My wife, Elise, and I were introduced to the real daily lives of missionaries when we took our first international mission trip to Thailand in 2005. Prior to that time, we had heard a lot about mission work at church but it became very real to us on this trip. We met many people who have given their lives to proclaim the gospel and to make disciples. The joy we saw in their lives was evident.
That first trip was followed by five more trips – all to Colombia. We developed a special relationship with one of the national missionary families – the Pinedas. That relationship is still strong today. They had a medical ministry in Cali and also in a small town, Corinto, which is about an hour drive from Cali.
Those trips and the resulting relationships that were formed allowed me to understand how critical it is to support the work of all missionaries. When the invitation came from MDN to serve on the board, I prayerfully accepted because I wanted to help promote mission work in any way possible. I am grateful to the board and to our CEO, Drew Privette, for giving me this opportunity to serve those who are serving Christ.