Sydney and Rechie (Lugo)
Albano
Church: Good Samaritan
Christian Baptist Church Fundamental, National City, CA
Children: Jensine '87, Justine '88, James '90, Jason
'94
Phone: (619) 271-7444
Email: sydneyalbano@hotmail.com
Country: North America
Age Saved: Sydney 17, Rechie 11
Sydney: Sydney describes
his birthplace in the Philippines as a "modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah." Born
to a Catholic father and a Protestant mother, Sydney was not
confronted with the gospel until he was a teenager and came
into contact with friends from Campus Crusade for Christ.
As a result of their faithful witness, he accepted Christ
as Savior. Sydney 's cousin-pastor brought him to a Word of
Life camp, and there Sydney dedicated his life to ministry.
God eventually led him to Baptist Bible Seminary in Manila
: "I had all but one dollar when I went, but God provided
the funds." He then entered pastoral ministry. Sydney is
burdened for the needs of the large Filipino community in
San Diego, California.
Rechie: Rechie was
led to Christ by her Sunday school teacher. "As a child, I thought people from
other countries were like gods, I never thought I could be
a missionary, too."She initially resisted God's call to service:
"I loved the world; I didn't want to give it up. I presented
my excuses to the Lord: my father won't let me, I don't have
the fees." But God convicted her at a summer youth camp and
broke down her excuses: "My parents said yes, God provided
the fees, and I found myself in seminary." She finished her
five- year course at Baptist Bible Seminary of Manila and
dedicated her life to God's service. God answered Rechie's
prayers and sent her a husband equally impassioned for evangelism.
"I never expected the Lord would bring me to the U.S. But
my desire has always been to serve my people: Tagalog-speaking
Filipinos."
Doug and Heather (Ganly) Amundson
Church: Washington Heights Baptist Church, Dayton,
OH
Children: Caleb '99, Hannah '02
Phone: ( 937) 432-0377
Email: dhamundson@msn.com
Country: Chile
Age Saved: Doug 4, Heather 10
Doug: A pastor's kid, Doug accepted Christ
as a child and began working in the church. As his family
moved from West Virginia, to Michigan, to Pennsylvania, Doug
was challenged to find ways to serve in the church. During
the summer before his senior year at Cedarville University,
God opened the door for him to go on a short-term missions
trip in Ethiopia under SIM. While in Ethiopia, Doug realized
that God could use ordinary people as missionaries, doing
ordinary things. "I'm an Excel geek, I play with computers-I'd
always thought 'Can God really use me'?" The answer was yes!
During the summer of 2002, God used ABWE missionaries to
motivate
Doug to consider full-time service again. Doug desires to
use his accounting and finance skills for missions.
Heather: After Heather's parents divorced,
her mother began searching and heard the gospel for the first
time at a local church. Heather also responded in faith. At
Cedarville, Heather studied elementary education and met Doug. "I learned that God answers prayer, sometimes literally-I
had prayed for God to 'drop my future husband in my lap.'
God did that physically, as we were crammed into a limo on
our first date." After graduation, Heather served on the
missions committee at Shawnee Hills Baptist and discovered
the significance
of local church support to missionary success. She was continually
exposed to missions and began to feel the tug of the Holy
Spirit asking her to dedicate her life to full-time service.
Her call was confirmed during the summer of 2002 when fellow
ABWE missionaries spoke at their church. This prompted Doug
and Heather to contact their pastor and ABWE.
Barry and Susan (Elliott) Belles
Church: Berwick Bible Church, Berwick, PA Children:
Christopher '72, Jonathan '76, Cynthia '77
Phone: (910) 628-5498
Email: SJBelles@aol.com
Country: Australia
Age Saved: Barry 8, Susan 6
Barry: Barry was raised
in a Christian home: "I was saved not out of the world,
but from the
world." As a teen, the Lord burdened his heart for full-time
ministry and directed him to Baptist Bible College where
he
majored in missions. In the early 1970s, Barry heard Larry
Armstrong speak and present the new field of Australia. He
and his wife felt called to Australia , but convinced themselves
that God was calling in another direction when they were
presented
with more attractive opportunities. It was not until 1990
that Barry totally surrendered to God to do His will in full-time
ministry. Since that time, Barry and Susan have served as
missionaries to children in North Carolina . Barry is thankful
that God gave them a second chance as, thirty-two years later,
God has again opened the door to serve in Australia.
