A few years ago I was just a college kid trying to figure out his way in the world, as most college students do. I came to the University of Missouri seeking to pursue vocational ministry afterward. My family thought this was a strange plan but I felt strongly that God had a purpose for me in Columbia. I took a chance and began my studies pursuing a Religious Studies degree in the Fall of 2004.
Within the first week I ran across a campus church called The Rock and met the pastor, John Drage. We grabbed some coffee (actually then I was still drinking hot chocolate) as John poured his heart out for the campus. That was incredibly intriguing to me. After a few months of bouncing around churches and campus ministries, I decided to commit to The Rock in January of 2005.
Fast-forward to Summer of 2007. I was now on the verge of my senior year in college. So many people at The Rock had cared to speak into my faith, provided me opportunities to take ownership of ministering to my peers and opened up deep friendships. The Lord had worked my heart over and crafted it to deeply yearn to bring the gospel to college students. I went to our Colorado Leadership Training program as an intern for Great Commission Ministries. That summer I took in what it meant to dabble in full-time ministry.
At the same time I spent a lot of time with this girl, Aimee Paule. She and I had gone to The Rock for the same amount of time but never ran in the same circle of friends. Together, we lead a small group, hiked mountains, memorized Scripture and spent an appropriate amount of time that you would expect from two people crushing on each other. We began dating in September. Two years later, I married her.
After graduating in May of 2008, I began my journey as a GCM missionary. I spent 13 months building a Ministry Support Team, building financial support for GCM so that I could return to the MU campus as a missionary. Aimee, meanwhile began a path to become a Science Teacher.
This blog is to document my journey and share with those of you who support GCM on my behalf, whether prayerfully or financially. Your partnership is projecting me along the path that the Lord set out for me long ago. It is an honor to have that support and I look forward to the years ahead.
