I blew a piston and it ran on 3 cylinders…but it kept running as long as I needed it and I would put about 20,000 additional miles on it before it basically died!

 

Our experiment with the “house church” movement came to an abrupt end. One day, the pastor began teaching that water baptism is no longer meant for believers today. That evening, my friend Nathan and I brought our Bibles and confronted him about this. He insisted that this was what he believed. So without any other choice, we left his house for the last time. We never saw him again as he moved out of the state within a few months later. 

 

The Plymouth Brethren

As I pursued my quest for finding the perfect church model, my friend and I started attending a Plymouth Brethren church nearby. I appreciated some of the things they did, including a weekly observation of the Lord’s Supper. During that first hour of worship, men could share a Bible verse, short devotional, prayer, and anyone could suggest a song which would magnify Christ and the Gospel. It was a good start to a week with personal examination. Knowing that I might be participating made me want to come prepared and clean before God. 

 

I also did get to attend a summer orientation they offered for prospective missionaries. There I met Ken Fleming, the brother of Pete Fleming, who was one of the missionaries slain in Ecuador alongside Jim Elliot and Nate Saint. These pioneer missionaries were with the Plymouth Brethren and quite conservative in their beliefs. Interesting to note is that when the five missionaries were martyred in Ecuador, Ken Fleming was currently serving as a missionary in Africa and didn't hear of his brother's death until three months later!

 

However, there were some things I observed that were not in line with what I had been brought up with in the Independent Baptist Church. I remember trying to defend many of the Plymouth Brethren's views to my dad and how “Baptistic” they were. Yet I knew in my heart there were some things that were simply not right. I was at a crossroads in my life.'

 

A major crossroads

My dad had encouraged me to come home and work with him in the church and school where he pastored in Arcadia, Florida. At the same time, I had friends beginning a church plant in Maryland. I knew I had to make a decision, and the consequences of this decision would impact the rest of my life, no doubt including the areas of marriage and ministry. I knew the right thing for me to do was to return home and submit myself under my dad’s authority. It was time to eat some crow and swallow my pride! Thankfully, God had placed a Godly brother, Jim Fulleylove, in the same Cracker Barrel where I worked. He encouraged me to go home where I belonged.

 

Some observations I made from this whirlwind journey to New Jersey and back home to Florida would include the necessity to remain Biblically balanced in three key areas: First, you need to have the right doctrine; secondly, you must follow the right methods; and thirdly, it is essential to have the right spirit. Most people go overboard emphasizing one or two of these, but without all three, problems are sure to throw you out of sync. God has used many different men and ministries throughout the past. It is good to learn from them, but it is imperative to remember they are men, and are not perfect. Only Christ is the perfect example, and everything we do must be based on and judged by the Bible. 

 

Like the Prodigal Son

You can do a lot of things and get away with it. But you cannot do whatever notion you have and expect God’s blessing and peace when you do it outside of the authority structure God has set in place. For me, it was seeking to find a way to minister to others when I did not have a proper relationship with my own father and church. How could I expect to properly teach others the Word of God, if I was not submitting myself to the authority within my own home and church? Once I finally returned to the place where I was supposed to be, humbled myself, and submitted to my dad's authority, the doors of God’s revealed will began to swing open!

 

 

I am so grateful for God's patience with my stubbornness and his protection in my life, even when I have not always made the the wisest choices. God graciously allowed me to return to Florida and serve in the church and Christian school with my dad. It was then that God began to reveal his will regarding a life's mate! More to come in the next blog! Watch the video below as I share another area in which I learned an important lesson the hard way!

 

Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord. - Proverbs 18:22

 

Submitted and Serving

 

At the end of 2005, I moved home to Arcadia, Florida from New Jersey and submitted myself to my dad’s authority. (Read the previous chapter here.) I began serving wherever needed in the church which included teaching a teen Sunday class. I also got to organize youth groups on Friday nights. This gave me an opportunity to share my passion for missions with them and the needs of persecuted believers around the world. Magazines from Voice of the Martyrs provided me with helpful material about current events. 

 

Once a month, our church would meet up with a couple other churches of like faith for fellowship. One youth group came from Okeechobee. Their unofficial leader was an older teen girl named Jamie Womble. She was their leader simply because she owned a vehicle and could drive them! Though I had met her a little over a year before that at my sister Katie's high school graduation, Jamie and I had gotten to know a little about each other through email. But that would soon change now that I was back in Florida. 

 

Watching and Waiting

 

I watched Jamie and saw her talent and the enthusiasm she had for Christ. She taught in a Christian school and did typesetting and editing for Faith Baptist Publications in Fort Pierce. I attended their printing conference and youth conference they held. We got to know more about each other’s interests, and we found we had a lot in common! But I was impressed at how much talent she had and how much she enjoyed serving the Lord. I especially took notice of her when we had a teen activity themed on Bible smuggling. We had a competition between two teams and we each were the leader. She put her whole heart into it and I could picture her on the mission field with me. 

Jamie and I became good friends. I knew she was interested in me and I wanted to be sure not to say or do anything that would lead her to believe I liked her.  I wanted to be sure that it was the Lord bringing us together, not our emotions. I did not want to lead her to believe I was interested in her romantically if I was not yet willing to enter a committed relationship. 

 

When I Knew She was the One

 

We got to know each other more through email, and the youth activities. Soon I began to call her on the phone. We always had other people around when we were together and I spoke to her dad letting him know if anything progressed in our friendship, he would be the first to know. 

 

I saw Christ in Jamie’s life. One day while reading Proverbs 31, I realized she excelled all other virtuous women, and she was the one for me. In fact, I wrote her initials (JJW) in my Bible next to Proverbs 31:29.

 

Honoring our Parents

 

I continued to talk to my dad about the development of our relationship while waiting on the Lord to move forward. Christmas was coming and so was our church cantata. We invited Jamie’s family to come to our church for that special service, then come to our house for fellowship afterward. That night I gave her a Christmas gift, which was a big move for a budding friendship. The gift was simple: a framed acrostic about a disciple of Christ I had written and a bracelet that a Cambodian missionary had given me. 

 

In January of 2006, the annual county fair was coming up and I invited Jamie to go with me. She brought her sister Kim with her. I had previously asked her dad for permission and he was fine with it. I also asked my dad to eat supper with my mom and her parents so they could freely discuss the two of us and our budding friendship. This would help provide confidence in knowing a little about us and each other’s families. It was important to me that we receive the blessing of both our parents. 

 

Soon after this, Jamie informed me of a Valentine’s Banquet coming up at her school and wondered if I was interested in going with her. I told her I would get back with her. (This really made her nervous!) But I had to handle this cautiously as I viewed this as more than just a casual date. This would mean our friendship was becoming more serious. I told my dad about it and he thought it was a good idea to go. It brought Jamie much relief when I finally called her to let her know I would be honored to take her to the banquet!

 

Our Courtship Begins

 

I set up a time with Jamie's father where I could meet with him before the banquet. We secretly met up at a park near their house in Okeechobee. I told Mr. Womble how much I respected Jamie and saw our friendship leading to a serious relationship. I wanted his permission to court her. This would simply be a time of getting to know one another with the purposeful intention of marriage. We had a wonderful time at the Valentine's banquet that night.

 

After the banquet, I informed her of my clandestine meeting with her father at the nearby park. Under the moon-lit sky, I told her officially that I liked her and that I had her father's blessing to pursue a courtship with her if she felt the same way about me. She returned the sentiment and our relationship instantly rose to another level. Our courtship lasted a month and a half before I proposed to her on a canoe trip. There in the sand I drew a heart and told her for the first time the words, “I love you” and gave her an engagement ring.

 

Setting Boundaries

 

We had both decided not to touch – not even shake hands until our wedding day. We would simply draw the boundary as far back as possible, and have a hands-off relationship. It would be hard to refrain, but it would be harder to stop once started! Give the devil a toe hold and he’ll make it a stronghold. We wanted to show our future children by example how to find God’s choice of a life’s mate and get to the marriage altar physically pure. But we got creative and had fun with it. For example, when we went miniature golfing, we held each end of the golf club and pretended that we were holding hands! It was so much fun.

 

Abstinence is not highly regarded today as it once was, even among many Christians. The fact is, some things are meant only for marriage. Fornication and adultery is the perversion of what God designed as the blessed physical union to be enjoyed between a husband and his wife. If you love God, you will honor this. If you truly love others, you will not want to take advantage of them to attempt to gratify your own lusts. If you think only of yourself, you will not regard their feelings.

 

Worth the Wait

 

Our magical moment came on July 22, 2006. There I stood beside my dad, officiate, and my groomsmen. My heart pounded, as I saw my bride come down the aisle. We had prepared for four months for this occasion. We both had our parents blessing, but more importantly, God’s blessing. Now it was appropriate to go forward together hand in hand, heart in heart, in our commitment to one another for life. 

 

The most euphoric moment I’ve ever experienced is when we took one another’s hands and kissed for the first time at the marriage altar! It was definitely worth the wait. What a strong foundation that was laid for a good marriage, because we sought to honor God and His Word, while respecting our parents and each other.

 

I feel badly when I see so many young people throw away the chance to experience the gift God has allowed us have. God’s way is best. It’s even better than your feelings and what you think you want now. Let Him write your love story! Indeed, life's greatest gift is eternal life through Jesus Christ. But the second greatest gift is marrying in the will of God! Read 10 Godly Guidelines for Guys and Gals to lay a proper foundation for a great marriage.

 

 

 

 

Learn more about making the most during the Season of Singleness in this article. You may listen to our audio book Worth the Wait as we each tell the full story of how God brought our paths together on Audible here. The paperback version is available here at Victory Baptist Press.

 

Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find? – Proverbs 20:6

 

After we married in July of 2006, My new bride Jamie and I attended the Heritage Baptist Church that my dad pastored. Jamie taught at the Heritage Baptist Academy in Arcadia, Florida, and I worked full-time at the Walmart distribution center to provide a place for us to stay. I was starting to get antsy about what work the Lord might have for us. I didn’t know exactly what the Lord had in mind, but I remembered what they taught us in college, “You will either be the pastor of a church, or work to help someone who is the pastor.”

 

One time while gathering together with family at a lake in Lake Placid, Florida, I thought, if Jamie and I do stay in Florida, this is the town where I want to live. After a few months went by, we heard about a small church in Lake Placid, Florida who had an older pastor and needed some help with their music and youth. This caught my attention, and I thought that this may be just the opportunity for us. We could drive over to visit on Saturdays and attend services on Sunday and Wednesdays. 

 

But during this time, my grandfather had moved to Vermont and was attempting to start a church there. He had invited me to come and work with him and my Grandma Carol. This too appealed to me, as moving back to Vermont seemed like a very adventurous enterprise! So, in March of 2007, my wife and I flew up to Vermont to visit my Grandparents and observe the work there. I learned that there was another man trying to start a church in a nearby town and there was already a church which my grandfather had started 50 years previously. There were some dissenters who had pleaded with my grandfather to come back, yet they rarely attended the meetings he held in his trailer! I definitely saw this from a different perspective from my Grandpa, and realized this door was not open for us.

 

Then it happened! While we were still visiting in Vermont, my mom called informing me that the pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Lake Placid, Florida had put in his resignation, effective at the end of April! That was only a few weeks away! My mind started churning. We had already met with the pastor, and he had mentioned his desire to have a young man work with him for two years before making the transition. Obviously, he got the drift I was looking to get into the pastorate much sooner. 

 

Upon our return to Florida, we visited Bethel Baptist Church. Within a week or two, I was recommended to candidate, which I did. On April 29^th, I was voted to be the pastor! We were on a mountain top, but were soon to enter our first valley!

 

As I started visiting the members, I was informed by one couple that they had already been planning to leave the church: they just wanted to give us time to make the transition. It was nothing personal they assured me. Meanwhile another couple who had recently joined never returned. I learned they had to be part of an independent Baptist Church to join a particular evangelistic ministry. So it was simply a formality on their part.

 

At this time, we were bringing in children on our church van. But the driver would take the kids home after Sunday school. I thought, “Why not just bring them into the main service?” I found out quickly that was a bad idea, as I had to lead the service and discipline kids at the same time! There went another couple, who told me that they couldn’t handle the disruption of the unruly kids.

 

Then I preached on True Christianity, how we should be consistent at home with the way we are in the church house. Of course, I dealt with the issue of dress. I had this brilliant idea to hold up a pair of pants and say, “Who wears these?” followed by holding up a skirt and saying, “Who wears this?” I made the point clear that there should be a distinction between men and women. As you can imagine, this was not appreciated by all. The one faithful deacon, who gave, cleaned, taught, and seemingly held the church together was irate with me afterward. He stormed out of the building declaring, “You weren’t fair to the ladies.” He and his wive never returned! I had attempted to present the message with the best spirit I knew how, but the content was just too much I suppose. 

 

Only a month in and I was seeing the small group disintegrate into what seemed like a shell of a church body. At this point, I should mention that my wife gave birth to our first son a couple months after taking the church. When our son Paul was just three weeks old, the acting treasurer (who was the former pastor), came to me after the service and said that he could’nt start over again. He travelled a long distance to attend the services and with the great exodus of members, he was discouraged. So he took my wife and I back to the office and gave us a crash course in the books and financial affairs.

 

So now I was left with a church made up of my family of three, a lady with her granddaughter, some children from the bus route, and a couple, whom I was informed that the husband was not dependable. Well, the man and his wife turned out to be our greatest workers throughout our time there and were a great blessing to us. Tom and Kaye have remained friends and have kept in contact with us all these years since. God brought us through and we recovered. God would bring others in as we remained faithful. 

 

I will never forget how God ministered to my wife and I that Wednesday night after the former pastor said “good bye”. We felt so lonely and wondered what was going on. We left the office overwhelmed by all the added responsibilities. We made our way to the front of the auditorium. There at the altar, we knelt and poured our souls out to the Lord. We had many questions, but no answers. Then out of nowhere, my three week old son Paul began to giggle. He had never done this before! The Lord spoke to me bringing to mind the verse in Nehemiah, “The Joy of the Lord is my strength.” 

 

Then Paul giggled a second time, again relieving the tension of the moment. I thought of the verse in Psalm 16:11, “In his presence is fullness of joy.” My heart was stirred and I began to think, “Lord, we have you and you will never forsake us!” Truly, it is not the circumstance, but rather the person of Christ who gives joy. Then I began to look at my son and wondered if he would laugh another time -for every good message has at least three points, right? 

 

Indeed he giggled once more, and I thought about verses in the Bible that speak of "joy". My mind went to the prison epistle penned by Paul to the Philippian church, where he states, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4) Now I had no excuse but to be glad in the Lord. My wife and I stood up and embraced knowing everything would be okay. Our tears had been turned into laughter! 

 

No matter what happens to us, we can allow a difficult experience to conform us more into Christ’s image, or we can use it as an excuse to resent God’s working in our lives. When Daniel was thrown to the lions for praying, he didn’t let it change His proper view of God. The Bible tells us he had an excellent spirit. This world needs to see God’s servants with a joyful spirit that carries us and makes us excel over all trials.

 

As my pastor friend Josh Goodwin pointed out, the red letter days of the giants we read in history were actually quite few. We easily forget the long years they endured faithfully, perhaps in monotony. But without proving themselves during the preparation, they would not have the seen the victories God would wrought for them!