Susan: An MK herself,
Susan was exposed to both the gospel and missions at an
early age. She gave
her heart to Christ during a VBS and dedicated her life to
missions through the influence of missionaries who visited
her home when she was 15. After high school graduation,
Susan
attended BBC and studied missions. In 1991, Susan acknowledged
God's call into missions and has enjoyed a fruitful ministry
to the children of North Carolina . She has been motivated
and encouraged in ministry by a note she received from one
of the children: "Miss Sue, thank you for showing me the way
to Jesus Christ and for helping me receive Jesus as my Savior." Recently,
God has renewed her burden for foreign ministry, and she
is excited to see how God will use her skills and
experiences to minister in Australia .
Michelle Blackwell
Church: Faith Baptist Church , Lafayette,
IN
Phone: 011-27-21-913-4795
Email: michelle@new.co.za
Country: Cape Town, South Africa
Age Saved: 9
Born in Zimbabwe to missionary parents,
Michelle moved at age 3 to South Africa because of civil
war. Her parents moved
to Cape Town in 1988 to start their first Afrikaans-speaking
church. "I'd always wanted to help beyond setting up chairs
and handing out bulletins. Because I was fluent in Afrikaans,
my parents enlisted me as the church's first Sunday school
teacher. So at age 12, I began serving the Lord." Michelle
attended ABWE's Church Ministries Institute in Cape Town ,
where she was equipped for service as a cross-cultural missionary.
She applied to AMP and continued postgraduate studies. She
also taught Afrikaans to English-speaking children at Good
Hope Bible School : "Though I've taught in a Christian school,
my primary focus is assisting church planters. Church plants
need Christian workers in every aspect of ministry. My desire
is to assist in planting indigenous, autonomous churches."
Scott and Laura (Stam) Carter
Church: FairCreek Church, Fairborn, OH
Children: Jackson '01, Makayla '02
Phone: (937) 237-8596
Email: scarter@faircreek.org
Country: Colombia
Age Saved: Scott 4, Laura 7
Scott: A close call
with a semi-truck during a family vacation caused Scott
to think about his eternal
destiny; ultimately, that led to his salvation. Scott is
currently serving as a youth pastor, but recently God has
shown him
that everything in his life has been leading him toward missions.
While his church participated in "The Extreme Journey," Scott
was challenged to consider taking the next step spiritually.
"God really broke me at the beginning of this past year. I
remember sitting together with my wife and children, crying,
and asking God for direction." God has showed Scott that his
next step is career missions. Scott writes, "'The peace that
passes all understanding' is definitely the phrase I would
use to characterize my life in the past six months. To come
to this point in my life, to see so clearly what God desires
for me, is truly exciting!"
Laura: God opened Laura's eyes to the truth
of the gospel as her mother personalized John 3:16: "For
God so loved Laura that He gave His only begotten son
that if Laura believes on Him, Laura will
not perish but have everlasting life." She believes that the
Lord called her to missionary service soon after her acceptance
of Christ. Whenever missionaries came to speak at her church,
she was mesmerized by their testimonies and their lives. Laura
knew without a doubt, even as a child, that someday she would
be used by God, and she is excited to see how the Lord has
directed and confirmed her desire for missions. "I have been
greatly influenced by Jim Elliot's proclamation, 'He is no
fool who gives away what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot
lose.'"
Earl and Kathleen (Chilton) Cooper
Church: Pinegrove Fellowship Baptist,
Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada
Children: Michele '75, Teresa '80, David
'84
Phone: (705) 645-6371
Email: ecooper@muskoka.com
Country: West Africa
Age Saved: Earl 12, Kathleen 11
Earl: At Courtland
Baptist Church, Ontario, Canada, Earl accepted Christ.
Through the Christian Service
Brigade program he received a solid biblical foundation.
After seven years as an electronics technician, the Lord
called
Earl to prepare for full-time Christian service. He began
Bible College in 1977. For the past 25 years, Earl has
been
involved in pastoral ministry in Ontario. On a recent trip
to Ghana and Togo, he was stunned by the need for theological
education: "Pastors there can memorize pages of notes by rote,
but don't have any training in analytical thinking." Earl
hopes to prepare curriculum and devotional studies for national
pastors, as well as teach them. "Amazingly, for the last two
years at my church, the leadership freed me to write devotionals
to accompany my sermons-all preparation for this new service.
