WHAT GOD'S CALLED ME TO DO
In 1996-1997, while in Bible School at the Pensacola Bible Institute and Theological Seminary, God began dealing with me about going to Honduras as a Missionary. It seemed everywhere I turned, I heard the word Honduras, and I couldn't get away from it. As I prayed and fasted, asking God to make his will known to me, He gave me the following verses of confirmation about going:
Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a
readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.
For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man
hath, and not according to that he hath not. (2 Cor. 8:11,12)
Two weeks after graduation, I took an airplane out of New Orleans, and traveled to La Ceiba, Honduras for several months on a survey trip to work with another Missionary. He put me to work teaching and preaching five times a week in Spanish. His words were, "When you come here, you are going to get your feet wet!" After a few weeks, I told him, "My feet are more than wet, I'm drowning!"
But it was worth it. I had taken four years of Spanish in High School, but I didn't learn much there. Three months of studying for sermons (sometimes five to six hours on each sermon) in Honduras helped me immensely.
In September of 1998 (just before the horrible Hurricane Andrew), I flew back to the U.S. and started deputation. After three years, I had the support I needed, and I traveled back to Honduras to start the work. I stayed in Honduras as a Missionary until 2008, leaving behind several indigenous churches planted there.
I didn't want to leave Honduras. I love it there. But several things happened. First, I got married, and we could not get my wife's residency in the country (although I had mine). Honduras politics are very corrupt, and it can sometimes take years and even decades to become a Honduras resident. Thus, every three months my wife and I crossed either the Guatemalan or Nicaraguan border and re-entered the country so my wife would be allowed an extra ninety days. But then something happened. ALL OF CENTRAL AMERICA WAS UNITED into one region, known as ZONE 4. The borders no longer exist, and immigration told us that the new borders of Honduras (and Central America) were Mexico and Panama, and my wife and I would have to travel that far every 90 days if she desired to re-enter the country. Can you imagine?
Not being able to have my wife with me in Honduras, was bad enough, but then, we were evicted from the house we were renting, and our support level ran so low, we could no longer stay on the field. Further, the works seemed to be going on better without us then when we were there! God blessed with some young men who hit the ground running, and took over the works. I was on the road every ninety days with my wife traveling to the border, and I preached in Guatemala, Mexico and other places. It seemed like God was using me more in other places than just in Honduras.
The last three years in Honduras, God kept giving me the verse, "But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry" (2 Tim. 4:5). I just couldn't get away from this verse. Still, I didn't want to leave Honduras. I had grown comfortable there. I wanted to stay. And, I worried if we left the field, we'd lose all our support. I wasn't about to quit on God, but I knew God wanted me to expand my ministry to reach more than just the people of Honduras. I guess you could say I doubted God could continue to meet our needs. So I stayed in Honduras, where I felt comfortable, as long as I could.
Eventually, we returned to the states, where we are now currently doing deputation over, raising support to travel and preach the Gospel all throughout Spanish Speaking America. And we've yet to miss a meal. God is taking care of us and supplying our need. We certainly don't have all the support we need, in fact we get very little. But we continually stand amazed how God meets all our needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus!
OUR PLAN
In Acts 1:8, Jesus said, ...ye shall receive power...and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. In God's plan for our lives, Honduras was our Jerusalem. Then He sent us to Samaria—Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, and even to Panama. Now, after seven years, He is sending us to the uttermost parts of the earth to reach Spanish speaking people.
As we embark on our next missionary journey, we would greatly appreciate your invitations to present our work in English, as well as to recommend us to all Spanish-speaking churches with which you have influence.
OUR MINISTRY
God has called me to preach and defend, among other things, the three most important Christian doctrines: SALVATION, SANCTIFICATION, and the SCRIPTURES. In a world where a BLOODLESS GOSPEL reigns over lost religious people, our goal is to point sinners to the bleeding Christ, and the need to trust his precious shed blood (Rom. 3:25). We also stress the Christian's need to live a holy, sanctified life, pleasing to Christ. Finally, God has allowed me to come across much information about Spanish Bible History in my travels, finding many old books, old bibles, and more. (To whom much is given, much shall be required). I've studied the issue immensely, and written three books about it. We often receive emails and phone calls from people asking which Bible in Spanish is the purest and closest to the King James. We are more than willing to help them in their search, as we point people to the pure 1602 Purified Spanish Bible. I've taught in many places on the history of the Spanish Bible, and am constantly getting more invitations to teach on that subject. On pastor told me, "God has used you immensely on the Spanish Bible Issue! That just might be your ministry!"
Well, my ministry is more than just pointing people to the right Spanish Bible, although I believe that's very important. I also desire to win souls, teach the Bible, and open people's eyes to the truths of God's words.
Thanks for reading What God's called me to do!