Testimonies
Don: When I was just a little kid, 3 or 4, I came to know the Lord as my personal savior. I remember my mom explaining to me that Jesus took the punishment for our sins on himself on the cross and we don’t have to pay for our sins by “earning” our way into heaven. While I was growing up this truth didn’t have a huge impact on my life. I wasn’t walking with the Lord consistently until my senior year of high school. It was then that God got a hold of me and I began enjoying an active relationship with my creator. And now I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than to serve him with the short vapor of a life I have been given.
I had heard about missions as a kid, but I never thought I was right for the job. I thought missionaries were spiritual giants and super-human Christians. When I realized I was wrong and that missionaries were just normal people who were willing to go, the Lord burdened my heart for the unreached. I went on a trip to Papua New Guinea and, when I saw first hand the darkness these people are living in, I had to be a part of giving them a chance to hear God’s good news.
Chrissy: I was born in Abepura, Indonesia. Being the child of missionaries I was taught at a very young age about my separation from God. I don’t remember very much from our time overseas, but I do remember learning and understanding that I did not have a relationship with my creator because of my sin and that I was destined for hell. But there was hope! The perfect son of God, Jesus Christ had done what I could not, He died on a cross paying the price that I owed for my sins to buy me back to Himself. I trusted in His work on the cross on my behalf and was saved. What did this mean for me? I am His child, secure because of His righteousness placed on my account. It has been a joy to walk with Him.
I decided in my teens that the only thing I could do with my life is to serve Him in thankfulness for what He has done for me. After that it was just a matter of figuring out where I could be used most, I had been interested in youth ministry, tribal missions, inner city ministry in New Orleans and working with the handicapped. Before I made any major decisions on what I would do with my life I knew that I needed to get a solid foundation in the Word. My time at Bible School changed my life in more ways than one, I experienced the living and active word of God in a way I never had before and began being equipped for a life of ministry.
Together: During our time at Bible school we met and became friends. The Lord was doing a work in both of our lives as we were exposed to the great need that is among unreached people groups for God’s word. We both knew about missions before going there, but the reality of how many language groups don’t have a chance of hearing the gospel struck us hard. We have heard the clear call from scripture that Christ has commissioned all believers of every age to be involved somehow in making disciples to the ends of the earth. But the reality is, not many are willing to go to the indigenous people groups at the ends of the earth, and so the need there is huge. We both decided on our own that missions was the life we would choose before we ever talked about pursuing a relationship. We are grateful for the provision of a spouse with the same desires and convictions. The Lord has burdened both of our hearts for the people groups of the world without hope of hearing the gospel. We got married on June 26th, 2010, shortly after graduating Bible School and finished the rest of our missions training shortly after.
You can usually find Don working at his desk or running errands with some friends. He also likes biking, hunting, fishing, video games, movies, disc golf, knives, golfing, reading, computer programming, and late night taco runs.
Chrissy -In this stage of life you can usually find Chrissy in the house trying to balance wifing and mothering. To relax she likes making something for the kids, whether it be a decoration or a new silly toy. Chrissy likes listening to music, crafting (sewing, crochet, painting, building, refinishing.. etc..), spending time with friends, researching nutrition, watching good movies, taking pictures, baking sweets, or adoring someone's sweet kids.
Our first daughter Lily was born in January of 2013! She changed our lives so much, and we are constantly marveling at the blessing (and struggle!) it is to be parents. She's almost always a joy to be with. Her personality is blossoming and she's turning into quite a smart and sweet little lady with a great sense of humor to boot!
We welcomed our second little sweetie Ruth in January 2015! She's full of energy, emotion, deep thinking and attitude and we love watching her discover and learn new things each day.
Our first boy Eli joined the clan October of 2016 just to keep us on our toes and make sure we don't get too comfortable. :) Eli tricked us by being the easiest baby ever and then flipping a switch and turning into a wild boy around 18 months old. We are grateful he was at least easy as a baby because learning to balance life as a family of 5 was our hardest transition, so at least he waited a while to go crazy!
Surprise (even to us!), we had another! Cyrus (or Cy) was born November 2018 and gave us an even 4! Two girls and two boys! What a fun combination! We are loving what he brings to the family and enjoying every moment of our last baby. We are excited to see who he turns into and grateful to the Lord for his little life. We have so much to learn about being good parents but trust the Lord will teach us and guide us each day as we strive to teach them to be like Him!
We are so excited to be working in Mexico! Over our few years here we have grown to love the country and the people. We believe firmly that God's heart is for the lost to be reached and we are humbled that He would choose mere man to accomplish this great task. It is a privilege to serve Him here in whatever ways we can.
