I grew up in a small town south of Kansas City. I was home schooled from second grade on. I want a shirt that says “Don’t blame me” on the front and “I was home schooled” on the back
I always felt the pull for missions, even obtaining my pilot’s license when I was 17 with the hope of pursuing missionary aviation. However, towards the end of high school, and following the counsel of my dad, I enrolled directly into law school. I ended up loving the law and enjoying the schooling (that sounds weird, I know). In any case, during law school I sort of “fell into” youth ministry. It’s a long story, but it was obviously God’s leading. I’ve spent the past 10 years in youth ministry.
After law school, Elizabeth and I agreed on pursuing my nursing education. The idea was that I could combine my degrees and practice medical law. Additionally, we thought we might end up on the mission field someday, and it seemed like nursing would be a bit more practical and usable. We always felt God’s leading for the next step. Never more than that. Just the next step.
Following nursing school I got a job as an ER nurse at Truman Medical Center in downtown Kansas City. My years in the ER taught me more about humanity and the lost world than I’d ever known. It also challenged all my ideas about Christianity and human suffering. It forced me to address questions like, “OK, so if I really believe in God and eternity, how do I deal with seeing death up close and personal, realizing that death is the final answer? The person I just watched die has no more choice. Either they trusted Christ or they didn’t. Game over.” It caused me to reevaluate life and the non-urgency that seems to dominate American Christianity. If we really believe that folks without Christ spend an eternity apart from Christ, why aren’t we doing more about it?
So began our specific journey down the road to Cambodia. You can see the Why Missions tab for the rest of that story.
FYI: I could not find a regular old e-mail link anywhere on your web site.
I wanted to email you because I was just recently in Cambodia. I went there in October/November 2010 w/ Dr. Gene Sonnenberg, who recently retired from teaching & administration at Hope International University. Gene travels to Cambodia fairly regularly to teach at the Hope Bible Institute’s “Leadership Training Institute” (a work that was started and is now tended by Christopher Lapel) in Battambang.
Anyway, my wife and I went to Bueno Aires, Argentina, with Team Expansion on a short-term missions internship in 1988. We’ve been in Newport, OR for nearly 12 years now. I’m the pastor of Newport First Christian Church. Do you have any supporting churches on the West Coast?
Well, I just wanted to introduce myself to you. I loved being in Cambodia for those two weeks and hope to return in the future. I’ll be praying for you guys.
Derek
By: Derek on December 24, 2010
at 5:32 am