the city of Portland. There were
a couple churches started in the
suburbs but not in the city. Then
again, I heard the Holy Spirit say,
“Then do something!” I thought,
“Me, Lord? Are you sure?” It is so
easy to say someone needs to do
something but to be willing to be
the one to do it is another thing!
This is why the Lord says, Pray ye
therefore the Lord of the harvest,
that he will send forth labourers
into his harvest” (Matthew 9:38).

One cannot pray this prayer
without saying, “Yes, Lord, I will go.” I shared this with my wife and we prayed
about it. I needed the Lord to give us a clear confirmation this was what He
wanted because I knew we could not do it without it truly being His will. If it
were up to my fleshly desire, it would be no.

A few weeks later, I was at a Capital Connection in Salem and the host pastor
shared a story of a man who travels all over the world for his job. He goes to
many spiritually dark places. He said, “I do not know why, but every time I fly
into Portland, Oregon, I feel a spiritual darkness like no other place I travel.”
This is what the Lord used to confirm the calling on my life—God wanted us
to go to Portland! Many places in the world are spiritually dark without God;
however, right here in our own country there are places that are just as dark as
one would find on the foreign field.

The Lord also had His timing and it was not as fast as we thought, but God
was putting the puzzle pieces together in His way for us to leave Salem Baptist
Church. In 2020 we continued to help our pastor through the unique ministry
challenges that faced us. We decided to stay on staff through the church’s
25th anniversary in September 2021. We started deputation in October and
then took off for full-time deputation right after our fifth child was born in
December. Traveling as a family of seven with a truck and travel trailer all over the country
has been quite the adventure! To the average person, it looks absolutely crazy!
Yet, we have learned so much and our faith and trust in God has grown. From
my wife breaking her foot to several vehicle and trailer breakdowns to the Lord
sending us the surprise of our sixth child, we have seen His hand directing our
steps and guiding us in the direction He wants, even when it was very different
than we thought. We are excited to get to Portland and be where God has called
us! This journey has been His story and a visual of His hand leading us. His
timing is truly perfect.