Looking Back, Looking Forward

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Many of you have been reading my development articles over the past 12 years, and before that when I was a missionary in Cambodia for six years. During my years working with AFM development, I have encouraged so many people to “Pray, Give or Go.” Recently, my wife Diane and I felt it was time to start following our own advice, so we have accepted the call to be frontier Missionaries in Nepal, Cambodia and the Philippines as field directors of AFM’s Asia projects.

AFM has grown and changed a lot over my 18 years of employment here, and now it’s time for me to make a change, too. Despite all these changes in AFM and in us, one thing hasn’t changed—our vision for reaching the unreached. The vision has only become more deeply ingrained in me and Diane, and this is why we are looking forward to launching to Asia as field directors.

What does a field director do? We will be a support system for AFM missionaries in Asia, meeting their felt needs as they meet the needs of their unreached people group. This will include helping our missionaries progress in their language learning and cultural studies, providing them with planning assistance to reach their people groups, and encouraging them spiritually and emotionally as they encounter obstacles and adapt to a new cultures. We will also be planning spiritual and training retreats for the missionaries every two years so they can learn from each other and grow in the Lord. Our territory will be Nepal, Cambodia and the Philippines for now. This means working among Buddhist, Muslim, Hindus and animist people groups and seeking God’s wisdom for how to overcome barriers to showing them the love of Jesus Christ.

Most men do not come to their fifty-third year of life and decide to go live in a third-world country, but several things have convinced me that God is calling us in that direction. I tell people all the time that I would rather be doing God’s will in a third-world country than living outside of His will in the States. God has impressed me that it is important to set an example to my children, grandchildren and others by being willing to go when He calls. He has called, and we are willing. As you know, the fields are ripe and ready for harvest. Won’t you join AFM in the harvest with your prayers and financial support?

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