 

In July of 2007, Jamie and I celebrated our first anniversary. We had just moved from Arcadia into our newly purchased trailer in a 55+ mobile home park. Somehow they let us move there in spite of our age! We felt like we retired early. Because we had used the little money we had toward our down payment, we were counting our pennies when our anniversary came around. It was a Sunday and we decided to go to McDonalds for lunch. We found enough coins to purchase a Bic Mac and split it! We couldn't have been happier!

 

During our first year in Lake Placid, God really challenged and increased our faith. We had a two older couples join the church who were real spiritual giants, the Prathers and the Ramos family. The Prathers would go visiting with us even in the 100 degree heat of summer. Brother Abel Ramos’ health was deteriorating, yet he still tried to reach out to the Hispanic community. That summer I had the joy of baptizing my first convert. God was working! 

 

In 2009, I had the honor of being ordained at Heritage Baptist Church in Arcadia, Florida where my dad pastored. It was both a wonderful and challenging time as Godly men questioned me about my beliefs and encouraged me with practical counsel for the ministry. It was recommended to me that I regularly read the small booklet Heartbeats of the Holy. This is a practical yet powerful booklet every preacher may be helped by.

 

Over the course of four years, we saw God provide over and over again. We saw small growth here and there, but just stayed faithful knowing we were there to labour for the Lord first, and for the people second. God came through during the times we needed Him most! We had a time where the motor was blown on the church van, our copy machine was broken, and the city was making us convert our septic system to a new electric pump grinder system. This alone would cost us about $5,000. I remember sitting at my desk looking at the bills and saying, “Lord, these are your bills.” This was beyond the ability of our small congregation. Then we received a check from out of state for $10,000! Wow! Truly the church is the Lord’s church, and He will sustain it! 

 

Some folks attended for a short while, and others for a longer time who would contribute greatly just when we needed it most! While I always had to work a second job, I always seemed to fulfill my duties. I came to realize that God-given duties do not conflict. I drove a school bus in the county, and I remember getting phone calls from the funeral director or others in need, and was able to attend to the situation immediately, never interfering with my bus driving schedule. It was assuring to know that my Father in Heaven knows all. 

 

Also, family duties must not be neglected for the sake of the ministry. After all, my family is my first ministry. If I lose my family, I will cease to have a ministry! It took much adjusting going from being newly married to becoming a pastor and dad within the first year! Then the Lord gave us another son, Jason in 2008. In 2010, we were blessed with a beautiful daughter named Abigail.

 

I must admit, that pastoring is no doubt the most stressful job under the sun. Many times I thought that certainly someone else could come and do a better job than I. But I was always too scared to quit. The last thing I wanted was to be a quitter. I realize that God calls us to faithfulness; the “success” or “failure” as we may call it is in the Lord’s hands.

 

I was only 25 when I became pastor and was as “green” as they come! We dealt with various trials and challenges, both financially and spiritually. At one point, I thought it would be wise to have another older friend come to pastor. Then the people could benefit from each of our strengths. It was not at all about the position to me as much as it was about what was best for our church. That pastor friend did not come, and God opened a door for him in another church. I am thankful for those who put up with me and stood by me through these learning years! 

 

I learned many invaluable lessons during my time pastoring. I learned that God will use the least likely people because they allow Him to; His power is provided that He may receive glory. Don’t be surprised when those you have the greatest expectations for turn away, and the least likely ones grow to be used of God greatly. You must learn to love even though the more you love the less you are sometimes appreciated. You will sometimes be hurt the most by those you seek to help the most. 

 

God calls and leads his minister; no one person is indispensable. Treasure and love those who God puts in your care. Sometimes this means doing what is best for the church, not what is most comfortable for me. I remember having to confront a man who was critical and spiritually deflating our church. He was causing harm, and I had to ask him to change his attitude or just not come. That was difficult, but it was necessary for the health of the flock. He understood and even later sent us a love offering on a couple occasions. 

 

Ask God for thick skin and a soft heart. Christ never flinched from his stand for truth against the Pharisees, yet he certainly kept a heart of compassion for sinners. Oh how we need to be dead to self, and filled with the Spirit, that we might care for others properly and nurture them with the fruit of the Spirit – by loving and being longsuffering with the flock.

 

I’ve learned that God really does care and is faithful to supply our need as we are faithful in obeying His will. Small doesn’t mean insignificant; and big is not always a sign of blessing. I must consistently take care of the little things, because little things turn into big things!

 

God opens the doors to those who are willing to walk through them. I was given opportunities to write in a column in a local newspaper, and was asked to pray in front of all the county school board transportation department. We witnessed God supply flooring for our nurseries, paint for our fellowship hall, a sound booth for our equipment, and an addition to our trailer, not to mention a beautiful minivan! But let me not get ahead of myself!

 

Just be yourself: be real for Jesus. Phonies are easily found out. Don’t fall into the trap of comparing yourself with others. You and your ministry will be unique – from your style of preaching, your experiences, the field of service – it’s history and culture, and the burden and vision God gives you. Be obedient to what God has given you. Keep your eyes on Jesus and keep your hand on the plow. 

 

God is pleased only by faith. There is nothing else that pleases him! Also, no great work of God goes uncontested by the Devil. If you are expecting great victories, prepare for difficult battles. During one vacation Bible school, when some precious children were saved, we had an exceptionally challenging night. It started with a mother storming in during the opening exercises. She was irate because her son rode the van without permission. Uh oh…but there was no consoling her now! She grabbed her son and marched him right out. Then during snack time, some boys were horse playing and broke a window. But at the end of the night, God won and so were some precious souls!

 

One other lesson I have learned is that I find greater joy handing a job over to a young believer than doing it myself. Whether it’s turning over a Sunday school class to a new teacher, or transferring a responsibility, like song-leading, to a new worker. It brings rewards that money can’t buy.

 

I would not recommend the pastorate to most young inexperienced men like myself, but I am grateful for the opportunity I had to serve. I remember someone asking me, “How old are you?” and “You are the Senior Pastor?” My thought to that was, “How old does a person have to be to serve God?” However, it is imperative that you keep a teachable spirit and take the opportunities that God gives you and remain faithful to that task.

 

In October of 2010, I received a phone call. A man named James informed me that he was a friend of Mr. Everett who attended a weekly Bible study I held at a local assisted living facility. They wanted to meet up with me for coffee. So we scheduled a time and met at Wendy’s. They started asking some probing questions. Specifically, they asked how our family was doing. I said, “You mean physically…spiritually, uh, were doing fine, and we have all our needs provided.”  Though we did have all our needs provided for, my wife was praying for a mini-van. Earlier that year, we had given our 2006 Chrysler Town & Country to some missionary friends who had lost theirs in a fire. Now we were limited to squeezing our family of five into our two-door Ford Focus.

 

Long story short, on Thanksgiving week of 2010, we met up with Mr. Everett and Bro. James at a car dealership where they had a beautiful red 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan awaiting us. It only had 8,500 miles on it. We had met Mr. Everett while doing weekly Bible studies at a retirement home. He would attend and wanted to be a blessing to our family. Now we had a good reliable vehicle which would eventually serve us greatly in ways only the Lord could foresee! 

 

Note: Bethel Baptist Church is currently under the leadership of Pastor Keith Carringer. The new church name is Highlands Baptist Church and God has been blessing the work there!

 

 

 

God allowed my wife and I the privilege to minister at a small church in Lake Placid, Florida from 2007-2011. We had only been married for about nine months when I accepted the call to become the pastor at age 25. We had our first child a few months later. My wife and I had begun a new journey of faith and dependence on the Lord. Before resigning the pastorate to serve in foreign missions, I shared with our church the following lessons that I had learned about the ministry during our time there. Here are the top ten things that I had learned by being in the pastorate.

 

10. God builds the church.

 

I Corinthians 1:26 - For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

Everyone is different, and has different needs; yet is important to the body. God will use the least likely people because they allow Him to. His power is provided that He may receive glory. God deserves glory and desires my worship.

 

Don’t be surprised when those you have the greatest expectations for end up turning away. And surprisingly, the least likely ones grow to be used of God greatly. Love others, even though the more you love - the less you are appreciated. You will sometimes be hurt the most by those you seek to help the most.

 

When I had arrived at the church, I was warned that I could not depend on one man in particular. As it turned out, he and his wife were the most faithful family in the church throughout our time there. In fact, we are still in contact with this dear couple all these years later! Ironically, the others that were previously leaders in the church left within the first three months after we arrived.

 

9. I am here for God first and people second.

 

Proverbs 3:5,6 - Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

God calls and leads us; people are the beneficiaries of our ministry. No one person is indispensable. Get to learn about people. Treasure and love those placed in your care.  

 

There was a man who attended our church for about a year. Sadly, he had been in the ministry years earlier, but was disqualified from the pastorate. He was bitter and had been through a lot of recent hardship. He grew critical and had a spirit that was "infecting" others. The hardest day I can recall was going to his house and confronting him about this. I told him I loved him, but unless his attitude changed, it would be better for him not to attend. This was a necessary confrontation for the health of the flock. He agreed with me and some changes were made. Years later he would send us money to help us in our mission!

 

8. Ask God for thick skin and a soft heart.

 

Ephesians 4:15 - But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

 

Christ never flinched from his stand for truth against the Pharisees, yet he certainly kept a heart of compassion for sinners. It has been said, “If it was not for people, ministry would be easy.” But without people, there is no ministry! It is necessary to walk in the Spirit according to God’s Word, and you will bear the necessary fruit of the Spirit to help others. God will give you his love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, longsuffering, and temperance to shepherd the flock.

 

One of the hardest things for a young preacher is to stand true for his convictions even though so many are transitioning to culturally acceptable methods and unbiblical teachings. Some families would come to visit and not want to stay because they wanted more contemporary music or desired a charismatic setting.

 

Sometimes no matter how gracious and patient you are, there is no way to help them. A few different times, we would have people come to services and try to influence others with various doctrines, including Jehovah Witness ideologies. I remember having to tell them to not give out their literature. Though I would take a stand, I still wanted to be gracious enough to help their hurting families. Sometimes its a no-win situation. Do what is right and God will take care of you. These are a few lessons that I have learned while being in the pastorate.

 

7. God knows what we need.

 

Philippians 4:19 - But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

 

Ask specifically, and trust God for the big things as well as the little. Depend upon God and not on man. God’s timing is always right. Small doesn’t mean insignificant, and big is not always a sign of blessing. Take care of the little things: for small things turn into big things. Be faithful.

 

One day I sat down in my office and looked at three different bills that needed to be paid. Our engine on the church van needed repaired; we needed to fix an air conditioning unit in the fellowship hall; and the city required us to connect our sewage into their new system. We barely scraped by from week to week – how could we pay these bills? I committed them to God and reminded him that it was his church and these were His bills. Shortly after, we received a check from out of state for $10,000, which covered all three bills! God is able to supply your every need.

 

6. God-given duties do not conflict.

 

Colossians 3:23 - And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

 

Balancing many God-given responsibilities is difficult. Caring for your mate, your children, church family, and other jobs can become a juggling catastrophe if you get your priorities out of order. Be sure that what you are doing is something God has given you to do. Being busy is not the same as being obedient! Learn to say "No". When God has your heart, He gets everything else we have. Therefore, love Him with all your heart…and do everything with all your might for Him. He will ensure the time to meet the demands of the tasks.

 

I had the privilege to be bi-vocational while pastoring. God gave me the perfect job that gave me a flexible schedule, while putting me in front of numerous families around our town. Driving school bus for the county got me up early for my rounds and gave me several hours before my afternoon routes. On Wednesdays, after dropping off the students at their respective schools, I would pick up donated bakery items at a local supermarket on my way to the Assisted Living Facility to hold a morning service. 

 

After, I would be free to prepare for the evening service or make visits. Occasionally, the funeral home director down the street would call me to come hold a service for a family that had no church. It never ceased to amaze me how the opportunities God gave me worked out with the allotted time schedule I had. When God gave me something to do, He would also grant the time needed to fulfill it.

 

 

5. Christ’s paradoxical principles are true.

 

a. Being a servant is better than being a master. (John 13:16,17)

 

As you honor God, God will honor you. Sometimes opportunities arise to further our influence. One such opportunity was to write articles for our local newspaper. Sometimes I would show up at the tennis court to play, and was able to befriend our mayor. At Christmas time, we had the largest community gathering of the year show up for the annual parade. We would make up special tracts to give out at this occasion. 

 

Our church building was located across the street from our High School ball fields. One time before the game, we grilled hot dogs to give away with gospel tracts that had the football schedule on the back. Don't be afraid of novel opportunities God gives you to get the Gospel out!

 

b. It’s more fun to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)

 

We had a missionary that we supported whose minivan caught on fire while traveling. Our family had recently purchased a used van with our tax return. When we heard about this need, we felt led to give them our van. They wanted to be a blessing in return, and built an addition to our trailer that we lived in! Later that year, we were given a newer minivan by an older gentleman who attended our weekly meetings at the assisted living facility. You cannot out-give God!

 

c. Contentment is found in Christ, not possessions. (I Timothy 6:6)

 

Although we did not have much financially while we served in Lake Placid, we grew in our dependence on Christ. Seeing the Lord provide in unusual ways greatly prepared us for foreign missions. My wife began learning about coupons and saved literally thousands of dollars! She began teaching workshops to help others. One day while at the grocery store, a man in line behind her offered to buy her a laptop if she would teach his wife and daughters how to use coupons in return. Indeed, he fulfilled his promise! God knows every need. Be content with Him, and He will never fail you.

 

4. Work at making your secret life strong in the Lord.

 

Matthew 6:6 - But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

 

Your secret life will lead to your success or failure. You must have a strong devotional life and healthy marriage if you expect to have a happy church ministry. I could not consider my ministry a success if I had a failed marriage. We must guard our hearts, for Satan’s attacks are relentless and continual.

 

I am grateful for the patience of the church family while I grew with them in the work. Although I did not know everything and had so much to learn, we moved forward together. I have learned that God uses clean and available vessels, not always the smartest and most talented. In fact, many more able servants have lost their ministries because of a damaged reputation because of their failures and sin.

 

I desire to always keep eligible for whatever God may lead me to do. Remember, you can always grow in your ability with experience, but your reputation cannot be replaced. Your success in public depends on your purity in private.

Read more about our love story here.

 

3. Don’t compare yourself with others.

 

II Corinthians 10:12 - For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

 

You and your ministry will be unique – from your style of preaching, your experiences, the field of service (it’s history and culture), and the burden and vision God has given you. Be obedient to what God has led you to do. Keep your eyes on Jesus and your hands on the plow. 

 

I have always been convinced that people who are involved are happier and love their church more. Instead of complaining about what you don’t have and the abilities that others lack, put to use those who are present. A child can help take up the offering, a teenager can sing or lead songs, and even help teach the children. When we first arrived in Lake Placid, I had to play guitar to accompany the singing.

 

My wife knew a few chords and played some of the same songs service after service. But she would learn some new chords, and we would be able to add to our list that we could sing with her accompaniment. The joy of training others to teach and serve and watching their growth has always been greater than the pleasure of doing the job myself. 

