Kevin and Jessica (Morgan) Oates
Church: Cornerstone Community Church,
Simi Valley, CA
Phone: (805) 581-0464
Email: jkoates@arczip.com
Country: Lima, Peru
Age Saved: Kevin 17, Jessica 4
Kevin: As a child,
Kevin's father regularly
took him to church. However, he didn't live his life any differently
than did his school friends. "In high school, surfing became
my life. I wanted to do nothing else." But at summer camp
his senior year, Kevin grasped the reality of sin for the
first time and accepted Christ. Studying at the Master's Seminary,
Kevin had his first cross-cultural experience when he was
invited to teach at a Bible conference in India: "I discovered
a passion to train nationals and give them a theological foundation
on which they could build their ministries. In India , most
men don't have formal training; there is such a great need." Kevin received his MDiv and ThM from the Master's Seminary.
He plans to train pastors and leaders and participate in
church
planting on the field.
Jessica: Saved at a
young age, Jessica was first drawn to missions at age 15.
When she was 17, she went
on a short-term trip to Papua New Guinea : "In PNG, God revealed
His plan for me would be foreign missions. He gave me firsthand
experience of missions, expanded my world vision, and developed
my interest in medicine." While Kevin attended seminary, Jessica
obtained her RN license, and presently works as a Labor and
Delivery nurse. She desires to use her nursing degree on the
field, establishing medical and birthing clinics as a springboard
for evangelism. Jessica is also interested in teaching the
Bible, Theology, and precepts of biblical dating and marriage.
"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond
all that we ask or think, according to the power that works
within us, to Him be the glory ." (Ephesians 3:20).
Daniel and Carol (Johanson) Pollard
Church: Faith Baptist Church,
Salem, OR
Children: Cathleen '72, Christine '74, Caren
'83, Connie '85
Phone: ( 503) 391-6755
Email: cardanpol@juno.com
Country: Russia/Ukraine
Age Saved: Daniel 8, Carol 4
Dan: At age 10, Dan
sensed the Holy Spirit prompting him to be a missionary: "I said, 'Okay, I'll go
to another country, sit outside a hut and speak to people,
but Lord, we have an agreement-I could never preach.'" As
an adult, however, Dan discovered the Lord had given him a
love for preaching, and he has been privileged to start churches
in Juneau , Alaska and in Far East Russia . When the former
Soviet Union opened at the end of the Cold War, Dan encountered
an enormous hunger for the gospel. Because of government opposition,
Dan had to leave Russia , but is excited to learn of the birth
of spiritual grandchildren in his absence: "What could be
more thrilling than new Christians leading others to Christ?" Dan
and Carol hope to return to Russia or to another Russian-speaking
country.
Carol: Raised in a
pastor's home, Carol
heard the truths of God's Word and saw them demonstrated in
the lives of her parents. During childhood, her home was open
to visiting missionaries. Through their influence, she dedicated
her life to serve as the Lord led. After she met Dan, he went
to serve in Vietnam : "Prior to leaving, he told me he was
willing to be a missionary. The many letters we sent back
and forth helped to deepen our relationship and our desire
for missions." After her marriage to Dan, God led Carol to
serve Him in both Alaska and Russia : "God gave me a love
for people as I lived among them and shared in their lives." She
is thankful that God has a plan for her life and is grateful
for the people and places that He has used to teach her and
equip her to serve Him.
Holly Pullen
Church: Calvary Baptist Church ,
Pemberton, NJ
Phone: (609) 894-9542
Email: pullen4778@aol.com
Country: Colombia
Age Saved: 18
Growing up, Holly was often told that
she had accepted Christ as a child. At age 12, she started
going on summer missions
trips with Teen Missions International and Calvary Baptist
Church . In her sophomore year of high school, her grandmother
died, and Holly turned away from God. She attended Appalachian
Bible College because she was expected to. In her freshman
year, Holly heard the gospel presented: "My professors described
a peace and joy that I couldn't find in my own life." After
her friend Amy answered her questions about salvation, Holly
committed her life to Christ: "I did not know if I had really
been saved as a child, and I wanted to make sure." All her
life, she had been interested in missions: "But when I was
struggling with God, I had turned from missions to youth ministries." During
a missions conference in her second year of college, God
convicted Holly to surrender to missions.
Dr. Bob and Esther (Brace) Rapa
Church: Calvary Baptist Church,
Valparaiso, IN
Children: Anna '79, Luke '81, David '93 Phone:
(219) 762-4361
Email: rapahome@aol.com
Country: Singapore
Age Saved: Bob 23, Esther 4
Bob: At the age of
23, Bob was a self-professed "long-haired, motorcycling, beer-guzzling wild man." His friend
Dennis faithfully prayed for and witnessed to Bob throughout
high school and his years in the Navy. One evening Dennis
invited Bob to a church service, where Bob accepted Christ:
"I was under constant conviction from childhood, being prayed
for ceaselessly, and I couldn't resist the Holy Spirit any
longer." He left a lucrative family business to attend Grand
Rapids Baptist College and learn about the Bible and his new
Christian faith: "I remember sitting in the library, laughing
with joy, or weeping at what I was reading." After seminary,
Bob became a pastor, then a professor at Grand Rapids . Through
the Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary Extension Program (now
Asia
Baptist Theological Seminary), God opened the door for Bob
to train Asian nationals.
sther: Esther asks
why God drew her to Himself: "Why was I saved at a young age? Why did my understanding
grow as my parents took me church? Why was I able to grow
as a Christian when others around me did not?" Her answer
is this: "God has worked in my life for His purpose. As 1
Corinthians 12:18 states, 'God has set the members, each one
of them, in the body just as He pleased.'" Esther's love for
missions grew as she observed others go and serve. Her parents
hosted missionaries in their home and used several family
vacations to visit missionaries. While in college, Esther
served three summers with Baptist Mid-Mission's Missionary
Apprenticeship Program. God used the experience to intensify
her desire to minister outside the United States . The Rapas
have served one term in Asia and look forward to returning.
