I was born on Tuesday – in church on Sunday. My father, a flower farmer, was also, in my early childhood, the pastor of the Community Church in Dora. Both my parents were graduates of Prairie Bible College and so my earliest impressions had to do with God and growing things. As happens with many kids raised in church – with Sunday school, Bible clubs, Bible studies, revival meetings, etc. – I, no doubt, “asked Jesus into my heart” many times, but the time it stuck, and I knew I meant it was at a “release time” Bible club where the leader literally scared the hell right out of me. I became clearly aware that “the wages of sin is death (hell) but the gift of God is eternal life (heaven) through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). I knew I did not want to go to hell forever and be separated from God, my family, and all things good, and I did want to go to heaven and be with Jesus forever. So right there, sitting on a neighbor lady’s living room floor at age eight I sealed the deal, asked Jesus to save me and take me for His own – and He did!
So began my lifelong pursuit of knowing God and learning to serve Him. At the end of my third grade year life changed in a big way. Not only was the little one-room school out at Dora closed and I was shipped into town for fourth grade, but our family began attending a Baptist church in Coquille. I was growing and learning more about who God was. It wasn’t long before I was helping with VBS, teaching Junior church, serving at summer camp and going on my first short-term mission. In school I was a good student with a passion for music and drama. I was also learning to read the Bible for myself and have a real relationship with God.
After high school graduation I attended Oregon State University where I became part of a campus ministry called Campus Ambassadors. My time at OSU was a great education in standing firm for the Lord and making my childhood faith a real vibrant, personal experience. If I wanted to be at the Campus Ambassador prayer meeting at 7 AM Friday morning (and I did), I had to get myself there – no one was going to force me to go. The same with all the other activities and meetings. The result was a faith that was not dependent on mom or dad or a pastor or anyone else except a compelling relationship with Christ alone. The summer after my sophomore year I had the opportunity to be part of a mission team in Japan. It was a difficult team for me, but I was learning to surrender to God no matter what the cost. The next year I went with the same organization to Spain. That’s when I got serious training in surrendering my plans to the Lord. At the end of that summer, I signed my life away – late at night, the last night of ministry debriefing – I put my name to a card committing to serve God “whenever, wherever, whatever” It was signed and witnessed by one of my team members (I still have that card).
That commitment led me to full-time work in short-term missions. I’ve served on over a dozen teams on four different continents and trained a few thousand team members to go out on teams serving on six different continents. I was passionately committed to that ministry and felt God’s call strongly on my life. But that ministry came to an end rather abruptly – and it wasn’t my decision. I have never felt more heartbroken. Have you ever wondered what God could possibly be up to and a questioning everything?
So I was back on the family farm pulling weeds and wondering “what next?” “Is there a next?” Could God even use me? Everything seemed like a dead end.
After the end of a year back home, because of an immediate need, I started serving as the secretary for the church I grew up in. I wasn’t feeling particularly passionate or “called” and the last thing I ever wanted to be was a secretary. But there was a bright spot. There was this guy teaching the adult Sunday School class whose lessons spoke straight into my life – he was also attending the same Bible study my dad had roped me into joining. He started loaning me books to read. In 2008 we married.
In the next few years it was discovered that I made a pretty good worship leader. It was news to me, too. While I’d always been involved in music ministry, leading it had never been part of the deal. In 2012 I was hired to be my church’s worship leader. For the next eight years I poured myself into that assignment – and grew greatly in musical skill and confidence.
But once again, the ministry assignment came to an abrupt end – and again, through no decision of my own.
This time I didn’t have to wait long to see God moving us into the next phase of His plan – the “what next.” Within a couple weeks we had two home groups going and the start of a church plant. Within six months we merged with the Myrtle Point Baptist Church to become Living Water Bible Fellowship.
When I signed my life away to serve God “whenever, wherever, whatever” I never expected to find myself back in my hometown as a pastor’s wife. But I often get the sneaking suspicion that the long trail of training which led me all over the world was really preparation for this assignment in Myrtle Point, Oregon. I don’t know all of what God is up to, but He’s working out the details and I’m really glad I signed up to be a part of it.