 

2. You can only please God by faith.

 

Hebrews 11:6 - But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

 

Take the first step to accomplishing a task and trust God to provide. William Carey said “Attempt great things for God, expect great things from God.” Do what you know is right and God will provide the way and means to accomplish what he has put in your heart and hand to do. We cannot see or plan for what remains unknown to us. That is why we must trust God and let Him have his way in our life and ministry. Just do what He has given you to do today!

 

No great work of God goes uncontested by the Devil.

 

One summer we had a particularly challenging evening during our Vacation Bible School. During our singing time, a mother barged into the room and grabbed her young child that we brought in on the church van. We had somehow brought him without her knowledge and permission, and she let me know how upset she was in front of everyone! During the snack time, some kids were goofing off and broke a window. But with all the difficulties that night, God moved in a special way, and we saw some precious souls saved after presenting the gospel. An important lesson I learned in the pastorate was that no great work of God goes uncontested by the Devil.

 

1. Don't lose your joy in following Jesus.

 

Psalm 16:11 - Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

 

We are commanded to rejoice in the Lord always. There is never a good reason to not be happy in the Lord. Our first month in the pastorate was the hardest. Some people who voted us in, never returned. Others had been planning to leave anyway, while others got offended by my preaching and left. (Go figure!) It was a Wednesday evening when the treasurer approached me after the service. His family had also decided to attend another church closer to them and he gave my wife and I a crash course on the finances. After they left, my wife and I, along with our newborn son, went to the altar and cried and prayed together. It was hard to understand why the Lord would bring us, only to see others leave us.

 

Out of nowhere, our 3 week-old son began to giggle. He had never done that before! It was actually quite humorous! The verse in Nehemiah 8:10 came to mind “...the joy of the LORD is your strength.” That was encouraging. While thinking on that, my son Paul again started laughing for no reason! I remembered the verse from Psalm 16:11 which says “…in his presence is fullness of joy…” How uplifting it was to know that joy comes from God, not people. Sure enough Paul giggled a third time, which caused me to think about another verse in the Bible about joy. Philippians 4:4 came to mind: “Rejoice in the LORD alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” How could I remain discouraged? Because of the Lord’s presence and goodness, I will always have something to rejoice about.

 

Conclusion: Serving the Lord is the greatest thing you can do in life! One of my favorite verses is Psalm 100:2a "Serve the LORD with gladness." When you do everything unto the Lord, and not unto men, you can endure hardness, rejection, and setbacks. But never forget that it is not just what you do, but how you do it. So serve the Lord today, but do it with gladness!

Q & A about the Life of a Bi-Vocational Pastor

 

Introduction: A friend of mine studying in Bible College was doing a research paper and asked me the following questions. I have pastored and served as a missionary overseas. Though responsibilities may vary, the life of a minister will require some qualities that apply to everyone. I trust that the following questions and answers will help add perspective and assist in preparation for service as God leads you.

 

What are your duties during the week?

As a pastor, I was bi-vocational. For a couple years I drove school bus on weekdays in the early morning and afternoon. This allowed time in between for study or visits. For at least a year on Wednesdays, after dropping off the students at school, I would pick up donated bakery items from our local grocery store, then go to an assisted living facility to teach a Bible study for the senior citizens there.

 

On some occasions, I preached funerals. From time to time, I may play tennis (with the mayor), or go golfing with some preacher friends. Usually one Friday a month, we would have youth activity. Saturdays were for bus visitation and preparing messages. At one point, I also delivered pizza on Friday and Saturday nights for extra income.

 

Making time for family is absolutely important. Playing with the kids and taking your wife out on a date must be priority!

 

What kind of degree does pastoring require?

A degree is not a requirement, but I would highly advise two things:

1. Get an education through a Bible College that emphasizes the local church. (It is possible to do this online if you were to intern with your local church pastor.) But others will respect the fact that you took time to invest in your training by following the disciplines of training and receiving a degree.
2. Practical experience under the tutelage of a pastor for a couple years minimum after Bible college will be invaluable. For me a tremendous help was travelling with Neighborhood Bible Time two summers while in college. This really helped me with traveling and ministering to many churches and acquiring leadership skills.

*I would add that reading good books by successful pastors and older pastors will greatly help you. But no education will be a substitute for the time you spend with God in prayer and reading the Bible.

 

What are the costs of education?

You may need to contact some colleges that you would be interested in. There are factors to consider such as tuition, room and board, food, vehicle, etc. I didn’t own a car until after college. I stayed in the dorms and worked to pay my school bill. I believe it was around $4,000 a year at Crown College (20 years ago)!

 

How did you know God’s calling for you was to be a pastor?

For me, my calling has always been missions first. As I learned more about the work of missions, I realized the local church was the main work. I learned that starting churches was the primary work of a missionary. Before I knew where God wanted me to go as a foreign missionary, I knew it was important to get experience in the local church here in the USA. I had discovered my spiritual gift was teaching and helps. I simply was surrendered to do what God put in my hand. When a church nearby needed a pastor, I recognized this as God’s leading. I had the “desire of a bishop (overseer)” and accepted the call to pastor. This was a time that God taught me much about faith and proper motivation in ministry – all for God’s glory!

 

How do you set up your sermons?

As a pastor, I had at least 3-4 lessons/sermons to prepare each week, when you consider Wednesday night, Sunday school, morning worship, and Sunday evening. Expository preaching is the very best, but you will have needs to address topics. Preaching through Books of the Bible makes great series and allows you to naturally address various topics as they come up. There are some helps such as ABCs of Christian Growth that is good for new believers. My college notes helped for giving an overview of each book of the Bible (Old Testament Survey, and New Testament Survey). Also, a series on the Bible Doctrines is very good.

 

As you pray and prepare yourself, consider who you are preaching to. You may have unbelievers, new believers, mature believers, and backslidden believers in your audience. As you read your Bible, God may put a verse, thought, passage, or theme on your heart. You may study that out and read other books on the subject.

 

This all helps in the formation of a message or a series. You always want to preach to the crowd you have, and preach from the overflow (of blessings that God has given you through study). Recently, in Nepal I preached a short series on the Blessedness of Brokenness. We have gone through many challenges, and I knew that we needed encouragement and endurance. There were some passages on the subject that I preached from, but I also had been listening to some preaching on the subject that had helped me. If you preach to others what has helped you, you will be passionate about it!

 

What is your favorite part of pastoring?

Seeing others grow in their faith and mature to the place where they can serve is the most rewarding. Watching people take a Sunday School class, lead music, play an instrument, or just get involved in whatever small way is encouraging. Kind of like a parent watching their child grow up and take responsibility! There is no greater joy than to know that my children walk in truth! Also, being able to be with someone who is trusting Christ for salvation is so uplifting.

 

Do you have a least favorite part of pastoring?

Having to confront and correct someone from the congregation about their sin is very hard, but must be done. Visiting a member who is missing services consistently and hearing them say they are leaving to go to another church is very difficult. It’s hard not to take it personally. But you must remember it is God’s work and people are the sheep of HIS pasture.

 

What are some little known jobs a pastor does?

As previously mentioned, a pastor may have to have a second job to care for his family. This is very prevalent nowadays. As a pastor I have had to lay flooring, paint, mow the grass, drive the church van to pick up kids, plan activities and outreaches, run a VBS, schedule special meetings, go door-knocking, make phone calls, prepare and print literature, write articles for the newspaper, etc.

Basically a pastor must be an exemplary servant. Don’t ask others to do what you are not willing to do and/or teach.

 

What is the most difficult part of pastoring?

Keeping a vision for where the life and ministry of the church is going. It is easy after a few years to get discouraged that you are not seeing more fruit, watching people let you down or quit altogether, or simply just become complacent. You may preach your heart out, and people just leave the same as they came. It is vital to keep your eyes on the Lord, and remember that you are there for His sake first. But to keep moving forward when it feels like people are wanting to stay where they are is very difficult. This is the time many pastors will look to move on somewhere else because they feel like they are not making a difference. Faithfulness is mandatory!

 

Do you know of a general salary a pastor makes?

The church where I pastored gave me $300 a week (part of this was housing allowance). After giving to tithe and missions, paying the bills, it didn’t leave must left over. This is why I had to work another job. Depending on the size of church, this could vary. Some larger churches will be able to pay a pastor full-time and/or provide a housing allowance. Regardless the salary, you should know if this is where God wants you to be and what God wants you to do. God will provide for his servant. But don’t be afraid of work. The work of the pastor is the hardest work there is. You cannot do it without God’s help!

 

 

And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.    – Luke 17:5

The very next day after our new van had been given to us, our family drove to Alabama where we met up with my wife’s family for a Thanksgiving campout. (Read that story here!) While there, my father-in-law James Womble had us read a challenging book called Radical by David Platt. The straightforward approach of questioning the Christian’s pursuit of the “American Dream” hit close to home. My father-in-law gave me more books about missions which rekindled the flames of world evangelism in my heart. One book was about the lives of William Carey, Adoniram Judson, and Jim Elliot who all suffered much for the name of Christ. Their commitment was such a challenge to me to give my all.

During this time, I was contacted by a national pastor in Bangladesh and I started to plan a mission trip there. I applied for a passport, since I had lost mine years before that. In ways I did not clearly understand, God was at work preparing our family for the next task. It is wonderful to reflect and see God’s goodness in how he was working to lead us in stepping out on faith in Him!

More miraculous provisions

While we were living in Lake Placid, Florida, my wife had been teaching coupon workshops around Florida. She had mastered the art of finding bargains and saving us lots of money on our groceries. One day while standing in line at Publix, someone remarked how impressed they were with her couponing skills and wished his wife and daughters could learn to coupon as well. My wife said she would be glad to do someone’s shopping for a year in exchange for a laptop computer. To her surprise, he went and bought a new laptop computer. All he wanted in return was for Jamie to teach his wife and daughters how to shop with coupons!

Now we had a new family van and laptop computer that had both been given to us (two essentials for any missionary on soon to be on deputation). At this point, I was still pastoring. I really agonized over what God wanted for us to do. Some days I would be excited about the future of our church, then other days I couldn’t stop thinking about the foreign mission field. 

Walk for weeks without meeting a Christian?

I thought about a missionary I had met in college. He had told me about the need for the Indonesian people – especially the 14 million Madurese people. So I went online and found a documentary recorded by Caleb Project (see Joshua Project). It featured some unreached people groups in South East Asia, including the Madurese. I ordered it and was fascinated by the first two groups who were documented – the Amdo Tibetans and the Khampa Tibetans. It said that you could walk for weeks and weeks among the Amdo Tibetan nomads and never meet one person who has ever heard of the Name of Jesus Christ! That fact stuck deep inside of me. As Jeremiah wrote in Lamentations, “Mine eye affecteth my heart.” A seed was planted in my heart that day.

As we moved into 2011, my heart was definitely pulled in two. We had two missionary families come through our church during the first couple months. Josh and Rebecca Florence came and presented their burden for the people in Papua New Guinea. They were preparing to go train at Baptist Bible Translator’s Institute in Bowie, Texas later that year. I found myself getting jealous, wishing it was me that was going. 

Shortly after, we had the Dan Haifley family come sing and preach. Brother Haifley had made some cards about countries in need of an Independent Baptist missionary. Our hearts were knitted for the cause of reaching unreached peoples. I was now learning that not only are there 6,000 unreached people groups, but also 3,000 Bible-less languages! 

In Romans 15:20, Paul said that he strived to preach the Gospel where Christ was not named. In Romans 10, He said, “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God…”, and “their words went unto the ends of the world.” I wondered about these unreached people without a Bible: “How can the preachers who are sent preach, unless they have a Bible in the recipients’ language? The world needs God’s Word, for within its pages is the greatest message on earth. It is God’s message to man of His love and provision of salvation through Jesus Christ. But the lost cannot understand if someone doesn’t go translate God’s Word first.

Dr. Charles Keen, founder of Bearing Precious Seed and First Bible International wrote a book, Thinking Outside the Box. He emphasized the need for reaching lost people groups in forgotten areas of the world. To bring closure to the Great Commission, it is essential that we concentrate on the tribes and language groups that still remain unreached. There are at least 6,000 unreached people groups remaining still today! 

During my first year at Lake Placid, I had contacted First Bible International to send a representative to come speak at our church for a mission’s emphasis Sunday. Ken Fielder, founder of Worldview Ministries, came to our church and another seed was planted for future friendship.

Some statistics First Bible International printed are as follows: 85% of the Bibles printed are in English; and only 9% of the world speaks English. Less than 15% of the languages of the world have any portion – even a few pages of God’s Word. Of the more than 5,000 languages in the world today, less than 400 have the Bible translated and published. Tens of millions of people have yet to hold a complete Bible, much less own one. First Bible International has a three-fold strategy to bringing closure to the Great Commission: 1) Scripture Translation and Bible Publishing, 2) Training nationals, and 3) Church Planting.

God places the puzzle pieces together

In March of 2011, another major event took place. We had a gentleman knock on our door and tell us he wanted to buy our trailer. We had it for sale the previous year, but didn’t get any buyers. So with the help of our missionary friends Don and Carol Merritt, we added a room on to the house and took it off the market. But this man returned two more times insisting that he and his wife wanted to buy our house – even without us finishing the added room! His mother-in-law lived in the neighborhood and they just had to have it. After considering his offer, we agreed to sell. 

We began looking for another house to buy. You can only imagine how excited my wife was to have the opportunity to find her dream home, have a garden, and settle down to a comfortable life. But I realized too that God’s hand was at work. We found out that because of my job history – having an interruption with my salary from the church and not working for two years for the local school board – we couldn’t get a loan to buy a house!

No preacher, no church, and no Bible

One night while walking and praying, I stopped by the pond near our trailer. I looked at the brightly lit sky and studied the stars. I thought, “Lord, I have the privilege of knowing the Creator of these stars, but there are people living on the other side of the world who have no idea how those stars got there. If you would allow me, I would love to go to a place where there is no preacher, no church, and no Bible.”

One day in April while riding in the car with my dad, he broke the news that he was planning to resign the pastorate so he could work full time with a mission organization called H.E.L.P.S. ministries. He had pastored the Heritage Baptist Church for nearly 18 years and was now considering the  idea of joining our church. I was stunned and excited, then thought, “I also want to resign and go into missions!” But I couldn’t tell him at that point what the Lord was doing in my heart. I knew I had to tell my wife Jamie what was going on first. 

Breaking the news to my wife

I took our family to a nearby IHOP restaurant and finally explained to my wife all the things God was doing in my heart and how everything was pointing to enter missions. I told her that the first place we would go to prepare was Baptist Bible Translator’s Institute in Bowie, Texas. I didn’t know where we would go from there, but that was as much as I knew. Jamie began to cry; she had never lived more than an hour and half away from her family. Now our lives would change forever.

I called Brother Dan Haifley about the possibility of our family attending Baptist Bible Translators Institute (BBTI) in Texas. He was excited for us and gave me Dr. Rex Cobb’s phone number. I called Dr. Cobb to see if there was availability for the upcoming Fall Class. I just needed to fill out an application and send a small fee. I asked if he had any other questions and he said there was one: “Do you believe there is a God?” You would have to know Brother Cobb. He has a great love for God and world missions, and also a great sense of humor. I had met him a few years previously at a First Bible International conference. Deep in my heart I had known that when the time was right, I would be attending the missionary training school in Bowie, Texas!

