We raised six wonderful children. Spending some of our best years serving, teaching children, training teachers, and parents, in children's ministry. All the while encouraging our kids to minister right alongside us. Children's Church, Pre-School, Bible Clubs, summer camps and more; our children learned that serving God is fun and makes a difference in the lives of others.
While the kids were growing up we would read missionary biographies to them. We desired that they would develop a heart for the world, "For God so loved the World……" At times as we read aloud, Bill would read, tears would fill his eyes, his voice would crack and he would pass the book to me to continue, the same would happen to me ( Cheryl) and I would pass the book back to him, and the children would listen.
Our passion was and is people, the nations of the world, knowing that Christ is their hope. Then 13 years ago our lives were changed and we would never be the same again. We were asked by the mission's pastors of our church to lead and pastor the Lao Fellowship. It had become part of the International Ministry of our church. Through much prayer; prayer walking around the Buddhist temples in Portland, going to Lao New Year celebrations, attending their wakes and funerals, holding their hands as they are giving birth, praying and waiting with the families during surgeries, birthday parties, sharing meals, Bible studies and ESL in our home, people in the Lao and Thai communities were responding to the Gospel. We became a part or their lives and they ours. We were family, for some, the only family they had as immigrants in our city. Wow, the depths of joy we experienced as they gave their lives to Christ, were baptized and growing in their walk with God.
Our kids, at that time college age, (except Joe, our youngest, he was 10 yrs) again came right along side us. Each Sunday as Lao Fellowship met, our daughters and other Bible college students would use church vans and would go to a large apartment complex where MANY Lao, Mien kids lived, picked them up and brought them to our church campus where they developed a whole children's ministry just for them. At the end of each Sunday evening, everyone was fed a meal, Lao adults and Mien kids together. Young and old alike, lives were being changed, and so were ours……………
We are now International Lay Pastors over the City Bible Church Rocky Butte Campus. Our Lao son in the Lord is now the lay leader over the Lao Fellowship. For the last 13 years we have served internationals in our church and in the community; teaching, training, counseling and mentoring them to live their lives from a Biblical world view according to principles laid in God's infallible Word and to totally trust in Christ. Part of this has been to the African community here in our city. We already have strong connections with Uganda, both here and abroad, and deeply love this people group. Coordinating the CBC ESL program, pastoring the Lao Fellowship, and resettling Burmese refugees has taught us how to develop a program that intentionally meets felt needs and gives opportunity to show the love of God and lead them to Christ.
In serving you learn to love deeply; now we REALLY love the world, and the world has faces of people that we love………
A favorite passage of scripture is from Matt. 13:44
"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field; which a man found and hid; and from JOY over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field."
In this next epoch of our journey in serving Him we go with JOY! (and tears, leaving our kids, church family and friends is hard; we love you all deeply too :) )
So scroll down each slide below and learn how we believe God has directed, and we think, hope, and pray our next 2-3 years is going to look like……….
And below that is a picture gallery of the many faces of the nations that we have grown to love……
