My First Years With Praying Pelican Missions
This blog entry is part of a series that I put together at the same time, chronicling my 10+ year experience with Praying Pelican Missions. The series highlights my departure from PPM in November of 2016 and my transition to working with Capstone Homes, a residential home builder based in Ramsey, MN. Below are the blog entries associated with this entire story:
I was introduced to Praying Pelican Missions in 2005. At the time, the organization was in it's infancy. My brother, a youth pastor in Hopkins, MN, was taking his youth group on a mission trip to Belize with PPM. He asked me to join the group- kind of as an additional adult chaperone, but kind of just to hang out with my brother, who I was growing closer with during my college years. I went on the trip and God opened my eyes to a ministry opportunity that I didn't expect when I started Bible college a year earlier.
I went to Bible college in the fall of 2005 after one year of community college in Michigan. I felt that I could make difference in young people's lives through youth ministry and my youth pastor for the last couple years of high school (Sean Pearson) had a great affect on my life. My brother, again, who I was growing closer with as I finished high school and entered college, was someone I really looked up to. Keep in mind, I grew up without a father- as my dad passed away three weeks before I was born. Thus, in many ways, my brother was a father figure in my life, although he was only five years older than me. I did have an attempt at elementary education in college- my stepdad Rich (whom my mom married 15 years after my father passed away) was a teacher, and I developed a great respect for him in the few years I lived under his household. But once I got in the classroom, and partially as a result of other factors like Sean's and my brother's influence on my life, I decided to head to a little-known small Bible college in Moberly, MO- Central Christian College of the Bible.
It was after my first year at CCCB that I went on the mission trip to Belize. I was invited back to serve as a seasonal staff member the following summer by the trip leader and other staff: (Jason Pfingsten- my cousin) and Jason Swartz (who would go on to become PPM's vice president in future years). During the summer's of 2006 and 2007 I served on staff as a college intern with PPM. I was one of the first interns PPM ever had, along with Laura Yoch, who has served at PPM along with me basically for almost the exact same length of time. It was during the spring of 2007 that I met my future wife (Emily) as she joined our staff as an intern in 2007. After spending the summer together in Belize, we began dating in August of 2007.
I graduated college in May of 2008 and promptly took a full time position with Praying Pelican Missions. It was a double blessing, as I was excited to serve in full time ministry and Emily was still in school at Bethel University in the Twin Cities, where PPM is also located. That was almost nine years ago. The first summer of leading mission trips I almost didn't make it. I vividly remember calling my mom in tears from the overwhelming stress of my responsibilities leading groups on mission trips. Turns out I survived and I lasted until November of 2016.
I proposed to Emily, who was studying nursing at Bethel, in May of 2009 and we were married in August of 2010. PPM has been so intertwined in the story of my life that it demands to be documented with a story like this. The summer Emily and I married we also both led a bunch of mission trips in Jamaica. It wasn't long after I started serving on staff full time that I was kind of "given the keys" to oversee PPM's ministry in Jamaica- something that was my main focus and probably my greatest joy during my time at PPM. God seems to really know what He's doing, as I was encouraged and almost forced to take a different leadership position within our organization about a year ago and mentor Brent Kirk as he began oversight of PPM's ministry in Jamaica. Brent has a massive amount of ministry and missions experience- far more than I do, and God brought Him to PPM specifically to oversee our ministry in Jamaica and eventually for me to depart. It's crazy how God sees so many miles ahead of us. No, it's crazy how God paves the road and charts the way ahead of us.
- My First Years With Praying Pelican Missions
- The First Time I almost Left Praying Pelican Missions
- Leaving PPM, Losing Avery & Joining Capstone: A Call To Trust God (this one's really long)
- A Tribute To And Reflection On My Time With PPM (Photo Album)
I was introduced to Praying Pelican Missions in 2005. At the time, the organization was in it's infancy. My brother, a youth pastor in Hopkins, MN, was taking his youth group on a mission trip to Belize with PPM. He asked me to join the group- kind of as an additional adult chaperone, but kind of just to hang out with my brother, who I was growing closer with during my college years. I went on the trip and God opened my eyes to a ministry opportunity that I didn't expect when I started Bible college a year earlier.
I went to Bible college in the fall of 2005 after one year of community college in Michigan. I felt that I could make difference in young people's lives through youth ministry and my youth pastor for the last couple years of high school (Sean Pearson) had a great affect on my life. My brother, again, who I was growing closer with as I finished high school and entered college, was someone I really looked up to. Keep in mind, I grew up without a father- as my dad passed away three weeks before I was born. Thus, in many ways, my brother was a father figure in my life, although he was only five years older than me. I did have an attempt at elementary education in college- my stepdad Rich (whom my mom married 15 years after my father passed away) was a teacher, and I developed a great respect for him in the few years I lived under his household. But once I got in the classroom, and partially as a result of other factors like Sean's and my brother's influence on my life, I decided to head to a little-known small Bible college in Moberly, MO- Central Christian College of the Bible.
It was after my first year at CCCB that I went on the mission trip to Belize. I was invited back to serve as a seasonal staff member the following summer by the trip leader and other staff: (Jason Pfingsten- my cousin) and Jason Swartz (who would go on to become PPM's vice president in future years). During the summer's of 2006 and 2007 I served on staff as a college intern with PPM. I was one of the first interns PPM ever had, along with Laura Yoch, who has served at PPM along with me basically for almost the exact same length of time. It was during the spring of 2007 that I met my future wife (Emily) as she joined our staff as an intern in 2007. After spending the summer together in Belize, we began dating in August of 2007.
I graduated college in May of 2008 and promptly took a full time position with Praying Pelican Missions. It was a double blessing, as I was excited to serve in full time ministry and Emily was still in school at Bethel University in the Twin Cities, where PPM is also located. That was almost nine years ago. The first summer of leading mission trips I almost didn't make it. I vividly remember calling my mom in tears from the overwhelming stress of my responsibilities leading groups on mission trips. Turns out I survived and I lasted until November of 2016.
I proposed to Emily, who was studying nursing at Bethel, in May of 2009 and we were married in August of 2010. PPM has been so intertwined in the story of my life that it demands to be documented with a story like this. The summer Emily and I married we also both led a bunch of mission trips in Jamaica. It wasn't long after I started serving on staff full time that I was kind of "given the keys" to oversee PPM's ministry in Jamaica- something that was my main focus and probably my greatest joy during my time at PPM. God seems to really know what He's doing, as I was encouraged and almost forced to take a different leadership position within our organization about a year ago and mentor Brent Kirk as he began oversight of PPM's ministry in Jamaica. Brent has a massive amount of ministry and missions experience- far more than I do, and God brought Him to PPM specifically to oversee our ministry in Jamaica and eventually for me to depart. It's crazy how God sees so many miles ahead of us. No, it's crazy how God paves the road and charts the way ahead of us.
Comments
Post a Comment