Itsara

So now you know how I got interested in missions after growing up opposed to it and how God changed my worldview of missions and evangelism to something I could be excited about. I’m going to quickly fast-forward from 1998 to 2003, but here’s a few highlights from the interim:

• 1998 - Cindy and Adam start going to Coast Vineyard.
• 1999 - Cindy goes to Thailand and connects with YWAM, Im Jai, and an awesome local named Emmi.
• 2000 - Cindy and Adam get married.
• 2003 - Adam becomes the worship pastor of Coast Vineyard.

Now it’s the summer of 2003. Over the intervening years, Cindy began to wonder if the orphanage was still a dream that she should seek after and if so how, and at the same time my interest in long-term missions was waning as I began to dream again of the suburban life I grew up with. We were getting comfortable. But God was still working. In those years He had wiped away my old dream of working for a video game company and replaced it with a dream of long-term ministry. I was even beginning to seriously consider planting a church in the future.

That was the situation when we both went to the National Vineyard Pastor’s Conference in San Antonio along with Pastor Jamie and his wife Michelle. God had a surprise for both of us there. As I said, I was considering church planting at the time and there were a lot of things about the idea that excited me. One of the days of the conference I went to some missions workshop (I don’t remember why, exactly) and as the guy was talking about Vineyard missions it dawned on me that “missions” is just church planting in another country. More than that, all the things that excited me about this church planting idea were just a part of the Christian life: serving people, teaching, leading worship, loving and praying for each other…

If it sounds like the same thing I learned in China, that’s probably because it is. God often has to remind me of something over and over again before I get it. So missions began to be an exciting idea again. This reminder came at a very critical time, though I didn’t know it yet.

Later, we were at one of the night sessions of the conference. I have no recollection of who was speaking or what they were talking about, but at the end there was a time for people to come up and get prayer (as there was at virtually every session). The speaker, and sometimes other people, would say things like “If you are struggling with this, then come and get prayer” or “I feel like God wants to heal people who are dealing with this.” It’s a Vineyard thing, you don’t have to buy it, but check this out. Towards the end the talk, I was thinking and praying about missions again (I honestly don’t think it had anything to do with what the speaker was talking about). Then, for no apparent reason, I began to get the same feeling I got back when I decided to go to China. That feeling of being scared and excited at the same time, and just like that first time I couldn’t figure out why I felt that way. And then, knowing full well that He would do it, I quietly said, “Okay, God. I’ll bite. I dare you to call me out.”

I didn’t realize it, but at this time the speaker had finished and was starting to call people up for prayer. The first thing he said was, “I’m not sure, but I feel like there are a lot of young people here with a heart for missions. So if you’re a young person who has been, or is being, called to missions, come down and get some prayer.” One of the things I love about being married are the times when I know what my wife is thinking before she even says a word. I looked at her after the speaker said that, and she looked at me, and I could read her mind: “I want to go, and I don’t want to go without you. But I don’t know if you want to go.” She didn’t need to say anything though, instead I got the pleasure of surprising her by smiling and saying, “Let’s go.”

Remember what I told Cindy when she first asked me about missions years ago? I think God did too. He had clearly called both of us out - maybe He knew I didn’t want to be dragged along - but I had no idea where or when. Cindy, on the other hand, had a clear heart for Thailand and, not having a clear heart for anywhere myself, I said, “Sure, we’ll check it out.” After all, I did say that if she had a call and I didn’t, then I would follow her.

So afterwards, Cindy and I were sitting up against the wall outside the main room away from the crowds, and out of the crowd Pastor Jamie sees us, sees Cindy crying (good tears, of course), and comes over to see if there’s some way he can pray for us. So we told him what happened and that we were going to Thailand, but we weren’t sure when or in what capacity. One of my favorite things about Jamie is that when he sees a calling placed on someone’s life, he will always give them a push in the right direciton. And when I say “push”, I really mean he’ll pick you up and throw you in the right direction. He suggested that we do a scouting trip within a year or two to see what God was doing over there and why (or if) He was calling us there. And when we agreed, he immediately put the full weight of his influence and support behind the trip, even to the point of going with us along with his wife and their three kids.

The next entry should bring us up to the present. I’ll tell you some highlights of the trip (it will take many more posts to talk about all of it), our preparations for going, and then how we got to the decision that sparked this whole thing.

Continue to Part 4.