I can think of no more fulfilling goal than to help pastors
teach others God's Word."
Kathleen: Kathleen
asked the Lord to be her Savior following a Bible lesson
at VBS when she was 11
years old. "The Lord filled my life with influential women,
all of them praying for me: my Aunt Grace and Mrs. Smith,
the mother of the pastor's wife, had particularly profound
influences on my spiritual growth." When Kathleen and Earl
were dating, they had long conversations about God's direction
for their lives. They hoped that their combination of technical
and teaching abilities would make them well-suited for ministry.
For the last ten years, Kathleen taught kindergarten at a
Christian school. She has also chosen to minister to children
through Awana and Sunday School ministries.
Heidi Davis
Church: Campus Baptist Church, Ames,
IA
Phone: (515) 233-4344
Email: duodavis@aol.com
Country: WORD Ministries
Age Saved: 4
Heidi was raised in Bogotá, Colombia.
Her parents were ABWE missionaries. At age 12, while at youth
camp, she dedicated her life to missions. When she was 15,
her father was murdered on the streets of Bogotá.
The family returned to the United States, and Heidi turned
her back on missions: "Why should
I serve this God, when He took my father who was serving
so faithfully?" Although Heidi struggled, she now accepts
God's sovereignty: "If Dad hadn't died, I might never
have attended college and seminary. God was in control of
every detail of my Dad's death." In college, she rededicated
her life to missions, and discovered a love for Greek and
Hebrew. She will serve in Bible translation with WORD Ministries,
and says, "Perhaps
in the future I can minister to someone who's lost a parent
and reassure them that God has a plan for their life, just
as He had for mine."
Todd and Jennifer (Benefiel)
DeKryger Church: Eastmont Baptist Church, Grand Rapids, MI
Children: William '99, Grant '01, Third Child
Expected September '03
Phone: (616) 834-7078
Email: T91569@aol.com
Country: Togo
Age Saved: Todd 24, Jennifer 5
Todd: Although he grew
up in a Christian home, Todd's life did not reflect Christ: "At 24, I had a
new job, house, and car, but I was empty. Attending a new
men's Bible study, I met Jim and Rob, who asked me the most
probing question of my life: 'On a scale of 0-100%, if you
were to die today, how sure are you that you would go to heaven?'
I knew I wasn't 100% sure." That morning, Todd invited Christ
into his life. Later, he met Jennifer and visited her in Hong
Kong , where God confirmed their love and openness to missions.
With an interest in medical missions, Todd completed a surgical
residency as a Physician's Assistant, after seven years in
primary care. On his pastor's advice, he visited Togo : "There,
I realized God's power not only to heal physical disease,
but to free nationals from their sins."
Jennifer: In high
school, God used Jennifer's
pastor, an ABWE board member, a praying church, and her parents
to help her grow in faith: "I was blessed by my missions-focused
church." At Cedarville, after hearing Bill Commons speak,
she felt the call to missions and declared her major in education.
On graduating, she taught in Hong Kong for three years: "Suddenly
all the things I had depended on were gone-family, friends,
possessions. God took me to the other side of the world to
teach me to depend on Him alone. Now I cling to Him each
day
and am continually amazed by His love for us."
Bruce and Laura (Coachman) Edgar
Church: Heritage Baptist
Church , Lakeland , FL Children: Peter '98,
Emma '00
Phone: (863) 648-1688
Email: bedgar33@juno.com
Country: Nicaragua
Age Saved: Bruce 7, Laura 5
Bruce: Bruce was born into
a military family. His mother led Bruce to Christ as a child,
but his father, a retired Marine, was not a Christian: "Still,
I was amazed how God provided men as mentors and teachers
all the way through my life." Bill Dooley was the first missionary
Bruce knew: "I remember thinking, this guy is NEAT-he's so
real and personal." Weekly interaction with missionaries at
Camp Gilead , Florida, gave Bruce a desire to teach at home
and overseas. After he returned from his honeymoon, Bruce
began seminary. Teaching at a Christian school while attending
seminary provided training for the future: "I could learn
something in class, then take it to school and teach it." Missions trips to Russia and Nicaragua helped confirm Bruce's
passion for missions.
Laura: At Bryan College
, a conference speaker challenged Laura not to be "willing to go but planning
to stay" but rather to be "planning to go and willing to stay."
