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A Young Family Compelled to Go

Testimony of Lucas and Teresa Bair

Bair Family

 

I (Teresa) grew up in a loving, moral home, but I had never been told I was a sinner in need of a Savior. When I was sixteen years old, I went to a church retreat where I learned of my sin and hell and Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. I was immediately convicted and placed my trust in Christ as my Savior. For the last eight years I have been serving alongside Lucas in college ministry, and I am thankful for how God has used these years to change me more than I ever thought possible.

At the age of thirteen, while attending a summer camp, Lucas placed his trust in Jesus Christ, and that decision has had life-altering implications, changing not only his eternal destination but the very direction of his life. After sensing a call to ministry in high school and completing a four-year degree at a local Bible college, he became the pastor of college ministries at Saylorville Baptist Church. God has used this unique ministry and very patient church to develop and train him.

After sensing that God was pushing him toward a change in ministry to church planting, he approached our pastor for advice. Our pastor simply told him to pray about it, and when Lucas returned to his office, he got down on his knees and asked God to open and shut doors. Three weeks later, he was having lunch with a missionary who encouraged him to consider joining his church-planting team in south Brazil. While skeptical, we were open to this, and we agreed to take a trip to find out about the ministry. We began to pray that if God wanted us to go, He would finance the trip. Within thirty days, our bank account had all the money we needed.

However, the decision to move to Brazil for the long term was anything but clear. After returning from Brazil, it took us five long months of praying and seeking counsel to conclude that church planting in south Brazil was God’s direct answer to Lucas’ prayer for open doors. When Lucas told me he wanted us to visit Brazil and consider moving there, I was open to checking it out. However, two weeks before our trip, we had a family tragedy that drastically affected the enjoyment of our visit in Brazil. I returned to Iowa determined to never move to Brazil.

God, however, had different plans for me. While I was fighting the decision we had made to move to Brazil, God brought a song into my path. It was called “The Precious Blood,” a song about Christ’s sacrifice for me—His great love and my unworthiness. Again, I was immediately convicted and sought God’s forgiveness for my selfishness. Since that day in February, God has radically changed my heart, and I don’t think I even realized He was doing it! We can both honestly say today that we are not only willing to serve in missions, but we are excited and can’t see our family doing anything else.