I shared with my dad these recent events and where I believed God was directing us. I knew the next difficult task had to be done: I had to present the news to our church. This is where crossing the line of commitment would be made. There was no turning back, and it had to be done. This first step was to meet with the leadership of our church. 

Informing our church

It was a Monday evening, and I began sharing with them some of the statistics about the unreached and Bible-less peoples. I had already been preaching quite a bit about faith and missions that year, so this came as little surprise, as Brother Dye would tell me later. I told the men we needed to do more in world missions than what we were already doing. They agreed. Then I said, “How would you feel about sending your own preacher?” I told them of the recent happenings and how I believed God was calling my family to be foreign missionaries. I shared with them much of the following things that God was doing in my heart.

Understand your calling

I know that it is my calling to be a missionary…this is who I am. I have friends who love to pastor, and that is what they’ve longed for. In fact, this is the primary requirement to be a pastor… “desire the office”. (I Timothy 3:1) I no longer desired this work here in America. It was indeed time to go where Christ has not yet been named. I would not want to succeed where God doesn’t want me to be, if it kept me from being in His perfect will.

My desire and dream to go into missions had grown and couldn’t be depleted by the challenge of good men who told me I should just stay. I realized, that if is God leading me, no one can stop it. I could take this difficult step knowing in my own heart this is what God wants. 

God equips us and places us

Now I realize that I have a part in world missions as I support it financially. However, my heart was moved to be a laborer in the field, rather than only a financier. As God equips each of His children with spiritual gifts, I believe He also gives us a place to use it. He has given me an insatiable desire to participate in pioneer mission work. 

It would be much easier to find a pastoral replacement in the church here in sunny Florida than for a servant on the foreign field such as Asia. There are more than enough labors doing their part in missions here at home, but who will go abroad? Perhaps, so many who are to be on foreign fields have listened to the pleas of family and friends to take the more comfortable path and stay home. Therefore we have so few on the foreign fields where many millions remain without a preacher!

Following God starts with one step

At this point, I could identify with the account in Genesis 12, when God led Abraham “to a land that I will show thee.” (Genesis 12:3) All Abraham was supposed to do was to leave his home in Ur and go westward – the direction God had revealed to him. He soon learned that life is not about a fancy house, the feeling of security, or even catering to family. 

For the first five years of our marriage, these things had been helpful as it allowed Jamie and I to labor together and learn to trust God without much stress. We were blessed to live less than an hour away from both of our parents. We even were privileged to see our remaining single sisters get married. We also were present for the funerals of some of our Grandparents. 

I was aware that my life-long dream of being a missionary never died; however, I believed that if I suppressed it much longer, I would never be content with being who God made me to be. I would hate to kill this dream, for others in foreign lands will die as a result, and I from within. 

The next steps

My wife and I had many details to iron out at this point. Much prayer and preparation lie ahead:

• Jamie and I needed to be of one mind which included prayer, surrender, and discussion of details.
• We must determine our sending church, and mission board 
• We needed to apply with BBTI in Texas and prepare to move in August (of 2011). 
• We must learn about unreached people groups and what God wanted us to do.
• We would eventually need to take a survey trip to wherever God was leading us.
• When the time was right, we would have to give away and sell our possessions.
• When we knew our specific field, we would need to travel to churches to raise prayer and financial support.

Moving forward

We did sell our trailer and the new owners told us we could stay as long as up to March of the following year if needed! Dr. John Hankins who had pastored another church in the county was now in evangelism. He had previously offered to help us if needed. He agreed to become the interim pastor at the end of June. In July, we had a yard sale unloading almost all of our earthly possessions. In August, we began our journey to Bowie, Texas. 

On the way, we stopped at a church in Georgia, where we met with some friends. The pastor had me come and give a brief testimony and I spoke of the needs of unreached people groups. The church gave us a love offering of $500! This was a fresh reminder that God would provide and take care of our needs. Our friends we were staying with had car trouble at the time, so we were able to pass the money on to them to help with their unexpected bills. As we would continue to learn, God provides – sometimes for our own needs, and sometimes so we can help meet the needs of others. Either way, He always takes care of His servants.

The video below is a simple historical overview of how and where the Gospel has spread throughout the earth.

The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. – Proverbs 16:1

 

In 2011, the Lord led our family to make the transition from pastoring in Florida to preparing for service in foreign missions. Our first stop would be moving out to Texas to receive advanced practical training. It is important to remember that preparation time is never wasted time!

 

Upon arrival in Bowie, Texas in early August, we were hit with immediate culture shock. It was literally 115 degrees and all the grass was dead. We moved into an old house on the property of Baptist Bible Translator’s Institute. This would be one of the greatest years of my life! We attended class with several other families and single students. Everyone had a heart for missions.

 

Our teachers gave us a good dose of reality of what we might encounter in a foreign land. We learned the importance of understanding the culture and learning the language. In some cases, a missionary needs to learn the trade language and a local tribal dialect. It was emphasized that we need to go as students and servants. We learned phonetics, which is how sounds are made and identified. 

 

The International Phonetic Alphabet was an invaluable tool that would assist us in quickly learning the language without a distracting accent. We were equipped to enter a village with no written language, hear the natives speak, and write down the various sounds using the IPA. Then other linguists can benefit from using the notes you have made. The goal is to apply this in areas where no Bible currently exist in the heart language of the people. 

 

We learned morphology and syntax: the formation of words and sentence structure. Every civilization has order in their language properties. If you know how to use the keys, it is possible to unlock the doors to learning multiple languages.  

We had other classes in Greek, and teaching English. We learned how to develop primers for illiterate societies. An exciting course was Firm Foundations, put out by New Tribes Mission. We learned how to efficiently teach the Bible stories chronologically from Creation to Christ. 

 

In the mornings, we had class, then work detail in the afternoons. We worked on anything in need of attention, including the houses, grounds, and automobiles. We also had opportunities to record messages for the weekly radio broadcast, write articles for the quarterly titled Lift Up Your Eyes, and speak in nearby churches.

 

During Jungle Week, we learned to catch and kill animals, then prepare and cook them. We learned how to make a fire with a bow drill, along with flint & magnesium. Other fun projects included making natural shelters and gathering water from trees. 

 

This training inspired me so much that a few months later when sitting on a pastor friend's porch, a car driving by ran over a squirrel. My immediate reaction was to retried the fresh road kill, skin it, and bar b-q it to go on the supper table that night! Yes, I am sure our friends thought I had lost my mind!

 

The Breaking Point

 

The most significant factor of our family going to the foreign field was my wife's surrender. I would not have peace or clear direction until this occurred. It was during the first semester during our studies when God got a hold of my wife’s heart regarding missions. I’ll let her share her testimony in her own words below.

 

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In 2011, my husband, three kids and I were living in a single-wide mobile home. So when a man knocked on our door, three separate times, and begged us to sell our home to him, I was excited. I started dreaming of a new house with lots of room for the kids to play. I was already planning the colors to paint each room, and how to decorate my kitchen. When Luke told me shortly after that he believed God was calling us into missions, and that we needed to move to Texas to attend the missionary training school, I was not excited. I actually started crying uncontrollably, and didn’t stop for at least three days. 

 

You see, my husband has wanted to be a missionary since he was very young. I however, was not that way. I didn’t have anything against being a missionary, It was just something I never wanted to do.  I have to say, the only reason I moved out to Texas to attend BBTI was because I loved my husband, but for no other reason. When we moved there, I absolutely hated it—115 degree heat and locust everywhere, not my place of choice.  But the real reason I hated it was because of the turmoil going on in my soul. 

 

I knew what Luke wanted to do—be a foreign missionary, but I was not willing to go. I kept praying that God would change Luke’s mind. I kept telling God what would really be better for our family. I was miserable and scared. Scared, because I knew the same love that made me follow my husband to Texas wasn’t strong enough to take me halfway across the world and keep me there. I knew something had to happen in my heart, but I didn’t know what, and I didn’t know how to make it happen.

 

We were at BBTI for a few months when Pastor Fred Schindler came through to speak about the family. He spoke to the class, the missionary wives especially, about surrender and being able to make it on the mission field. He spoke of how we need to cut the cords from friends and family back in the States - not so we never speak to anyone, but so that we can go to the field for the long haul. We needed to go without looking back or running home every time something difficult happens. We needed to be able to stand behind our husbands and do this! I left class early because I couldn’t quit crying. 

 

I went home and got on my face before the Lord and opened His Word. I finally came to a point of surrender. I prayed the hardest prayer I’ve ever had to pray which was, “Lord, I don’t want you to give me the desire to go to the mission field; I want you to change me so that I want nothing else.” That was the hardest prayer I’ve ever had to pray because I was afraid of the answer. Immediately, a burden was lifted off my shoulders, and I had peace. I wasn’t ready at that moment to charge off to the jungles of Papua New Guinea, but I came to a place where I could allow God to work in my heart and truly change me.

 

Over the next few weeks I really delved into God’s word, sought Him in prayer, and received encouraging words from other missionary wives. About three weeks later, I was sitting in the front row of a church service while we were singing a familiar hymn, “At the Cross.” God used that song and spoke to my heart. The last verse says, 

 

“But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe. Here Lord I give myself away 'tis all that I can do.” 

 

It was at that moment that God changed my heart. I have to say He didn’t just give me the desire to go to the mission field, but changed me so that I wanted nothing else! 

 

I’m realizing more and more that surrender isn’t one big thing for a moment, but many tiny points in our lives where God brings us a little further out of our comfort zone so that we will trust him a little bit more. Each day has its own challenges. My fears keep arising, and I can think of several excuses of why I shouldn’t go, and why we would be better off here in the States. 

 

But God has given me a passage of Scripture that truly helps combat all of those fears and excuses. It is written in Isaiah 41:9-13, “…Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness…For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.” 

 

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During our first semester in Texas, I would eagerly look over maps and study people groups in need of the Gospel. I wondered where we might go as missionaries. I learned about Thailand and how it was a needy place. It is strategically located in South East Asia with freedom for missionaries to enter. There were a number of missionaries there already and I began to correspond with some. I also knew they had good hospitals, so this would be appealing to Jamie. But God would not give me clear direction until she had come to a place of full surrender. What a day that was when she finally announced that she was willing to go anywhere God led us.

 

Where in the world does God want us?

 

I just couldn’t get peace about Thailand, however. I couldn’t get the Tibetan people out of my mind. I didn’t think there was any way humanly possible that I could reach them. But I would think, “We could start a Bible school in Thailand and send missionaries into Tibet!” I even told someone, "At some point, I know God will have us do something to reach the Tibetans." 

 

Nearing Christmas break, we looked at our personal finances. Our bank account was dwindling down and it seemed we couldn’t continue the whole school year without me getting a job. Before we left to visit family in Florida, we were given several Christmas donations by people, many whom we had never met. Then we saw God provide for our entire trip home and back through love offerings by churches we visited. I was able to represent the ministry of BBTI at several churches in Florida and tell about our burden for the unreached! We were even scheduled in churches on the night before Thanksgiving and Christmas Sunday!'

 

God was about to reveal the next step of where we would eventually serve and who we would work with! 

 

 

 

 

Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.  Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. – Philippians 4:15-16

 

Following the New Testament pattern

God had directed our family to serve as missionaries in Nepal! Now that we had a destination, we had a lot of work ahead of us and many decisions to make in preparation for the move. Our home church would be Bethel Baptist Church of Lake Placid (now Highlands Baptist Church) where I had previously pastored. I considered it to be consistent with the Biblical pattern as Paul and Barnabas were sent from Antioch, a church they both ministered in before going on their missionary journeys. Plus, we could be a help financially to them with our tithes and offerings. 

 

Choosing a mission board

Our home church proved to be a great blessing to us by supporting us with faithful prayer, love, and meeting our financial needs. They even bought new tires for our family van before we moved out to Texas for advanced missionary training at Baptist Bible Translator's Institute. Another big decision was which mission board we would partner with. I had learned about Word for the World Baptist Ministries and was impressed by their position on the local church. They specialize in aiding missionaries and assisting churches in handling finances. They don’t even require us to give the office a penny, as they also operate by faith and support of others. They have a good board of pastors and evangelists, and there are many Godly veteran missionaries available who were a help to us.

 

Missionary "pre-field" ministry

We began the process of ordering prayer cards, compiling footage to record our presentation DVD, and order our table materials for deputation. My wife Jamie designed all our literature and did a great job on our video. I began making phone calls and scheduling churches to present our work in. Since we had no house to go back to after we finished our schooling in Texas, there was great motivation to keep a full schedule.

 

At our graduation from Baptist Bible Translator's Institute in May of 2012, we had a guest speaker from Waco, Texas. The pastor told me his son had wanted to be a missionary to the Tibetans in Nepal since he was a young teenager. We definitely had some common ground right off! (His son is currently working in Asia!)

 

 

We soon were packing up to hit the road. Our first meeting was in Ohio with our friends the Gee family. While sitting on the their front porch overlooking Main Street, I witnessed a hit and run. A car had hit the poor thing, killing it on impact as he was running across the road. Then a thought hit me, “That dead squirrel is fresh meat!” The skills acquired at BBTI during Jungle Week came in handy. Now, I got to try them out with this squirrel. I took a dull knife and sliced it down the belly and basically ripped the skin off its back. I took the four meaty legs and seasoned it before firing up the BBQ grill. That night, we ate roasted squirrel along with the cuisine our friends had prepared. 

 

Missionary Candidate School

In June of 2012, we attended the Candidate School with Word for the World Baptist Ministries in Rossville, Georgia. What a time of encouragement it was to hear lots of good preaching and hear from preachers and veteran missionaries. The meetings began on Monday morning and ended on Friday afternoon. Morning and evening we had services with the orientation during the afternoons. We were given a lot of helpful information about deputation and preparation for the field; along with correspondence and handling of funds. Brother Rudy Stembridge proved to be a huge help with his assistance in the office. Thursday morning, my wife and I were questioned by the board of directors. Their only concern was that we were not raising enough monthly support and recommended that we increase it so we have a buffer should some churches come to the place where they are not able to support us. We were grateful to be welcomed into the missionary family! 

 

God provides unexpectedly

Deputation was a tremendous blessing and encouragement to us. We travelled thousands of miles to hundreds of churches seeking to raise awareness of the need to reach the Tibetan people. Many churches and families committed to partner with us to pray faithfully and give monthly so we could live overseas and preach the Gospel of Christ. 

God took wonderful care of us! One time while traveling to Houston, Texas for a meeting on a Sunday night, we stopped in a church near San Antonio for their morning service. We had almost no money at the time. On the way, we passed a car where a couple young ladies were on the side of the road trying to change their flat tire. We stopped and helped them and they insisted that we take $20 for helping them! When we finally arrived at the church, we were late. Sunday school was already taking place, so our family just waited in the foyer. The pastor happened to come by and I introduced myself to him. He told me that he had no voice that morning and asked if I would preach the morning message! Gladly I accepted, and had the privilege to preach to about 300 people. Afterward, I was given a check for $500! God would take care of us.

 

You can't out-give God

I have always been a believer in giving to missions ourselves. One mission conference we were at was in Ohio. Brother Robbie Morrison preached about giving a birthday gift to Jesus, as Christmas was nearing. I decided to give $500 to the missionary family we would be serving with in Nepal. Little did I know, but God would bless that and double it in return!