God gave her an intense desire to teach, and she taught elementary
school for six years. As a young adult, she led a missions
trip to Ecuador . As a young married, she visited Russia with
Bruce to help conduct Leon Fisher's first summer camp. When
Laura's daughter was born, she had physical needs requiring
physical and occupational therapy. "I wondered if we still
be able to go overseas. But at a ladies missionary meeting,
I heard about a woman with a physical obstacle, whose pastor
asked, 'Is missions what God wants you to do? If so He will
make it possible.' My beautiful daughter made amazing progress
and no longer needs therapy-God has truly made it possible!"
|
 |
Stefan and Regula (Lehmann)
Elser
Church: Community Baptist
Church, Hillsboro, OR
Children: Salome '00, Rebecca '02
Phone: (503) 502-8713
Email: srelser@gmx.net
Country: Open
Age Saved: Steff 12, Regi 7
Steff: As a child in
Switzerland , Steff helped his Dad build a new church,
asking, "Why are you the
only man doing electrician's work?" His father replied, "Whatever
you do, do it for the Lord." Steff has taken those words to
heart, and wants to use his own skills to serve. In 1996,
he started a pioneer work in a little village: "God guided
me to a small evangelical church. I moved from a 388-member
church to this tiny church of 15." On a short-term trip to
Kenya, Steff learned how to work a helicopter, dropping off
medical missionaries: "I saw how helicopters could reach remote
areas where no car could go, connecting with unreached tribal
peoples." After finishing a degree in engineering, he pursued
helicopter aviation training in the U.S., earning his helicopter
pilot's license and mechanic's license. Steff wants to use
helicopter ministry on a mission field where people have
never
heard the gospel.
Regi: Leading youth
clubs and weekly training courses challenged Regi's spiritual growth: "During my youth,
the Great Commission touched my heart. I wanted to go wherever
the Lord could use me to help complete His great task." She
was teaching elementary students in a tiny Swiss school in
the country-first through fourth grade all in one classroom-when
she met Stefan. As they began writing letters, she questioned
him, for it was important to her that he share the same desire
to serve the Lord. After marriage, they began preparing to
serve the Lord on the mission field, spending half a year
as volunteers in Kenya : "I wanted to see if I could cope
with the heat and dust, and connect with people in a completely
different culture." In the future, she desires to use her
experience and skills in children's ministry.
Jim and Melony (Pierpont) Evans
Church: Bethel Baptist Church ,
South Haven, MI
Children: Jimmie '77, Hillary '79, Jeremiah
'81, Joshua '83, Jesse '87, Chelsie '89, Lois '91, Timothy
'92, Seth '94, Andrew '97, Andrea '99
Phone: (269) 214-6446
Email: jim@jimevans.net
Country: Australia
Age Saved: Jimmie 15, Melony 4
Jim: Raised by his
grandparents, Jim valued their advice: "They taught me to farm, fish, and work hard."
He attended a Methodist church but never heard the gospel
until he went to a Baptist church. In his second year of Bible
College , their son Jimmie went into the hospital. Without
insurance, their money was soon gone, and they had to move
in with family. Jim yearned to resume his studies, and continued
his education in doctrine under his father-in-law and grandfather-in-law's
direction. "Throughout my ministry, I have felt a burden for
missions but worried I was not qualified because of my educational
background." After hearing Gary and Nancy DeJong share their
burden for South Asia , Jim says, "God moved in my heart.
My wife and I discussed missions again and realized we both
had a burden for the Australian people."
Melony: When Melony
was young, she overheard her mother sharing the salvation
message with a neighbor and
accepted Christ as Savior the same day. She believed the
Lord would one day make her a teacher on the missions field: "After
we were married, whenever we had missionaries in our home,
Jim and I would often talk about our burden for missions and
puzzle over how we could ever go. We were often struggling
to make ends meet financially and questioned how Jim could
ever finish his schooling. God also had work to do in my heart-I
had to learn to let Christ be Lord of my life, not Jim, and
commit myself to spend time with Him." The DeJongs' presentation
was a turning point for Melony. Recently, she and Jim visited
Australia and met the team there, confirming their heart
for
that field.
