25 years and counting...

While in some ways I wish the title of this post was about my age, its not. I'm a few years past 25 at this point and am actually kind of happy about that. What this post is about is an anniversary: 25 years since traveling on my first mission trip. 

Twenty-six years ago no one could have ever told me that I would spend the next phase of my life in overseas travel, ministry, and missions. I probably would have laughed in your face for suggesting it. But in the fall of 1988 I had an encounter with God at a church that began to unravel my well-laid tapestry of life plans and ambitions. I was a sophomore at Central Bible College and during a missions service God asked me to pray for a nation. I thought He was asking me to go, but He simply asked me to pray. My call to missions began with prayer, it continued with many tears, and has ultimately led to an extremely fulfilled life. 

Twenty-five years ago this month I left on a journey that would change my life. I boarded a plane in Little Rock, Arkansas, bound for New York to meet up with a National AIM team (AIM is Ambassadors in Mission - the short-term mission program of the Assemblies of God Youth department). Our destination was Cairo, Egypt, where we would be the first AIM team to come to this country. Our task was to encourage several churches (which we did through singing & prayer), to visit the Lillian Trasher Orphanage (amazing!), and to help at a youth camp for the teenagers from the orphanage. It was life-changing. New friends, new experiences, culture shock, sickness, fear, excitement, joy, sadness - all rolled up into a three-week flurry of emotions and transformation. 

In a church service in "Garbage City" (the Cairo slums), God spoke to me about being obedient to Him, no matter the location or circumstances that He called me to. Since that day, I've never looked back, except to be reminded of His faithfulness and care for on the journey. 

I returned to serve in Egypt for 3 months the next summer and then graduated from Bible College. After serving as a youth pastor for a year, I went to Cambodia where I served for 3 years, and then returned later for 6 months before changing locations yet again and landing in Europe. I served in Belgium for 12 years and then moved to England where I have been since 2012. Basically, when God opened a door, I went through it. The going did not always make sense, nor was it always easy. I did not always obey willingly, and sometimes needed to be forced to go. However, God never disappointed me. He always showed His wisdom in bringing me to a new place, a new post, and a new understanding of His grace.

Along the way, I have truly seen God's faithfulness as I have been obedient. I have seen God use me in ways that I didn't know He could. I have seen him provide when I had nothing. I have seen Him fulfill promises that He made to my heart. I have watched Him develop me - not just into a missionary, but into a person that He wants for me to be.

And as I now embark on the next 25 years of ministry, I desire to be even more focused upon the things of God than before. Not just doing ministry, but being the person God has formed me to be. I desire to encourage the next generation of young and old that are embarking on the journey of a lifetime. I desire to be more close to Jesus than I have been and to help to lead others to find their fullest potential through knowing Him personally. 

So over the next year, I will be blogging a bit more about the next 25 years. I've recently read Richard Rohr's book "Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life" and have been fascinated by God's leading, guidance and direction during my first half of life. But as I enter the second half, I desire to be very purposeful and very obedient to lead a life that leaves a legacy for others to follow.

Leaving a legacy. And its not my legacy, but God's. If I will be obedient to Him, He has promised me that He will use me. 

I choose obedience. 

So here we go... 25 years and counting.