Disciples of Christ live between two cultures–this world and the next. As missionaries, we have joined the armada of evangelists Jesus commissioned into the world to make disciples.
I am the husband of one wife, a student of two cultures, a follower of three Persons, a lover of five solas, and a father of six children.
Two college trips to Ghana and Hudson Taylor’s two-volume biography wooed me toward missions. In 2006 I began living in a rural South African village where for the first two years I resided with the chief’s children and one of his wives. There was no running water but the close proximity to the people helped me learn the language and make disciples.
In 2007 while in Mozambique, the news of our crocodile attack reached the States–including the ears of a lovely RN and midwifery student at Vanderbilt University. We wed the next year.
We planted Trinity Baptist in the rural village of Mbhokota (Google Earth) where I preach and evangelize in Tsonga each week. We are spreading out to surrounding villages in hopes of establishing churches there as well.
The greatest challenges we face in ministry are men leaving the village and the Prosperity Gospel. Several men who have graduated from our Bible Institute are now faithfully pastoring churches in the rural areas of Zimbabwe. Despite our failures, the Lord continues to fashion us into his image.
A general once said: “On land, I am a hero, but at sea I am a coward.” Likewise, in the US we are restless but in rural Africa we are invigorated. As the years go by, our love for Jesus and his word deepens.
Our family (pronounced SHLAY-line) lives about an hour’s drive from the borders of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana. We own a pack of German Shepherds, cheer for the Green Bay Packers, and read non-fiction by the pallet. I’ve also studied at Reformed Theological Seminary and The Master’s Seminary. Our family’s favorite authors include Thomas Watson, Charles Spurgeon, Thomas Sowell, and G.A. Henty.
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