 

Shortly after that took place we were in Georgia. One place we loved to visit, as we traveled the country, was Goodwill stores! We were constantly looking for clothes that we could pack and take to the field with us. One Goodwill in Atlanta, Georgia had a basketball nicely encased in a plastic stand and was half price. It had the autographs of the Hawks basketball team. I knew it was worth around $300. I paid only $50 because it was on sale! I figured I could resell it. We went to visit my wife's Uncle Steve who is in the Atlanta area and a huge sports' memorabilia collector. I wanted to ask him about how to get it authenticated for reselling. He asked to look at it and said he wanted a neat gift to give his sons for Christmas. He pulled out ten $100 bills and asked if that was enough! I was dumbfounded but happy to sell!

 

Children can get involved too

The children at a church in Ohio had collected a love offering and gave us about $260! I was overwhelmed, and knew we had to do something special with the children’s money. So I called our mission board and informed them we needed to start a fund with money given by kids to reach Tibetan kids. The project was called “Hope for the Himalayas”. We used the funds to buy flannel graph for teaching. We would use the funds also for needed outreach projects and Gospel literature. 

 

But there is another story that must be told here. A few months earlier, I had met a nine-year old boy named Cody in Virginia. Cody took a great interest in our family and ministry to Nepal. He put our prayer card in his top drawer and has never forgotten us. In fact, he supported us with a dollar each month and increased that to $5 a month! When we received the first dollar, I knew God had something special in mind. I was reminded of the widow's mite which Christ recognized as a truly sacrificial offering. I believe his dollar was a seed of faith that God blessed and multiplied. We had at least $20,000 donated to the Hope for the Himalayas fund over the years, especially after the big earthquake in 2015. Watch below as I speak with Cody about giving to missions!

 

A child shall lead them

But this wasn’t the end of what God was doing in Cody’s life. A few months after he started supporting us, he called and told me that he had surrendered his life to serve God. He preached in a Master’s Club competition on “Why we should support missions”. He came in first place and got to preach the message to his church. Then he approached his pastor and asked if their church was already supporting the Knickerbocker family. The pastor told him “No.” Cody told him that he really thought they should. Well a few months passed and the pastor pulled Cody aside and informed him that the deacons had met and took our family on for monthly support! Little is much when God is in it! Don’t ever underestimate what God will do through you. As Jesus said, “Be it unto you, according to thy faith.

Cody is graduating from Pensacola Christian College in May, 2024 and has a heart to serve as an assistant pastor and possibly pastor a Spanish-speaking church one day! What a blessing to see God use young people.

 

My wife's influence

After supporting our family for several years, one pastor told me that the reason their church took us on for support was because of my wife's testimony! She was so candid and heartfelt, and it really touched his heart.

God really used my wife to help another couple while we were at a mission’s conference in Florida. After the service, I spoke with a young man who believed God wanted him in evangelism. His father was an evangelist and he was struggling with the call. His wife was actually having difficulty with surrender. My wife’s testimony that night greatly helped her. A few months later, we were at a mission’s conference in New York and this young man’s dad happened to be the main speaker. He told us that his son had called him into evangelism that night. He and his wife had sat in the car crying, talking about the possibility of making a move into evangelism. That summer, they left to assist a college traveling group!

 

While we were up North, the missionary family in Nepal that we were friends with had come to America on furlough. We got to meet up with them in New York. Since I had gone on our survey trip to Nepal alone, the rest of my family had yet to meet them. We got to spend Memorial Day weekend together. Jamie and *Shirley hit it off great together! Our kids are similar ages and we all enjoyed good fellowship. 

 

Helping one another

A few months later, both of our families were scheduled to be in Texas. Since we were near them, we visited with John and Shirley at a conference they were in. The pastor let us stay at his house and let us set up our display table at their church. They took both of our families on for monthly support! The following week, we were scheduled to be in another mission conference in Waco, Texas. John and Shirley told us their schedule was open. A family had an extra room for them to stay in and the pastor had Brother John present his work and preach too! We were all taken on for support there! What fun it is to be able to help one another. 

In February of 2013, my wife had the opportunity to visit Nepal with my cousin Janelle. The missionary family had just returned to the field and my wife wanted to go see the country. Jamie prayed for $1,000 tickets and found them nearly that price! She was able to price household items and know what to pack from a mother’s perspective. Meanwhile, I was able to keep up with meetings in Texas!

 

Unforeseen trials

Deputation definitely came with its challenges. Not having a consistent schedule and a permanent house can be a strain on the family. In March of 2013, we were in about thirty meetings, and travelled from Texas to New York, on to Florida, and ended up in Michigan! We also had a miscarriage during this month of March Madness! Another tough month was “Suicide September” of the same year, when we were in a different state each of the five Sundays. My wife got sick and we found out we had another miscarriage. But this time she was sixteen weeks along and the baby had been dead for nearly half that time. But we found that God’s grace is sufficient no matter what we go through!

Deputation is ministry. It is what you make it. If you go to a church with the mindset to encourage people and the pastor, it will be quite rewarding. We got to be involved with Vacation Bible Schools, parades, door-knocking, teaching classes, singing, and preaching as needed. We were privileged to meet some of the greatest servants of the Lord and see God's work in so many places around the United States. 

 

Five supporters from one conference

We were blessed in many ways financially. Another church in Ohio had us in for a mission's conference. They had a guest preacher from North Carolina. We ended up leaving with five new monthly supporters from the one conference! Not only did the church commit to support us, but the guest preacher invited us to come to his church and another sister church of their in North Carolina, which resulted in two more supporting churches. Also, another missionary family who was in the conference started supporting our ministry! While we were at the church, we went door-knocking for another new church plant in the area. That church had us return to present our work and also took us on for support! In fact, while we were door-knocking for that church, we met a Christian who was so interested in our ministry, they gave us a $100 to help!

 

So many precious families took us into their homes, and we made dear friends who would faithfully hold the rope in prayer for us over the next several years. We made friends with the Repaskeys at Southside Baptist Church in Tampa, Florida (currently our home church). Debby is an E.R. doctor and she was a life line for us while we were in Nepal. Many times we would contact her when we had questions about someone who was sick or injured. 

I am grateful for all the people we were able to meet and challenge regarding the need for missions. Deputation is also referred to as "pre-field ministry" and certainly was a blessing to us. After about two years of traveling to churches from the east coast to mid-west (and Alaska), we were ready to pack our suitcases and make the move to Nepal. My wife especially looked forward to the day she could settle in her own house!

 

 

That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. – II Timothy 3:17

 

The words "throughly furnished" from this verse simply mean "fully equipped". As Christian servants, we must constantly make the investment to be useful and profitable unto every good work. As time drew near for our departure to Nepal, I felt the increasing need to be more rounded in the area of preparation. I knew that it is impossible to know everything about every subject, but some things are essential. 

 

Medical Intensive Course

One area I learned that I could get some training in was in medicine. I was able to attend a two-week medical course through Equip International. In the summer of 2013, I flew to Vancouver, Canada and was taught a variety of skills. In the event that there is no doctor, there are some useful medical skills to know. Some areas we were taught included how to suture, set casts, deliver babies, treat burns, diagnose symptoms, and treat diseases. We had forty case studies which helped us implement our knowledge in a practical sense. We had to examine the results of a physical exam, and determine what was the problem and how to treat it. We used two manuals developed by a missionary in Africa giving us simple instructions how to do this anywhere in a third world country! If this knowledge can help take care of my family or give assistance in an emergency, it is worthwhile!

 

Clown School

Another area that I considered would be helpful in getting fully equipped was on the more humorous side. I got to attend a three-day clown school in Lake Placid, Florida. Some would say I am already a clown, and with my training with Neighborhood Bible Time, I already had a passion for working with kids and enjoy juggling and making balloon animals. At the clown school, we were given further skills to work on, such as how to paint our faces, and do skits. I have even added riding the unicycle to my skill set!

 

Just like the intensive medical class, I was given a certificate from the clown school. When it comes to gaining favorwith the government, certificates can help. I had read an article how the embassy of Israel brought over a clown to Nepal who went in an hospital in Kathmandu and received a warm reception. He taught the doctors and nurses the benefits of cheering up the patients and how it improves their time of recovery. Basically, the principle of Proverbs which states:: "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine!" They invited him back because it was so popular. 

 

Balloons to Baptism

You never know what doors God may open to reach others. Making animal balloons has provided us with many opportunities to share the Gospel with others. One time I was at a hospital in Kathmandu with another Christian friend. While he was getting his knee looked at by the doctor, I went to the children's ward and gave out animal balloons. There I met a young girl named Sristi who was about ten years old along with her father. I invited them to church and she showed up with her brother and cousin. 

 

Over time, we met more of their extended family. One day, I received a call from another family member who is a Christian. Bikash was a young man who attended church and asked if I could visit his uncle who lived near me. His Uncle Pramud was a drunk and had not slept in three days! My missionary friend and I went to visit this family. They came to church a few days later and Pramud's wife Gita and her mother both trusted Christ as their Saviour! They were baptized soon afterward. Over the years, they have been faithful to church and now their sons are serving the Lord as well!

The preparations for moving internationally are numerous, especially if you have a family and are going long term. Here are some other areas to consider:

Emotionally 

Going to a faraway land affects many people that you love, especially your family. It is wise to give ample time for your wife and kids to be prepared emotionally. God has greatly helped us in this area, and we had time to spend with both families before departing for the field. I am glad both sides of our families were 100% supportive with what we were doing. But they too must pay a cost for our decision to serve the Lord. We must be considerate of how this affects them as well as our immediate family. Don’t overlook this area in your haste to get to the field. Even when we were on the field, we would take the opportunity to Skype or FaceTime with family. Both of our parents were able to come visit us while we were on the field!

 

Culturally 

Something else we had to think about when leaving for Nepal was the climate. We knew we would need to learn the language and culture upon arrival. But the weather may be a factor when first getting there. Since there is no insulation in the houses and the heating devices are not quite adequate, we know that December through early February is the coldest time in the region where we would be living. Going mid-February will work well, and I wanted to make sure the first impression wasn’t going to make my wife and kids miserable.

 

We know culture shock is inevitable. Not being understood and eating different foods, will be just the beginning. I am glad for the training at Baptist Bible Translator's Institute which prepared us for the reality of the hardships we would face. I have heard that many missionaries who leave the field within a couple years of arriving is a result of the culture shock and depression. The linguistic training was invaluable! Learning how to pronounce different sounds in a new language greatly helped us to be able to speak without a distracting accent.

 

Financially

There are so many things to consider when it comes to finances. We figured we needed a certain amount to live in Nepal. Then our mission board suggested even more above that! It’s a wise thing that we didn’t try to cut ourselves short, because some unexpected bills came up. We would be “self-employed”, so we had to pay 15% of our income in taxes! For visa purposes, the government required that we show a minimum balance in our Nepali bank account, usually around $12,000! Our health insurance required $3,000 up front! 

 

You need to be out of debt before leaving for the field!

Then we had to purchase school books for a few years in advance - lots of money to say the least. Of course, we had to buy plane tickets and furnish our house upon arrival. Not only do you need to budget, but you should start saving now. Thankfully, we were able to save over half of our support money while on deputation, and live mostly off of our love offerings. It should go without saying, you need to be out of debt before leaving for the field!

 

 

Physically

We had to get some immunization shots before departing for the field, which is normal for most areas of the world. Depending on where you may go, you might have to ship belongings in containers for your house and the ministry. For us, we just took what we could on the airplane. That included mostly clothes, some decorations, utensils, blankets, and books. We were able to purchase furniture and other essentials once we arrived, so we set aside $8,000 for start-up costs. 

 

“Only one out of every 100 Christians has the youth, the health, and the Bible training to be a foreign missionary.” - Dr. Viggo Olsen

 

This is a good place to mention that it would do you well to be physically in the best shape possible! We had to walk a lot more in a third world country than in America, and it wasn't flat in Nepal like in Florida! We had to adjust to a different diet and lifestyle altogether. Having a strong and healthy body will only make the transition that much easier. God can certainly use us in spite of our limitations, but He won’t bless laziness and sloppiness! I remember going on my survey trip, I had to travel on little sleep, then hike for long hours, pushing my body to its limits. I am grateful that I was able to keep up. You will be limited in what you can do and where you can go if you are not physically disciplined. 

 

Dr. Viggo Olsen said, in the book Daktar: Diplomat to Bangladesh, “Only one out of every 100 Christians has the youth, the health, and the Bible training to be a foreign missionary.” 

 

Spiritually 

This would be the most obvious, but may be the easiest neglected area of preparation. As each day is preoccupied with “spiritual activity” and the work of the Lord, it is easy to overlook your walk with God. Serving God is no substitute for spending time with God. I am realizing more and more how I need to draw near to God, for soon all I will have is God Himself! Along with daily Bible reading, I have enjoyed reading Oswald Chambers' devotional, “My Utmost for His Highest”. Also, a daily guide to help me continue to learn about the unreached peoples in Asia is a prayer guide for Peoples of the Buddhist World by Paul Hattaway. 

 

Serving God is no substitute for spending time with God

Our home church gave a wonderful send-off service. It was thrilling to have my own dad preach the commissioning message and be sent with the blessing of the church I had previously pastored. We anticipated that reality would set in after the excitement of traveling and settling into our new home wore off. The verse in Psalm 126:5 took on new meaning for me, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” The next verse says, “He that goeth forth and weepeth…” 

The point is, we would be going to a barren field to cultivate, plant, and water. We believed God would give the increase as we would obey and sow His Word. Yet, Scripture declares that we must sow in tears. Difficulty and hardship is to be expected. Rejection and oppression is sure to be encountered. But God expects his servants to be faithful. Weeping may endure for a season, but joy cometh in the morning. I simply wanted to remain faithful because of God’s promise of reaping and rejoicing! But to endure hardness requires adequate preparation.

 

 

 

In Acts 1:8, Christ told his followers that when they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they would be witnesses both in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. In Acts 8:1, persecution moved the saints out of their comfort zones. At this point, the Gospel had already spread from Jerusalem, throughout Judea, and into Samaria. We will divide the progress of the spreading of Christianity to the uttermost parts into four quarters.

The 1st Quarter

Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, went westward with Barnabas from Antioch, which is modern day Syria, to the regions beyond. He made his way into modern day Turkey, Greece, and died in Rome, Italy. But the Gospel had now spread to Europe!

As we understand the movement of Christianity in a westward direction, several things stand out. We find that as missionaries went into foreign nations, they encountered different language groups. As the Word of God was preached throughout Europe in the 1300’s onward, the Bible began to be translated into the heart languages of the people: such as in German, French, Spanish, English, etc. 

The result of the Bible in the hands of the common man is powerful! Revival would break out and as a result, missionary enterprise. But there is always sure to be opposition when the Gospel is preached. Persecution from the world is to be expected when God is changing lives. This is exactly what happened. During the time of the Reformation, Anabaptists along with other groups were persecuted. Puritans, Huguenots, and others fled to the New World seeking an opportunity to freely worship God. Again, persecution led to the furtherance of the Gospel!

The 2nd Quarter

When the pilgrims arrived in America, they met the Native Americans. One pastor in New England named John Eliot had come from England. He had a burden for the Algonquin Indians and began to learn their language. He created an alphabet and devoloped a dictionary. He went on to translate the Bible into their language and saw many saved and baptized. He started at least four churches. As a note of interest, this Native American Bible was the first Bible printed on American soil! (For the first one hundred years, English Bibles were printed and shipped from England.)

