An Adventure in Missions

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Introduction to missions

Long before I actually entered missions, the Lord spoke clearly to me and said, “Someday you’ll be a missionary.” I scoffed every time I heard this! How could this ever possibly happen to me? I was far from ministry, let alone the world of missions. I had no skills for this, or so I thought, anyway.

This is an overview to prepare for the journey and to relate some of the things a missionary can expect along the way. Hopefully there will be fewer surprises, frustrations, and casualties after reading this book. And even if you feel a little overwhelmed, this will be an encouragement. God is faithful to honor obedience. When He calls a believer to missions, He will never forget them.

I have had many incredible experiences in sixteen years of missions and ministry. I have met some people who know the Lord and are serving Him in remote places that we never hear about in the newspapers. I did not know how amazing life would be in serving the Lord. I knew very little of what I was getting into at the time I began. However, as God said to Abraham, “Go,” and he went, so God said to me, “Go,” and I went.

The first mission venture

It was about thirty-five years between when the Lord first spoke to me about missions and when I actually entered missionary service. Many times He said, “Someday you’ll be a missionary,” and it was as clear as if He had spoken to me audibly. I had been a computer systems specialist for Unisys Corporation, and my career was my highest agenda. I was with the company for twenty-eight years, entering my high-earning years before retirement. During those years, my response to thoughts of missions was, “Who? me? Fat chance!”

In 1991, I was promoted to a higher position. However, the Lord also began asking me to come to work for Him for no pay!

My habit was to read a chapter in the Bible in the morning and a chapter in the evening. At one point as I was studying 1 Samuel in chapters 1 and 2, I got nothing from the reading. I read them several times and still I got nothing. I decided that God must have included these chapters in the Bible for some reason. But what was the reason? I then decided not to read another chapter in the Bible until God revealed to me why these chapters were in the Bible and what they meant.

Every night, I would read the same chapters in the book of Samuel. I would get nothing from it as usual, and close the book. I continued this every evening to ask the Lord why He wrote this and what it meant. Then one night about two weeks later, I was reading the same chapters as I had been doing, but this night I began to understand. I couldn’t put it down! I read these two chapters over and over for about two weeks, and I was blessed every time I read them. God had my attention! At this point I realized in a new way that God hears and answers our prayers, and I could trust the Lord to answer my prayers.

Samuel, chapters 1 and 2, are how Samuel’s mother Hannah prayed for a son and dedicated him to the Lord. Eli the priest thought she was drunk because as she was praying in silent prayer, her lips moved, but Eli heard no sound.

However, God heard Hannah’s silent prayer of dedication and answered her with a son who became one of the major prophets of the Old Covenant. Hannah’s silent prayer went right by Eli the Priest to the throne of God. In the same way, our prayers bypass this earthly realm and go directly to the throne of God. Nothing in this earthly realm and nothing in the spiritual realm can prevent our prayers from reaching the Father in heaven.

The Lord’s call on my life for missions became progressively stronger over time. I knew where God wanted me to go, but I was a little frightened to take the big step because it would be a very big step for me. He was asking me to leave my job and enter into a ministry serving Him. I did not feel prepared for this.

I began seeking the Lord for confirmation. I was working in Pennsylvania at the time and I sought help from several local pastors, but all I got was some trite prayers and no guidance, satisfaction, or help. I thought, “I know Jesus is who He says He is, and He’ll do what He says H will do, and this decision will prove it one way or the other in my life. If this doesn’t work, I’ll be committing career suicide.”

The following Friday evening, I prayed, “Lord, if you want me to serve you, then have the company display a voluntary layoff notice on the bulletin board in the Personnel office on Monday morning!” This was a bold statement, but it would prove once and for all if I was being called to serve the Lord and to missions. It was a peaceful weekend because I had made a decision I could live with—at least for the weekend.

Well, on Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. I went to my office but before I could sit down a thought came to me to check with the Personnel Office. Well, Wouldn’t you know it: there was a notice on the bulletin board asking for volunteers for a layoff. I thought, “Where did this come from? Is this an answer to prayer, or what?”

The Lord answered my prayer and now it was my turn. Was I going to do what I said I would do or not? I imagined as though I was in an airplane, at an unknown altitude, blindfolded, and the Lord was asking me to step out of the plane. Whew! This was crunch time.

If I signed the layoff paperwork, there would be no more salary, no visible means of support, and no turning back. My high earning years would be cut off, and I had no outside assurance I was not making a huge mistake by doing this. The Lord simply said; “Trust me. Step out.”

I decided to go for it and submitted the paperwork that morning for the voluntary layoff. I signed he paperwork! After twenty-eight years with the company, I thought, “This is going to prove it once and for all,” but within a few hours the euphoria wore off and I wondered if I had made a mistake and acted in haste. I went back to the office and they said it’s too late, the paperwork was sent in. So I decided to just wait to see what would happen,

Within a few days, I was given a two-week notice and I began to think I had gone crazy. However, it was too late to cancel the layoff process, so the decision was sealed. I was stepping out of my airplane

I guess some might call this a step of faith, but it sure didn’t feel like faith; it felt risky and almost a little foolish. But God carried me through my fear and led me on a great adventure. This proved to me that Jesus is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do. If He’s not who he said He is and He doesn’t do what He says He will do, I’m sunk

When I left the company, I received enough severance to get me through the first year. That was many years ago, and Jesus has not failed me even one day since then! Surely, Jesus is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do! That step from the airplane was faith in action. It wasn’t “presumption in action,” there was no presumption about it. It was faith in action—but action with fear too.

I did not presume the Lord would be there for me when He urged me to take that step. He assured me that He would be there when He said, “Trust me.” There’s a big difference between faith and presumption. Presumption can get you killed, but faith and His assurance will carry you through anything.

I had been leading a large singles ministry at my home church in Battle Creek Michigan and well over a year after I left the company and I started feeling restless. The Lord was calling me to take another bold step but I didn’t have any direction. I moved to Florida and tried to start another singles ministry but instead the Lord opened the door for me to venture in foreign missions!