If you're seeing this message, you need to install Adobe Flash Player
God has prepared me for His Kingdom-building plans by creating me to be a very relational person. As I commit to the next five years in Poland, I know that the Lord wants me to use my gift of easily meeting and getting to know others to help the Polish people know Jesus as their Savior.
In the last year, I have balanced a career, school, support raising, studying, team meetings and friendships, which seemed overwhelming at many points. But through this ongoing trial, I saw God teaching me to trust Him fully, no matter how stressful the change and sacrifice.
I see our nation drifting toward spiritual numbness, but I can’t live my life in that manner because the work that must be done is paramount in light of eternity. I know I must remember that five years is nothing compared with the glorious forever I will experience after a life of sacrifice. In all of this wrestling, God has shown me that I simply need to be willing to surrender to Him so that others may know why Jesus came into the world.
Although I see myself as a person who focuses on analytical thinking and planning – tasks that don’t revolve around people - I feel the strong conviction from the Spirit of God to offer all of myself for God’s purpose and plan. I realize that it takes all types of people and skills to carry out the Lord’s work, and it’s brought me great joy to step out of my familiar lifestyle to have intentional conversations with friends and family about church planting in Poland.
I was originally a sender for a period of time. I was excited that my brothers and sisters in Christ were willing to go on the church-planting mission as I prayed for their needs and supported them financially. Once I decided to go into to a lost world, I was rather intimidated to raise support, but recognized that this step was part of my calling in the Great Commission. I have an excitement about sharing the Good News now. I have made plans to sacrifice my home, job, time and money to daily depend on God to produce the work and results of His glorious future. I consider it a privilege to be able to go into a lost world and see God working a big and powerful way.
I came to know Jesus at a young age, and even when I was little I remember being fascinated by missionary stories at VBS and in Sunday School. When I was a senior in high school I went to Mexico and fell in love with it. At this point, I felt like the Lord was calling me into full-time missions.
During the next four years I asked a lot of questions, did a lot of reading, and wrestled with why the Lord was asking me to wait when I wanted to go live in a hut somewhere. A few years ago I went to Ecuador with a team of friends for three months and had a great experience learning about what life on the mission field was really like. After that I felt like the Lord finally gave me the green light to start pursuing long-term options.
Around this same time we started the joint venture with Avant doing short-cycle church planting. The team approach, being in an unreached country and equipping nationals to run their own church really appealed to me. I prayed through several dynamics and finally felt like the Lord was calling me to join Team Two set to depart for Spain in fall 2010. It certainly hasn't been an easy decision, and this doesn't look at all like I thought it would, but it's really exciting to be preparing to go long term, which is where I've wanted to be for some time. I definitely see God's goodness in asking me to wait until He wanted me to go, so I feel much better equipped.
When I was involved in the focused, team-oriented approach to church planting during the 2009 Ultimate Spring Break in Gdansk, Poland, I realized that I had yet to allow myself to pray about becoming a goer. As I was observing the team of people participating in short-cycle missionary work, I knew the Lord was working in my heart to apply for the next five-year church-planting team led by Lincoln Berean in fall 2010. I attribute the significant conversations with people close to me as instrumental in recognizing God’s leading and speaking to me about this decision.
I think my response to God’s call reflects my recognition that the One who created me has a plan to use me in building the Kingdom. Considering that this call has led me to Spain, I now have a greater understanding of Jesus’ command of making disciples on a much deeper and wider scale. People have taken the time to disciple me and now I desire to do the same with others while living this out with a team of like-minded individuals in an unfamiliar environment.
I have committed the next five years of my life to accomplishing the Great Commission, knowing I will be faced with leaps of faith in the form of leaving behind relationships and comfort. Equipped with this perspective, I know the need is great and I have a unique
I am abandoned to one thing: God’s will be done. For some time I’ve known the Lord’s will for me was to serve in ministry to singles, however, my heart was redirected to serve Him as a missionary in Global Outreach. Just as God has revealed His plan to the other participants in Global Outreach, He has used trustworthy people in my life to affirm that this is His plan for me.
I have a particular connection to the work in Poland: I was raised as a Catholic and hope to minister to those who hold to this set of beliefs. I clearly see why God would direct me to Poland to share the gospel of Christ. Socially, I am learning that the world is much bigger than what Nebraska offers, and understanding cultures is a part of my personal growth - our way isn’t right or wrong, just as another culture’s isn’t right or wrong.
Knowing that God is calling me to serve Him globally is altogether humbling, I rely on Christ daily for wisdom, strength, and guidance. I hold true to the knowledge that involvement in ministry will only succeed if God is the head and you are a willing servant.
I undeniably see myself as a goer in the short-cycle church-planting plan. I have been praying about overseas mission opportunities for several years. During this time, God has clearly used circumstances and experiences to lead me to commit to team Spain. More specifically, I have an enlarged heart for lost souls and desire for them to know the Lord intimately. I am keenly aware of how my daily decisions may reflect the only picture of Jesus to the people around me. This is an important way for me to reveal growth to others.
Not only do I feel this sense of urgency regarding my upcoming five years in Spain, but I know that now is my last chance to impact co-workers and non-Christians with the love of Christ. To me, the daily battle is very real, as I desire to walk in the Lord with precision, making every move count. My goal is to build relationships with others and show Christ to them, so as not to live out any form of a selfish lifestyle.
I believe that my wife, Melissa, and I have been called to join a short-cycle church-planting team through Lincoln Berean. As I turned my focus to the Lord and His work in the world, I am drawn less to the things of the world. In essence, the nearer I get to Jesus, the more I am encouraged to share Christ with others. I want to work to finish the task of reaching the unreached with the Gospel - it’s the reason I became interested in missions.
My passion for the Global Outreach ministry originates from personally experiencing the transforming work of the Gospel. When I was determining how to be a goer or sender, it came down to the question, “I know I would follow God in the States, but would I follow Him to the ends of the earth?”
It was then I realized that God doesn’t want our contingency plans, but rather all of our plans. I have surrendered every puzzle piece of my life to the Lord and will continue my journey of faith and obedience in Poland.
GET INVOLVED!
Contact Sharon, or 483-6512 to explore the opportunities to go!