We know of the great missionaries sent from England and other European countries during the 1700’s and 1800’s, like William Carey and Eric Liddell.  William Carey labored over seven years before seeing his first convert. But he was laying a proper foundation as a pioneer missionary. He was busy translating the Bible into the Indian languages. In time, thousands would be converted and baptized!

IIAs a result of the Christian prominence and influence in America, many great missionaries have been sent throughout the world. Men like Adoniram Judson, David Livingstone, and Jim Elliot have blazed trails to new frontiers of the harvest. Africa and South America have been greatly influenced, and many countries there are considered Christian now! But in more recent years, we know that the glorious light of the Gospel has been directed further westward in Eastern Asia. America is slowly being lost in the shadows. In 1950, we had approximately 100,000 foreign Christian missionaries. Today, the number is greatly reduced to about 29,000! 

In colonial America, God moved through Bible preachers like Jonathan Edwards to spark the Great Awakenings. Thousands were converted! As a result of the Christian prominence and influence in America, many great missionaries were sent throughout the world. Men like Adoniram Judson, David Livingstone, and Jim Elliot have blazed trails to new frontiers of the harvest. Africa and South America have been greatly influenced, and many countries there are considered Christian now! 

But in more recent years, we know that the glorious light of the Gospel has been shining westward in Eastern Asia. America is slowly being lost in the shadows. In 1950, America had approximately 100,000 foreign Christian missionaries. Today, the number is greatly reduced to about 29,000! 

The 3rd Quarter

Our attention must be drawn to the movement of God in Latin America and Asia. Many missionaries from Central and South America are going into Muslim countries where it is difficult for white Americans to go. Amazing numbers of believers are being reported in the Philippines, China, and South Korea. In fact, there are more missionaries being sent out of each of these countries than America. They can’t keep up with the need for Bibles and teachers in some areas! Many of these countries are now focusing on the remaining fields for harvest. Yes, the Gospel is still on the move…and it is westward! 

The 4th Quarter

Let us examine the gap that remains between far Eastern Asia back to Israel where the Gospel began. Much of this area is referred to by missiologists as the 10×40 window. This is the land between the tenth parallel and the fortieth parallel above the equator. Spanning from Northern Africa across the Middle East to Asia, we find the most needy areas to be reached. Some staggering statistics include: 

• 2/3 of the World’s population
• 97% of unreached people groups
• The majority of the 3,000 Bible-less languages
• Countries with the most severe poverty and persecution
• Birthplace of the world’s major false religions including Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism
• Only 8% of our  missionaries are sent here
• Less than 1% of our missions money is invested here

 

Conclusion

The movement of God seems to be directed toward Jerusalem, where we know Christ will one day establish his throne to reign during the Millennium. We must remember that according to prophecy recorded in Revelation, there will be people from every tribe, nation, kindred, and tongue (language) that will be around God’s throne giving the worship due his name! 

We must not drop the ball in the final quarter of world missions! Churches and missionaries alike must double our efforts and evaluate what we are doing and where we are going. May we have churches and individuals willing to go where no one else is willing to go – to the unreached, and do what few others are willing to do: translate and teach God’s Word. 

May the Lord challenge you to prepare yourself and be fully equipped to do whatever He asks of you. He will enable you and lead you as you remain surrendered and abiding in His Word. Let your life be given to what really matters – the Glory of God. Let God prepare you so that you can give Him your all.

 

Prayer... just the word itself is difficult to say when we learn the work that is involved in intercession. But when we understand the reward from effectual prayer, we will long to give more time to it. The power in prayer to our All-powerful God must never be understated and neglected. This is our responsibility and privilege. For those unable to go to a foreign land to preach the Gospel, this is the most important way in which you can participate in world evangelism. Below you will find ten ways to pray for your missionary which include the following: planting, possibilities, protection, power, provision, presence, partnership, printing, preaching, and patience.

 

1. Planting 

Matthew 13:23 - But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

 

Pray that the Word of God will find good ground with receptive people.

In the Parable of the Sower, the seed is the Word of God. Our job is getting the Word in the field – every field in the world. But the soil is different: some is prepared, other ground is hard. Pray that the Word has free course into the hearts of lost men, and that the incorruptible Seed will find good ground. According to the three records of this story in the Gospels, good ground receives the Word, understands the Word, and keeps the Word. In some soil, it will take longer to remove the stones and even boulders. It may take time, but we must keep digging and planting the Seed.

 

When our family arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2014, we were blessed to meet Gyatso. This teenager had recently started attending a new fellowship that other missionaries had started. We were new to the country and Gyatso was new to the fellowship. He was the epitome of “good ground”. He proved to be receptive, teachable, and faithful in the small things. He was consistent to taking guitar lessons with me before the services. I had brought the Betty Lukins flannel graph that literally had hundreds of small pictures that needed to be cut out. I asked Gyatso to help do that, and he was meticulous and thorough in his work. I bought him his own guitar in exchange for the hours he worked for me. He showed further interest in studying God’s Word as we met weekly for discipleship Bible studies. He demonstrated character and a desire for God. This is someone I wanted to spend time mentoring. 

 

 

As Gyatso learned how to share the gospel, he proved very bold in witnessing to his monk brother and his friends. He helped me in teaching children’s class and began preaching. He assisted me with a weekly Bible study and together we have saw our first souls saved in Nepal! After graduation from high school, a big decision loomed ahead of him. Should he go to his village, stay in the city and work in a hotel, or attend Bible college? I told him he had to pray and discern God’s will. He decided to attend college and finished his course with joy! He continues to have an outstanding servant’s heart and remains faithful to the Lord! 

 

2. Possibilities 

II Thessalonians 3:1 - Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:

 

Pray for creative opportunities for the furtherance of the Gospel. 

 

Some areas of the world area considered restrictive in their accessibility for missionaries. If there is a closed door, look for an open window. God will make a way, if we simply are willing to go. I’ll never forget going to Srongtsen Tibetan boarding school and speaking with the Buddhist lama who was the headmaster of the school. We were hosting a monthly children’s program and wanted to invite their school to bring their students to our class. The older man told us that he could not allow the children in their care to leave the campus, but we would be granted permission to come do our program there in their dining hall! We were permitted to come once a year he told us. This was a dream come true, as years earlier it had been my desire to tell unreached people about the true God in Heaven who created the stars! Many of these children were from the Himalayan mountains and were Tibetan Buddhists. 

 

We decided to focus on teaching about our Creator God. The night before was a huge thunderstorm! We got to tell the kids who the powerful God was who made it and that he is a God who loves us and wants a personal relationship with us. The second year, we used the wordless book theme. About 260 students from young children to high school age were in attendance!

 

In Nepal, it is outlawed to proselytize. There has been increasing persecution in recent years. Christians have been put into jail for giving out literature. So using other means such as giving pens, mugs, and cards with a gospel website is helpful for large distribution. 

 

I enjoy sharing the Gospel using the wordless book story with balloons. We also had pens made with our evangelistic website (www.PilgrimofTruth.com) where people can watch the full presentation of the Gospel in addition to learning more and doing a Bible study in their own privacy. In fact, we met a family at a hospital by making balloons. Over the course of time, they introduced us to other family members who started coming to church. Some of them made professions of faith and got baptized. They have brought many visitors and other relatives who also have been saved! We are grateful that some of them are still serving the Lord in their church today!

 

3. Protection 

Deuteronomy 31:6 - Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

 

Pray that the missionary family will be kept safe in traffic and from evil men.

 

After a new constitution was adopted in 2015, new leaders had been elected which were not popular with many people. Thus, much protesting ensued, which brings potential dangers and outright harm to motorists. The biggest challenge to us was depending on public transportation before we owned our own vehicle. During these protests, taxis and buses are limited on the roadways. When my wife was due to give birth to our daughter Emily, there was a protest stopping traffic the day before her birth. God miraculously allowed us to get to the hospital about an hour away in a taxi when my wife went into labor. The day after we arrived home with our newborn by taxi, there was another protest blocking the traffic on Kathmandu’s roads!

For our first two years, we were content taking public transportation and Luke loved taking his mountain bike around the city. Finally we bought a motor bike (about 70% of vehicles are motorbikes I estimate), and Jamie got brave enough to ride a scooter during our third year! Our whole family would pile on these and get around in this way. Indeed, it was quite the adventure! We did eventually get a vehicle big enough to hold 8 people, which made navigating the city safer and made village trips easier!

Traveling comes with its adventures. One time my son Jason and I were on the motorcycle and came up behind a bus and witnessed a thief taking a bag from a city bus. The owners grabbed him and started beating and punching him, and even pulled his hair and started to choke him. Although he had done wrong, I had compassion on him thinking, "He doesn’t deserve to die for this!" I got in the middle and tried to restrain the attackers telling them to just get the police. My son informed me later that another guy started running toward us with a brick in his hand! Thank God everyone left unharmed after the police intervened.

 

Another time while coming back from a village by motorbike, another motorcyclist had gotten hit by a truck. I was informed that when this happens, it is typical that the truck driver will purposely drive over the injured person again to make sure he is dead. Why? Well, in many places like Nepal, the driver who injures someone in an accident becomes responsible to pay the medical bills for the remainder of that person’s life. But if the person dies in the accident, the driver is only penalized by 25 days in jail and a $10,000 dollar fine, which is much better than paying for medical bills for the rest of the victim's life!

 

One morning, on our way to a village church plant, we got pulled over by police at a check point. During the time we were sidelined for a few minutes, a truck had veered off the road just up ahead! It is very possible, we could have been hit by the careening pick up truck! It reminded me that God allowed an annoying interruption to possibly spare us from being hit.

 

Sometimes while traveling the winding mountainous roads along the foothills of the Himalayas, we would pass an area where people are standing looking over the edge where a bus or other vehicle went over the edge! There was a time when we had been on a jeep and learned a few days later that the same jeep had rolled down a hill the day after we were on it! Another time, we heard about an airplane we had taken into the remote area of Mustang had crashed into a mountain! The winds are so bad making flying between the rocky mountains so dangerous. 

 

4. Power

I Peter 3:15 - But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

 

Pray that the missionary and his family will always be prepared to share truth.

 

We are reminded continually we are in a spiritual warfare. The Buddhists light their incense, beat their drums, and chant their prayers morning and night. You rarely find them without their mala prayer beads they are incessantly thumbing through while chanting their prayers and spinning their prayer wheels. One house we lived in was surrounded by Hindus who ring their bells and light their candles daily and throw rice to the birds. They ring their bells around 4:30 am and leave their food offerings out for their gods. Then there was the occasional visit from Hindu priests, with some who blow their conch shells at 3 am and come by for a collection the next day in exchange for warding off the evil spirits with their prayers. 

 

It was especially unnerving when spiritual attacks affected our children through nightmares. One of our children would describe seeing angels and demons at war. Occasionally we would be awakened in the middle of the night by hearing them screaming uncontrollably not knowing how to respond. We learned to pray in the power of Jesus’ name and through his shed blood to deliver us from these evil attacks.

We would have to contend with the devil's oppression not only from within, but also without. We had to remember that Satan binds his captives in fear, and we could not be afraid to confront our neighbors with the truth of Jesus Christ. This sometimes makes the extremists angry, but we must continue to engage the lost and proclaim the truth.

 

5. Provision

Philippians 4:11 - Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

 

Pray for the missionary to trust God and to be content with what he has.    

 

It was a comfort and encouragement to have a faithful support base that we could count on! We were blessed to have Christian friends to fellowship with as well. When we learned that our landlords needed our flat, we had to move. I remember praying with my daughter Abby, and we went walking around the neighborhood. God led us to a man at a little tea shop who took us though winding narrow passage ways between brick walls to a beautifully newly built residence. The Tibetan owners were thrilled to rent out the two available flats to us! A couple years later, we relocated across the city, and God provided us a very spacious house with a big yard for our kids to play in safely!

In addition to God’s protection during the earthquake of 2015, was the provision of God’s people to allow us to help those in desperate need. We were able to travel and help believers in the villages, others in need, and some disabled people in the city. 

 

 

Many chloro-generators were donated, purchased, and distributed with training to the recipients. In fact John Hays, the inventor of Hay's Pure Water, came personally to deliver these devices!

 

For our first two years in Nepal, electricity was rationed, maybe 4-6 hours a day. It gradually improved over time until we would have electricity virtually all the time! After the earthquake, we had a petrol and cooking gas shortage! We had to really conserve, but it made us really appreciative to have these daily necessities readily available! As my dad would say, "Expect nothing, and appreciate everything!"

 

 

Never underestimate the difference your prayer makes on behalf of the missionaries you support. Often we place our focus on the physical needs and financial challenges that foreign labourers face. But without the power of God and his enablement to strengthen the missionary, they will not be able to endure and make an eternal difference. Below are five more ways to pray for your missionary. If you missed the list of the first five, you may go here.

6. Presence 

Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Pray that the missionary will remember his strength and help comes from God.

Earthquake

The greatest way we were able to be a help immediately after the earthquake in 2015 was by our physical presence. We had been on the field for a little over a year when the missionary family who we were helping had just gone on furlough. So we were doing our best to fill in when the earthquake occurred. It was during our church service on the bottom floor of a four-story concrete building when the room began to shake. We cried out to God as the 7.9 magnitude quake threatened to end our lives. When it stopped, we ran outside and gathered with all the neighbors who emptied their homes in fear. We got a large water jug and gave out cups of water in Jesus’ name. For the next few nights, we were able to take shelter together with our church family and neighbors. I wrote a gospel tract about the earthquake which people received with gratitude. We were able to assist many with building temporary shelters and distributing tarps. 

Visas

Another big challenge for missionaries is staying in their country. It is easy to enter Nepal on a tourist visa, as you can obtain it upon arrival. But, that is only good for 30 days to five months. I have had a research visa and student visa by studying art and music at the local university where I had to attend classes from two to four hours most weeks. But even those were only good for a year at a time. Eventually, our American ambassador was able to negotiate a deal that allowed American students to obtain a five year visa! That was such a blessing not to have to worry about dealing with immigration annually!                                                                                

7. Partnership 

Philippians 1:3-5 – I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

Pray for Godly co-laborers who may assist in the work for the Gospel’s sake.

Crown Nepal Bible College

While helping Gyatso get into a Bible College, I gathered information from a pastor who was on the board of that college. Pastor UJ Gurung is the pastor of a great church in Kathmandu that has started several churches out of it over the past 20 years. Come to find out, his son Adarsha had just graduated from Crown College in Tennessee – my Alma Mater! They were in the process of starting a branch called Crown Nepal! I was invited to teach English the first year, but my desire was to teach Bible classes when my Nepali had improved! The following year, Jamie taught English and speech while I taught three Bible classes in addition to an evening class – Bible Doctrine, Gospel Records, and Introduction to Missions! This was a dream come true. We enjoyed seeing God’s blessing on this college over the years as it has trained many servants of the Lord from all over Nepal! Read more about the college here.

8. Printing

Galatians 6:10 – As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Pray for good literature to be provided to strengthen the brethren and leaders.