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Mark and Jennifer (Christian) Rubin
Church: Faith Baptist Church,
Wilmington, DE
Children: Matias '01
Phone: (302) 234-2876
Email: huanacos@hotmail.com
Country: Chile
Age Saved: Mark 12, Jennifer 7
Mark: When Mark was
12, he came to understand that Christ had died for him.
As a teenager, Mark wanted to
become a physical therapist: "I wanted to make money, have
a couple cars, a nice house. But God kept asking, 'Then what?
Is My Name glorified?' At a summer camp, God burdened my heart
for missions." In Bible college, Mark spent his junior year
in Ecuador as part of the ARRIBA program, studying culture
and learning fluent Spanish. Mark completed his seminary internship
in Chile : "It was a confirmation to teach church, seminary,
and men's programs in Chile , hearing people say, 'You helped
us understand God's Word.' At a missionary camp for Chileans,
I was humbled by the sacrifice Chileans make to become missionaries-they
lose a salary, their homes, truly leaving everything to follow
Christ."
Jennifer: Soon after
Jennifer's salvation,
her parents were called as missionaries to Chile : "My parents
always said, 'We're a missionary family,' which means we were
all involved in church planting. They exposed us to many different
ministries-from singing in church, to cleaning, to teaching.
Whatever needed to be done, we did."
During her senior year of high school,
Jennifer traveled to Swaziland for eight weeks: "I realized that God could use
me independently of my parents, and decided to pursue missions." In
college, she studied elementary education, planning to return
to the field to teach other missionary children. At
Bible college, Jennifer met Mark, who shared her desire for
missions. Together they have served short-term in Chile for
the last two years and are excited to see how God continues
to guide them toward career missionary service.
Stephen and Vicki Stairs
Church: Westwood Baptist Church , Kalamazoo, MI
Children: Christopher '81, Benjamin '83,
Stephanie '86, Timothy '88, Elizabeth '91
Phone: (269)353-3699
Email: stevestairs@mac.com
Country: South Africa
Age Saved: Steve 10, Vicki 13
Steve: Born in Canada
, Steve understood the gospel at young age: "I knew all the right words to convince
others I was a believer, but I was not convicted in my heart."
At ten, Steve's family moved to Ohio. While preparing to move,
his parents sent him to camp, where he made a genuine profession
of faith. At college at Ohio State , Steve experienced a period
of doubt, and was challenged to read through the Bible: "God
convinced me His Word was truth and could be trusted." Steve
transferred to Cedarville to pursue a Business Management
degree. In his senior year, he took Dr. Jim Grier's philosophy
class. "It challenged my value system and showed it to be
faulty. I had never considered what God thought was the most
valuable way to invest my life." After graduating, Steve
attended seminary and pastored churches.
Vicki: Vicki grew up
on a dairy farm, attending a little white church in the
country. However, she did not
hear about the need to confess sin until age 13, when her
parents started attending a Baptist church. "I realized I
was a sinner in need of a Savior. This was a new for me-I
already thought that I loved God and could be good. I learned
that Jesus paid the penalty for my sin when he shed His blood
on the cross." Vicki accepted Christ. Since salvation, it
has been her desire to please and serve the Lord however
and
wherever He chooses.
Steve Trexler
Church: Calvary Bible Church , Ellerslie
, Maryland
Phone: ( 301) 264-4115
Email: sgtpac@pennswoods.net
Country: Liberia
Age Saved: 25
Steve: Steve grew up
attending a liberal church that taught a social gospel.
While working as a physician's
assistant at Johns Hopkins, he received a gospel tract and
accepted Christ. "I continued to work in medicine, but I was
still focused on doing a good job in heart surgery-not for
the Lord. I needed to wholly devote my life to Him. In three
months, He started transforming me so much that the surgeons
began to ask why I had changed." As God continued working
in him, his desire for fulltime service grew. He left his
job to attend Tennessee Temple University . While there, he
took trips to Peru, Romania, and Brazil . In Brazil he worked
closely with Jack Sorg and Tom Peace; their passion fueled
Steve's desire to serve in missions. Steve recently traveled
to Liberia where he hopes to train nationals as Physician's
Assistants.
Erin Wawro
Church: Wheelersburg Baptist Church,
Wheelersburg, OH
Phone: (740) 574-5302
Email: erinsue@hotmail.com
Country: Brazil
Age Saved: 12
Erin : Erin grew up
attending church with her family. During a class there,
she prayed for
salvation. Several years later, facing doubts, she turned
to Scripture, especially Romans 10:9-10 and 1 John, and
saw
that her faith was genuine. After attending Cedarville, Erin
worked at Scioto Hills Camp and then at Wheelersburg Baptist.
These experiences, along with teaching Chemistry at a local
high school, taught her about ministry with teens. Originally,
she said, "Missions is not for me, that is what my sister
will do." However, over a period of three years, God burdened
her heart and enabled her to experience missions firsthand.
During a short-term trip to Brazil in 2002, to assist Randy
and Cindy Richner, Erin realized, "God desires to use my
gifts and abilities to serve Him by making disciples on the
foreign
field."
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