Jim and Carol (Vasquez) Garcines
Church: First Baptist Church, Woodland,
CA
Children: Jica '81, Jeriah '89
Phone: (916) 691-0680
Email: jgarcines@aol.com
Country: North America
Age Saved : Jim 18, Carol 7
Jim: Jim was born in
the Philippines . His father was Protestant, his mother
Roman Catholic. Every Sunday,
the family divided. After his father died, Jim assumed responsibility
for the family: "I worked as a butcher in the market. I was
influenced by gangs, involved in bad work, until finally a
Baptist coworker invited me to his wife's funeral." At the
week-long vigil, the pastor preached on heaven and hell. "Every
night the Holy Spirit bothered me. Every night I wondered,
why is this pastor talking to me ? On the third
night, I came to the Lord-through a funeral service." Jim attended
Doane Baptist Seminary in the Philippines and Liberty University
. He will serve with ABWE in California , reaching out to
Filipinos, Cambodians, and Hispanics. "Before I joined ABWE,
I always wondered why all the missionaries I met were white-why
were there no Filipinos to reach my people?"
Carol: Having come
to Christ through family devotions, Carol is grateful that
her parents were not only
biological, but spiritual parents. Her father was a pastor
and her home was always full of missionaries, who always
came
from other countries. As a child she wondered, "I'm a Filipino-where
could I go?" She vowed early to serve, but was detoured teaching
public school. Then, God enabled her to return to Doane for
Bible college: "When we vow to the Lord, He will always give
us a time to pay what we have vowed." Like Jim, she says,
"I have a burning in my heart for our people-and that is
why we have come here, to reach the over two million Filipinos
living in California."
Rick and Sharlyn (Merritt) Geisler
Church: Helmers Street Baptist Church, Houston, TX
Children: Rachel '86, Jonathan '93
Phone: (281) 446-3968
Email: rickgeisler@earthlink.net
Country: Japan
Age Saved: Rick 22, Sharlyn 9
Rick: Although raised
in a Lutheran home, Rick became an atheist in high school: "But I kept thinking,
there must be a God, more to life than this." After joining
the Air Force, Rick was stationed in Jacksonville and heard
the term "born again" for the first time in a local church.
At age 22, he was saved: "One day when I read in Matthew 6
about God's love for the birds and flowers and how I was more
precious than them, God opened my heart. Slowly, I started
getting rid of my former lifestyle-dropping my beard, my long
hair." Soon, Rick felt burdened to preach. He entered Bible
college, where he met Sharlyn. After graduation, Rick served
as a youth leader and Christian school teacher. Resigning
his teaching position, they went to Japan with another mission.
Rick looks forward to returning to Japan and planting churches
with other ABWE missionaries.
Sharlyn: As a child,
Sharlyn told her mother, "When I get big, I'll get saved." At age nine, realizing she
didn't have to be an adult to accept Christ, she was saved.
She first felt drawn to missions at youth camp: "I felt the
Holy Spirit tugging, but did not go. However, the Lord's purpose
for my life included missions." When Sharlyn was 16, she was
stirred by a missionary wife's testimony: "She shared how
she resisted becoming a missionary because of the stereotype
of living in a jungle with snakes. But God wouldn't give her
peace of mind until she said, 'Yes.' Well, God wouldn't leave
me alone either." After praying for a missions-minded husband,
Sharlyn met and married Rick. They recently served for a term
in Japan . "The first six months were challenging," says Sharlyn,
"but now I love Japan , and I have a burden for the people.
Japan is now my home."
Michael and Katrina (Burnette) Geurink
Church: First Baptist Church, Kouts,
IN
Children: Ian '01
Phone: (219) 765-3009
Email: geurink@argo.com.br
Country: Brazil
Age Saved: Michael 4, Katrina 3
Michael: Michael's mother led him to Christ
at a young age. At age 12, attending a camp, he realized his
priority in life should be to participate with God in His
plan for this world. "I grew up listening to my grandfather's
stories about flying in Africa . I was the kid who craned
his neck every time an airplane flew over. I always wanted
to be an aviator. But first I had to learn to tell God, 'I
will serve you no matter if I never touch an airplane.'" Michael
began exploring places in the world where aviation was being
used as a tool to carry out the Great Commission and eventually
met Al and Kim Yoder, who are using aviation to augment church
planting in Brazil . Michael has spent two years serving
in
Brazil and is excited to return to the Amazon and put his
passion for aviation to use in ministry.