As we progressed in the training of students from all over Nepal, we came to realize that Nepali is the one common language everyone speaks. Sadly, the resources are limited in the Nepali language. Talking with a Baptist pastor at a Christian book store, he had NO good doctrinal books available! Hence, with the assistance of some bilingual church members, we started translating books to help with supplemental reading, as well as class notes! I have been burdened to write resources and get it translated into other languages. I have had a couple books translated and printed into Nepali along with a couple tracts. These are also on our website here.

9. Preaching

I Corinthians 9:16 – For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

Pray that the Gospel will be effectively communicated into the native tongue. 

There is nothing as powerful and as needed as the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Only Jesus can redeem souls and change lives! After the earthquake, we were put in contact with some believers in Dhading district. This happens to be home to thousands of Tamangs professing to be Christian. One church in particular has a pastor who has Baptist training. Other groups have sought to pay him well if he compromises. After the earthquake, we were able to help with building reconstruction and participate at a baptism ceremony. We returned to do a Gospel seminar which chronologically went from Creation to Christ! They then follow up and have been faithful witnesses in the mountains that surround them! It was on another trip with our pastor visiting, where I had the privilege of translating my first message into Nepal for him! The village pastor gave us an open invitation to come provide training for his people as well as provide advice for him! He eventually sent his son to train at the Crown Nepal Bible College.

10. Patience

I Corinthians 3:6 – I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

Pray that your missionary will not take shortcuts, but rather bear lasting fruit.          

One highlight while we were with the Nepali church was the opportunity to travel about two and a half hours outside the city to the village of Mangalthar to preach the Gospel. They come from Hindu and Buddhist backgrounds and it takes much time to for them to understand and respond to the Gospel. They know it will come at a cost of being social outcasts if they confess Christ as their Saviour. After several months, a couple regular attendees finally “understood”! This is a slow process, but we must lay an adequate foundation. They must believe there is only one true God, not simply add Jesus to the 330 million Hindu deities. There is also much confusion from false cults and Pentecostals who focus on a prosperity Gospel and emphasize healing for the sick as the villagers are all poor. 

Most Nepali’s want to leave to other countries to study or work. Families are divided and this is challenging for churches, especially small ones. We would love to see things change for the better economically, but at the same time, seek to help the believers who leave to plug into a good church, and be used as a missionary wherever they are!

Language learning

During our years living in Nepal, we continued to work at improving our knowledge of the Nepali language. It is humbling to speak like a five year old and difficult to have close friends if you have a language barrier. Even when you feel like you have a grasp on another language, there are always idioms and vocabulary that you will have to keep learning. A missionary will always be considered a foreigner in the eyes of the nationals. But when you attempt to speak their language, you will have discovered the key to touching their heart.

 To read some challenging articles on prayer by Andrew Murray and James Fraser, please go to www.TibetanPrayerBand.com.

 

Open Doors

 

Our family moved to Kathmandu, Nepal in 2014 to serve as the Lord opened doors. Being a predominantly Hindu country, it is considered a "Creative Access" nation. One opportunity we had was to assist the Gurung family as they launched the Crown Nepal Bible College. Pastor U.J.'s family has led a wonderful church the last two decades in the heart of the capital city. There are numerous church plants out of Kathmandu Baptist Church across the country of Nepal. God is using their influence to help spread the Gospel. Pictured below is a youth conference they host annually. I can't wait to share with you the unique opportunity for Crown Nepal.

 

National Leadership

 

As a foreigner, I realized that the local people would be the greatest leaders in church planting. Therefore, having a part in helping prepare future leaders through the Crown Nepal Bible College was quite fulfilling. I recognized that my role was to help Adarsha be successful as he led this great work from its beginning. Even when our family returned to America, the work continues today because it was NOT dependent on foreigners. Our family embraced our opportunities to support when needed. I was happy to preach and teach when asked and to strengthen the hands of those doing the work.

 

Partnership in the Gospel

 

Pastor Gurung’s son Adarsha graduated from Crown College of the Bible in Powell, Tennessee in 2015. Following graduation, he returned to serve alongside his father. Adarsha had a burden to start a Bible College to train another generation of leaders. He embodies the vision of Pastor Clarence Sexton to evangelize the world through local churches. It was a wonderful blessing to meet Adarsha in 2015 and see how God had brought our paths together. Years ago, I also had graduated from the same Crown College in preparation to serve on the mission field!

 

Doing Our Part

 

When the Crown Nepal Bible College began in the Fall of 2015, I was only able to teach English. I desired to teach Bible classes when my Nepali language improved. The following year, I taught Bible classes in the day, and in the Evening School of the Bible. My wife Jamie also was a great blessing as she was able to teach English and Bible classes. She also shared practical life-skills in enabling the ladies to be Godly keepers of the home.

 

Growth and Influence

 

The student body grew quickly each year and soon had to relocate to a larger facility. Their academic courses also increased to offering musical instruments, and teaching electronics, and sewing. The Crown Nepal Bible College also has a bookstore where they are translating and publishing Biblically sound literature. This is so needed, as the few books available in Nepali are mostly from charismatic leaders.

 

Please pray for the unique opportunities given to Crown Nepal

 

Beyond the walls to villages

 

I have been encouraged by the faithfulness of the Gurung family and their church. Other local pastors in the Kathmandu Valley have been able to teach in the college. Today several graduates from the college are now teaching others also! They are constantly sending out teams to evangelize and hold meetings in other villages. They keep a good balance of Godly separation from worldliness and passionately spreading the Gospel. 

 

 

The Next Step

 

God has opened another door for the growth of the Crown Nepal Bible College. What a unique opportunity for Crown Nepal! They have been given the opportunity to buy their own property! After renting three different locations, they now have a permanent setting to teach the college students throughout the year. 

 

Is it okay for a missionary to come home? It is a hard decision to leave your family to serve in a foreign country. But few understand the struggle when a family must come back home.

 

 

A tough assignment

 

“Congratulations! We are so thrilled to have you back home to stay!” This may be said of a returning soldier from war, but this is not likely the reception of a missionary coming off his field of service. No doubt, there are various reasons for this. But is it okay for missionaries to come home? Please allow us to share our story.

 

When our family was preparing to go to Nepal, Asia, we were treated royally. While on deputation, churches that we visited gave us the “hero” treatment. It was encouraging, as we knew the work across the world would be difficult. The pain of being separated from family and friends could be expected. The missionary assignment is not for the faint of heart.

 

Living abroad can be tough on many levels. For us, it included slow ministry progress, language barriers, political unrest, earthquakes, and Covid lockdowns, and no McDonalds! Leaving all behind to go to a foreign context is a sacrifice for the whole family. It is also a privilege and provides many blessings and opportunities. We learned that a missionary couple has to wear many hats. This includes being mom and dad within the home and ministry leaders without. 

 

When plans change

 

Exactly two years ago, our family had to suddenly leave Nepal. It was the end of 2020, and we were making the trans-Atlantic return flight for the last time as a family. We had so many expectations for our ministry in Asia; now it was coming to an abrupt end, so we thought. We had invested thousands of hours in language learning and building relationships with Nepalis and Tibetans both in the city and villages. But we could not neglect our struggling child who had immediate needs. When a child is in need of help, they become the parent’s first priority.

 

We felt so much conflict. After all, many churches and individuals had invested in our family and supported us for nearly nine years. (This includes two years of deputation and nearly seven years serving in Nepal). “Were we letting everyone down? Are we now a disappointment to those who had looked up to us? Have we discouraged those we have ministered to? Are we going to be looked at as quitters?” These are some of the questions we silently asked ourselves. I knew that my decision must be the right one for the right reasons. I had to do what was pleasing to God and best for my family, not my personal desires.

 

Complex decisions

 

It is not easy to make the decision to leave a place of ministry and the people with whom you have grown to love. For me, it was a dream come true to preach in a foreign language. I loved traveling by bus, plane, or motorbike over the mountains. It was an honor to minister to people who were hearing the Gospel for the first time. Of course, the hardships and challenges are many, but it is fulfilling to know your life is making a difference!

 

“This may be the end of our time here in Asia.” This was the surreal realization when I was made aware of a serious situation within our own home. One of our children was in serious danger. Immediately, I called my pastor in Tampa and he agreed that we should come back to Florida to get some counsel. During our time back in Tampa, I made the decision to remain stateside for the sake of our family. But that nagging question would still linger, "Is it okay for a missionary to come home?"

 

A few months later, I had to return to Nepal to sell our belongings. A year later, my wife and I were able to return to visit which allowed her to say “Goodbye” to many friends. Although we had physically moved away from our mission field, in many ways our hearts and minds were still there. We were told that culture shock could be expected when going to Nepal. But the reverse culture shock of knowing we were back to stay indefinitely has been even more difficult than imagined.

 

Changes are hard

 

Changes are hard, whether leaving America or returning to live in America again. But just as it was so helpful to know that our families were supportive of our decision to go live abroad, so was it helpful to know that they loved us and respected our decision to come back home. My pastor gave me wise counsel telling me that I should call our supporting pastors to personally inform them of our decision to stay stateside. That way, they would know what was going on and how to pray for us better. I was greatly encouraged by the advice and grace most pastors showed me during our phone conversations. I was reminded that there are times when missionaries must come home.

 

Yes, it's okay for missionaries to come home.

 

Sometimes missionaries may have to make difficult decisions that no one else knows about or even could understand. Often, to protect a family member, a missionary may not have the liberty to explain all that goes into his decision to make a major move.

 

There is much conflict, and prayer and encouragement should be given, not looking at him as a quitter or backslider. (Yes, I know there will be bad reasons why some may come off their field, but let’s not start with this thought.) These are fellow servants that need our encouragement not condemnation. We would show our support for returning soldiers after a term or two at war. Let’s extend that same spirit to our Christian soldiers coming from the battle front - especially if they have been wounded.

 

Probably the time I enjoy the most, but is emotionally the hardest, would be our annual mission conference. The first mission conference we attended after coming off the field felt like the first family event after a loved one had died. It’s great, but frightfully awkward. It is exciting to see the zeal and hear the burdens of missionaries preparing to go or report on their fields where they currently serve. But at the same time, I can still see the faces of those we came to know and ministered to on our field—and those who have yet to come to know Christ.

 

Finding Contentment

 

For me, it has taken nearly two years to come to peace with the major adjustment of living stateside. It is an adjustment to serve in our home church rather than being on the frontlines in a dark continent. I had anticipated being a foreign missionary since the time I surrendered while at teen camp years before. Were all my dreams gone? Was God done with me? Surely no one else has use for a missionary who has come off the field!

 

I can testify of one thing for sure that has been confirmed in my heart since we have been back: that is, I know my life-long calling is still to be involved in the work of foreign missions. But with the obvious change of location, my way of participation and area of usefulness is different than what it used to be. Surely God’s ways are greater than my ways, and He continues to show me how I may continue to make a difference in world-wide missions. In fact, I have a renewed excitement about my role in missions, even though I have come home from my field.

 

I am learning that contentment is not found in a place, but rather in a Person. Jesus is the goal, and obeying him as a husband, father, and minister of the Gospel is paramount. When Jesus called His disciples to follow Him, it was a call to be with Him first! Where He leads me is His business, I just must be faithful to hear His Word and obey His leadership. But most importantly, my identity is found in my position in Christ as His child, not in my performance of or place of service.

 

Just a servant

 

God continues to show how I can serve him here and now, while still making a difference internationally. He is continually using the present circumstances and opportunities to mold me and equip me for the next mission. I recognize that I was a missionary before I went across the ocean, and I will remain a missionary while here at home. 

 

After we returned to our home church in Tampa, I had no idea what was next for us. I just knew our family would be helped by the Godly influences there. Our pastor asked my wife and I to start a Christian school. We are now engaged in a very important mission of educating young people. My wife and I also have the opportunity to teach an adult class at church and to serve in the bus ministry. Regardless of what position or title I have held over the years of ministry for my Lord Jesus, I have always seen myself as a servant above all. No matter where I am, I want to be faithful to Him and proclaim the Gospel where I live.

 

Once a Missionary, always a Missionary

 

Rather than think the worst of a missionary coming off their foreign field, give them the benefit of the doubt, and pray for them. Perhaps, if the Lord could lead them to a place, He could also lead them away from that place. There are times when it is necessary for a missionary to come home. In fact, as a few supporting pastors did for us, thank your missionary for their service and pray with them.

 

"Once a Marine, always a Marine!" This is often proudly said by those who have served in this prestigious branch of our military. It doesn't mean that a trained soldier will hold the same title and responsibilities indefinitely for the remainder of his life. He will go to the field, perform his service, and may even help train others to do what he knows. But he knows that his allegiance to his country is unwavering, and even as he ages and experiences life's changes, his heart is always with his brothers. 

 

Missionaries (whether on a foreign field or back home), are always on a mission…to bring glory to God and building Gospel bridges to the lost. Since my family has returned to America, I have seen that some of the challenges we faced in Asia are also prevalent here. The Biblical foundation that America had in the past has greatly eroded. That's why I continue to make videos and write literature to guide unbelievers to Jesus Christ through my evangelistic website www.PilgrimofTruth.com that I started while we were in Nepal. I will share more about that in a future post. 

 

I also desire to stand in the gap and equip more laborers to go into the harvest. Perhaps more families would be inclined to go to a foreign mission field if they knew the door would be open for them when they came back home! Another missionary who served in Africa and returned to live in the United States wrote the following helpful article: 6 Ways to Love Missionaries When They Come Home. I trust it will be a blessing to you. Here is a missions message I preached to our church about Holding the Rope.

When our family left Nepal at the end of 2020, there were so many changes that were quite hard to accept. So often I think of the task that remains with work among Tibetan people and the unfinished business on our part. As we have continued to serve the Lord here in America through our local church and Christian school, I have not forgotten our dear friends in Nepal.

 

Last year in 2022 during Spring Break, my wife and I were able to travel to Nepal and take 200 MP3 players on which the Nepali audio Bible may be downloaded and distributed. We enjoyed visiting several friends and people we had ministered to. We had no idea what God was doing and only recently would learn of what God would do.

 

A few months ago, a friend of ours in the adult Sunday school class that I teach connected me with a missionary friend of his. Jarrel is from the Philippines and his friend Lindsay has recently moved to Nepal from the Philippines. 

 

When I contacted Brother Lindsay, I was excited to learn that he and his family are actually working in Swayambhu near where we had lived. 

 

I shared with Brother Lindsay my evangelistic website and he was so excited to have some essential materials already translated into Nepali. It greatly encouraged me that he would want to utilize resources that I have been writing and recording for years! He has been able to use some of my resources to help some new converts he is working with.

 

I soon gave him contacts of friends we knew there. His family soon met up with Darlene, who is also Filipino, and her husband Sailash for supper. They were our former neighbors and Darlene got saved as a result of Bible studies we had. 

 

Brother Lindsay was then able to meet up with a Buddhist monk whom we have known for a few years. Lobsang has learned so much, but still needs Christ as his Saviour. I am so glad that there is now a continued Christian witness in his life.

 

Brother Lindsay was able to follow up with another friend of ours named Karma. He lives with his family overlooking the city of Kathmandu and has a little restaurant now. Karma loves the Lord and is a great witness for the Lord!

