Prior
to coming to TaigumCommunityChurch
in 1999 we had very little involvement in missions.
In 1996 an
opportunity arose to assist christians in China with
music. Nothing further was done after the initial
help until 1999
when we joined TaigumCommunityChurch.
Pastor Gary Levens at this time encouraged us to go on our first
short-term
missions trip to China
to help in the area of music and worship. Since that time we
have been to China seven
times to develop worship and to strengthen and encourage
leaders. We have
also been training leaders and ministering in worship in Hyderabad, India and evangelizing in
areas around the Bay of
Bengal.
This contact
came through my Best Music and Worship website.
Towards
the end of 2005, following a trip to minister in China, I shared with Pastor
Gary
Levens a call to overseas mission that I had felt since I was a boy. I
remember in my teenage years as part of the Baptist church being
facinated with the wonderful work some of the missionaries were doing.
In particular, a missionary to Venezuala called Joan Ely would
tell us amazing stories of God's miracle working power and
faithfulness. This made me feel that I would like to one day be
overseas serving God. The
Lord
reminded me of this call. Not long after sharing this
with Pastor
Gary, he was contacted by Rod and Lynley
Talbot,
Pastors of Oasis Christian Church in Selebi-Phekwe, Botswana who
indicated they were looking for someone to take over the church thereby
releasing them to fulfill their growing responsibilities with World
Outreach
as National
Directors for Africa. Jan and I were
suggested
as possible pastors to take over the work.
After prayerful consideration, both Jan and I felt that this was a
significant
time for both us. We had received several prophecies over the years
that the
latter years of our life would be far greater than the former years.
Here is an
opportunity to see fulfillment of those prophecies.
OUR
CALL TO