Katrina: Katrina's missionary parents began
sharing the gospel with her as an infant, and she accepted
Christ as a child. Growing up, Katrina observed her parents'
ministry and their love for the Brazilian people: "I went
everywhere with my parents, trying to learn everything about
missions. I considered myself as much of a missionary as they
were." God used a speaker at a summer camp to speak to Katrina's
heart about dedicating her life to missions. After hearing
a sermon on Isaiah 53, Katrina thought, "How could I not give
God my life when He has done so much for me?" Since that
time, Katrina has pursued every opportunity to better prepare
herself
to return to Brazil and serve God and the Brazilian people.
Doug and Becca (Runkle) Gooding
Church: Harvest Baptist Church,
Oswego, IL
Phone: (630) 553-6579
Email: dbgooding@hotmail.com
Country: Japan
Age Saved: Doug 13, Becca 7
Doug: Doug grew up
in a Christian Science home and was not exposed to the
gospel until he was a young
teenager. A friend invited him to visit Oswego Baptist Church
, and Doug started attending frequently. As the Romans
Road
was explained one Sunday, the Holy Spirit used God's Word
to convict Doug of his sin. He trusted Christ as his Savior.
Several years later, God used an ABWE missionary speaker to
work in Doug's heart, urging him to commit to missions. Doug
then attended Moody Bible Institute to receive further training
for missionary service.
Becca: Becca grew up in a Christian home.
Her Sunday School teacher and mother led her to accept Christ
as Savior at age seven. As she grew older, the Lord used His
Word and prayer to help mold and shape Becca into becoming
a servant for Him. In high school, Becca committed her life
to missions after reading a missionary biography. The Lord
reaffirmed her call when an ABWE missionary visited her church
several years later and challenged the congregation with missions.
God enabled Becca to attend Moody Bible Institute, where she
was able to study His Word, gain insights, and acquire hands-on
experience in missions work.
David and Monika (Jiggens) Graef
Church: Evangel Baptist Church,
Taylor, MI
Children: Aidan '00, Abigail '02
Phone: (734) 675-6151
Email: dmgraef@netzero.com
Country: Open
Age Saved: David 20, Monika 19
David: God gave David
an analytical, skeptical mind: "I wasn't willing to accept Christianity merely because
I was born into a Christian family. I decided to spend several
years objectively searching for the truth." David studied
the Kubullah, Gnostic and Esoteric Scriptures, and even much
of the Koran. He interviewed Hindus, Buddhists, and atheists,
but God directed Christians into his life to answer his most
critical questions. At 20, David realized the truth had always
been in front of him, and he accepted Christ. After salvation,
David was so convinced of the truth of Christianity that he
immediately desired to propagate the gospel: "I am thankful
for my philosophical journey. Through it, God has increased
my ability to minister to skeptics and people of other religions." He began pastoral ministry and is now seeking God's direction
for cross-cultural missions in the area of pastoral training.
Monika: Monika was
raised in a family that rarely attended church. She was
taught moral behavior, but
because there was no foundation, her morality was based on
her circumstances. She first heard the gospel when a youth
pastor from a local church explained her need for a Savior.
Monika did not accept Christ at that time, but was profoundly
influenced by his unconditional love. At college, Monika
attended
a Bible study in a friend's dorm room. During a winter retreat
hosted by a campus ministry, Monika responded to an invitation
to receive Christ as her Savior. Through campus ministry,
she also experienced her first taste of missions through
international
service trips and through an international student outreach.
These experiences early in her Christian walk helped Monika
to develop a burden for sharing the gospel with those from
other cultures.
Michael Gustafson
Church: Tabernacle Baptist Church,
Poughkeepsie, NY
Phone: (518) 399-4128
Email: 102200.370@compuserve.com
Country: Ukraine
Age Saved: 5
Michael: As a young child,
Michael accepted Christ and began a spiritual pilgrimage that
would take him through many roads of service. God enabled
him to serve in cross-cultural vacation Bible schools in high
school and to minister as a camp counselor. In college, God
changed Mike's direction several times, until January of 1992,
when Mike walked down the aisle in the chapel of Cedarville
College and committed to serve God in the former Soviet Union
. A summer trip to Ukraine and Belarus in 1992 confirmed that
calling: "But I realized that Russians are highly intellectual
people, and I needed more training to better communicate with
them. When I returned, I enrolled in Baptist Bible Seminary." After completing an 18 month internship near Moscow and teaching
high school Bible for several years, Mike is excited to return
to Ukraine and minister to the Russian-speaking people.
|