 

 

Brother Lindsay also met up with our dear Brother Gyatso for fellowship. Gyatso is like a family member to us and has matured so much. He has been through Bible college and has been ministering to a fellowship of other Lowa Tibetan believers. He presently works with a Christian organization and travels to minister to Tibetan-related villages in the Himalayas. 

 

Gyatso recently was able to introduce a group of Dolpo Tibetan believers to Brother Lindsay for fellowship. Please pray with Brother Lindsay that God will give him wisdom as to how to provide leadership for them.

 

A few weeks ago I met up with my dad, Thomas Knickerbocker, who works with H.E.L.P. Ministries. He had seven national pastors with him from Africa and Asia. I shared with them this story about my missionary friend in Nepal. Afterward, an older Filipino pastor asked me if I knew Brother Lindsay. I replied, "That was the missionary I was just talking about!!" He then informed me that he was the pastor who had baptized Brother Lindsay about 20 years ago! What a small world indeed!

 

When I shared this story with my Sunday school class the following Sunday, another brother in our class named Joe told it to his wife. Joe is married to a Filipino lady named Faye. She was not in class because of her involvement in another ministry. That night she told me that Brother Lindsay used to be her youth pastor in the Philippines! What a small world!

 

I had learned that  Brother Lindsay was in a motorbike accident. He fractured several bones in his arm and needed to have surgery. The cost was about $4,000 USD. Thankfully, he did not need to go to India for the procedure, but was in need of financial help. Our church in south Tampa took up an offering to help pay for this!

 

 

All I wanted was to locate some chums (eyeglass accessories) for a missionary friend that I was preparing to visit in Brazil. I was walking around my local Walmart in South Tampa, Florida and saw a Muslim lady with a hijab stocking some shelves in the grocery aisle. I wandered in another part of the store and heard a couple speaking French to each other. I asked another worker where I could find the strings to hold eyeglasses, but she only spoke Spanish. Then I found another Vietnamese employee who spoke some English and tried to help. Finally, a black lady who spoke perfect English pointed me in the right direction! 

C'mon, I'm not supposed to be in a foreign country until next week when I go on a mission trip!

 

Why can't they just learn English?

 

Now this is not an abnormal situation, and you may have found yourself in this scenario. What is your reaction? In your secret thoughts, do you mutter, "What country am I in?" or "Why doesn't everyone else speak English?" This is natural, and from a social or political perspective, it may cause some angst. Maybe you feel like outsiders are infringing on your personal space and now you are our of your comfort zone. 

 

Welcome to the missionary life!

 

As a veteran missionary, I know what it's like to be a foreigner in an Asian country. When our family moved to Kathmandu, Nepal, we expected everything to be different - and it was! We were the outsiders and looked at by others as the weird ones. Little things we did were scoffed at such as drinking water with ice in it! "Don't you know that can give you a cold?" some would say. Or we were scolded for not having our newborn wear a hat all the time. (Yes, what horrible parents we were!) 

 

We would just laugh about the different "old wives' fables".and superstitions of others who didn't think like us. 

 

But when we are back home in OUR own country, there are certain things that we expect to remain the same. But things have changed and continue to at an increasing speed! Now migrant workers are over-populating our land and we may as well rezone South Florida as another Latino country! Last week, a missionary came by our church and informed us that Nashville was home to about 40,000 Kurds who are refugees from Iraq. About 60,000 Somolis live in Minneapolis. Over 80,000 Brazilians live in New England! 

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Every major city has multiple ethnicities living in clusters around their suburbs.

 

Who lives in Texas?

 

We know that many undocumented illegal aliens are streaming over our American borders continuously from Central and South America. But did you know there are various ethnic populations surrounding the Dallas/Fort Worth area? On UPGnorthamerica.com, I found the following statistics:

 

6,500 Kurds in South Arlington, Texas (Islam from Iraq)

12,285 Pujabi Sikhs in Irving, Texas (Sikhism from India)

37,791 Gujarati in Plano, Texas (Hinduism from India)

6,355 Bangladeshis in Irving, Texas (Islam from Bangladesh)

43,274 Indo-Pak Muslims in Plano, Texas (Islam from Pakistan) 

11,319 Iraqi Arabs in Richardson, Texas (Islam from Iraq)

10,311 Palestinian Arab in Richardson, Texas (Islam from Israel)

68,023 Indian Hindi in Frisco, Texas (Hinduism from India)

5,671 Lebanese Arab in Richardson, Texas (Islam from Lebanon)

13,939 Persian in Plano, Texas (Islam from Iran)

5,467 Thai in City Place, Texas (Buddhism from Thailand)

 

This is only an example of one area! Go here to learn about 120 unreached people groups living in America!

 

What are we doing about it?

 

What are local churches doing to help these immigrants and refugees? There are literally hundreds of churches in this same area of Texas. How many churches are being "missionary minded" and engaging them for the Gospel's sake? Our government has a system in place to have Americans sponsor refugees. You can sign up and meet them at the airport and assist them as they get integrated into our society. Even liberal politicians seem to want to show compassion on the unfortunate. But what are we as Christians doing in response? 

 

It is not okay to willingly be ignorant. Get informed and get involved to be a missionary next door!

 

Many families are coming from countries that are otherwise restricted to traditional missionaries. Another place where foreigners can be found are in our universities. At the University of South Florida located in Tampa are more than 5,000 international students from 145 countries! The website for USF boasts of it being "one of the most diverse campuses in the U.S.!" 

 

Why can't we Christians have this same enthusiasm to have the opportunity to reach our world through reaching our neighbors?

 

A land of immigrants

 

The idea of immigrants coming to America is not a new trend. But perhaps it just feels more diverse than 50 years ago. America has always been known as "the melting pot" with many immigrants coming to the land of opportunity with the hope of a better future. In fact, many of our forefathers came as pilgrims seeking respite from tyrannical leaders desperately looking for a place to freely worship God. 

 

Perhaps, we Christians need to lay down our patriotic glasses that we wear while looking down our nose on those who are settling on our lands and put on our missionary lenses. We are truly in a time with unparalleled opportunities to reach the world's nationalities living within our own borders. We are happy to send missionaries across the sea "to reach the lost at any cost"; but we shun the cost which affects my personal comforts! 

 

Yes, foreigners coming to America may be bringing their religion that goes against my belief system! But greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world! This is our opportunity to shine the light of Jesus, not retreat with our few friends at church and complain about this lost world that's getting worse by the day. Let us rise up to the unprecedented possibilities in front of us, befriend the foreigner, and introduce them to Jesus Christ! 

 

Right here, right now

 

Perhaps you have a neighbor who is from another country. They speak a different language with their children, wear different clothing, observe different customs, and follow a different religion. What is your reaction? Are you prepared to be a missionary and talk to them? Let me challenge you to purposely equip yourself to engage in the cause of world evangelism starting right here, right now! 

 

After all, Jesus told a whole parable about the Good Samaritan to help the Jewish people cross the cultural barrier to learn to love those different from them. The religious priest and Levite refused to help a hurting man who had been robbed and wounded. This revealed their hypocrisy. They would rather talk about God and teach the laws instead of actively love their neighbor. But it was a Samaritan who showed kindness to the wounded Jew. Culturally that was not expected. But every Christian must be prepared to do the unexpected and love like Jesus did. 

 

Are you a good neighbor?

 

Here are a few practical things you may do to be a good neighbor. 

 

1. Introduce yourself

At minimum, show some charity. When you meet someone who obviously is not the same as you, introduce yourself to them - quit ignoring them. Ask them what their name is and inquire about where they are from and what language they speak. This shows that you actually care about them as a human being. Learn a couple phrases in their native tongue. Smile! Trying to say some words in a different language will make you both smile! True charity is sacrificing our own preferences to reflect the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is something non-believers are not accustomed to, yet need to be introduced to. But it will require you to step out and make the first move! 

 

2. Invite your new friends into your life

Secondly show some hospitality. When our family lived in Nepal, we would invite our new friends to our home to try an American meal! Invite your new friends into your house. Share some coffee or tea and be a friend by asking lots of questions. This is how you can show interest in their life. By the way, before they will want to hear what you have to say about your God, they need to know that His followers really care about them. I would suggest that before you give them Gospel literature, take time to naturally talk about their religion. Find out what they believe. Ask questions. You don't have to have a response or answer for everything they say - especially when you disagree. When you ask them questions, you open the door for them to return the favor and you have earned the right to share with them your personal journey of faith.

 

3. Invest your time in others

Finally, show some generosity. It is way easier to give money to your church to support foreign missionaries. But you must be willing to do what you are sending "foreign missionaries" to do. That is, you must include people who are different into your life and busy schedule. Money is not the answer to reaching our world for Christ. Rather, it is through ordinary Christians like you and I building relationships and loving people. Offer to share your time to practice English with foreigners who are now your neighbors. I remember doing this with a Buddhist monk in Nepal.

 

Soon after, we were studying the Bible together!. He would come to our house and eat with us and play games with us. We would have tea with him at his monastery. If you are able to visit the country of your neighbor's origin, it will give you a common bond showing you are truly interested in their people and culture.

 

Remember, as Christians we are foreigners in this world. Just like Abraham, we are looking for a city whose builder and maker is God. We have hope because we know God in a personal way. As the Apostle Paul said, we are no more strangers and aliens to God. We have been welcomed into the family of God. Why not introduce yourself to your foreign neighbor, invite them to your house, and invest your time in their life? You just might begin to see for yourself what God meant when he wrote, "For God so loved the world."

 

Watch the video below to learn how you may access free resources in a variety of languages that may be shared with friends and neighbors from other countries and religions.

 

 

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. - Romans 10: 14,17

 

How long does it take for someone to believe the Gospel? For some it requires hearing the message numerous times; others may believe after several years. There have been people I met for the first time and they were ready to place their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Generally speaking, that is because someone else had already shared God's Word with them and they finally have understood the truth of their sin and need of a Savior. 

 

Years ago, I was sitting next to a female soldier on an airplane. She was reading a Bible and I asked her if she understood what she was reading. She replied, "No", but that her mother had just given the Bible to her. I asked if I could show her some verses about salvation, and she called on Christ to save her during the flight! Then I showed her the story in Acts 8 about the Ethiopian eunuch who met Philip. He could not understand what he was reading until some man would guide him!

 

The Seed needs Fertile Soil

 

Lost people need a guide to the truth. Most people, however, will require much time laying a foundation of knowing some key truths before they are ready to turn from their own way and rest their faith upon Christ alone. From my experience, it is much more difficult witnessing to a Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu. It usually takes much time asking questions and listening, teaching and dialogue before they are willing to turn from their false religion and receive Christ as the only way of salvation.

 

The job of a soul winner is to plow and prepare the way with God's Word, that the Holy Spirit may convict and convince them of sin, righteousness, and judgment. (John 16) It has been said that on average, 8-10 hours of Bible teaching and explaining the Gospel is required when dealing with someone who has never learned about the true God of the Bible. We must realize that this is where most people are that we are dealing with in this Biblically illiterate world.

 

The Importance of a Biblical Worldview

 

A recent survey by Barna Research Group determined that only 4% of Americans have a Biblical worldview! Even more stunning is that they reported that only 9% of born again believers in America have a Biblical worldview! We have a generation of souls living now who have absolutely no foundation on which to place their faith. I have realized this to be true as I have witnessed to my neighbors and they have little understanding of the most basic Bible stories. Is it any wonder why so many in our country are lost and living without God?

 

 

I have come to realize that many of the challenges we faced in Nepal with proclaiming the Gospel to Buddhists and Hindus are similar to what we face in America. It is not enough that people hear but also that they understand what they hear before they believe on Jesus Christ as their way of salvation. We have for too long taken for granted that unbelievers know the terminology of the Gospel and simply do not have any idea of who the true God is, how man was made in His image and is separated by sin, and can only be reconciled by Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus' Approach in Revealing Truth

 

We learn in Luke 24 how Jesus taught the two men he met while walking on the road to Emmaus.  Before revealing who He was, he listened to their conversation, and asked questions to know where they were in their thoughts. Then he bridged the gap to the truth about himself by teaching from the law and the prophets “all things concerning himself.” Later that day, Jesus met with his disciples, and again he fulfilled all things which were written in the Old Testament about himself. Only after "opening the Scriptures" did Jesus "open their understanding". 

 

It has increasingly become my conviction that we need to present the Gospel from a Biblically chronological approach. It is imperative that we are thorough and clear when sharing the Gospel. Unbelievers must know who God the Creator is and the Book he has given. That is our authority where we find all of life’s answers; then the Fall in the Garden brings sin and death. Only after this bad news does the life and death of Christ make sense and his Resurrection personal for our need! Below you will find some resources I have developed to address this need.

 

Understanding Bible Christianity Study Lessons

 

Shortly after we arrived in Nepal, I realized we needed to bridge the large gap from the Buddhist and Hindu worldview to the understanding of Jesus Christ and the Gospel as presented in the holy Bible. I began working on a Bible study called Understanding Bible Christianity that would have every question answered with a Bible verse. Click here to access this helpful resource for a Bible study with Questions and fill-in-the blank format which goes from Genesis to Revelation.

What a joy it was to see a neighbor in Nepal of ours trust Christ as their Saviour after working through this Bible study.

 

The Path of Life Story Set

 

 

While teaching English at a Buddhist monastery, we were able to share Bible stories introducing some basics about Christianity and salvation. We also were able to preach these stories in day-long seminars in a couple villages of Nepal with different preachers taking about 15 minutes each giving a panoramic view of the Bible. Click here to read the eight stories titled the Path of Life. 

 

 

Five Facts Tri-fold Tract

 

Usually when I am going about in the normal course of life, I come across people whom I have only a few seconds to speak with. In times like these, it is helpful to have a simple tool like the trifold Gospel tract below that I can give a cashier, or someone at a yard sale. We have sent hundreds of these in packages that we have sold on Ebay and Facebook Marketplace. Sowing the seed is necessary, and can be done thoroughly, yet concisely! Click the Five Facts tract below to read the simple Gospel presentation from Creation to Christ.

 

 

 

Chronological Gospel Presentation

 

You may print out a simple guide for sharing the Gospel chronologically with others. You may click here to read about each story individually. In the video below, I explain why sharing the Gospel is not only the most important message we can ever share, but must be done thoroughly and Biblically!

Luke graduated from Crown College of the Bible in 2003. He married Jamie in July of 2006. God has blessed them with five children. Together they had the privilege of serving in the pastorate of a Baptist Church in Florida from 2007-2011.

In August of 2011, our family began our journey to serve the Lord as labourers among Unreached People Groups in Asia. We prepared ourselves at Baptist Bible Translator’s Institute in Bowie, Texas. During that time, God directed our path to work among the Tibetan people in the country of Nepal.

In February of 2014, we moved to Kathmandu, Nepal and experienced God’s work of grace and protection upon our family. We were given the privilege to serve at the Crown Nepal Bible College. Teaching classes and preaching at youth conferences was a great opportunity for our family. We also were able to assist in outreaches to villages of the Tamang and Gurung people.

In 2021, we moved to Tampa, Florida. We currently are serving in our home church Southside Baptist Church and teach in the Christian Academy. Luke continues his writing ministry (www.pilgrimoftruth.com) and video messages on his YouTube channel (Pilgrim of Truth). His goal is to aid believers in making Christ known to the world. He continues to seek to assist churches in America. His heart’s desire is to help meet the needs of the unreached people groups in the world.