1979-1983

Waite Park – 1979-1983

From now on I will try to share information in a yearly format.

  • 1979 –

We began ministry at the church. Our main focus was in directing the church choir and worship. Along with that I directed the children’s ministry of the church. Nancy quickly found her place (she was a gifted pianist and loved working with children.) I was also working on my MDiv and working part time in a furniture factory. Nancy found a job as a dental assistant and office manager. Her job was across the street from the church.

  • 1980 –

We continued in our ministry. I quit my job at the furniture factory. Having two jobs and school did not allow us much time together. I was able to set up a small shop in a corner of the basement of the church. I finished my MDiv program.

  • 1981 –

We took over leadership of the youth group. A key highlight for this group was the yearly canoe trip on a nearby river. I also began working on a Doctorate.

  • 1982 –

I suffered a serious eye injury which required surgery. This event caused me to abandon my work on a doctorate. During this time the senior pastor took a one-year sabbatical and returned to Sierra Leone, a place where he and his wife had served as missionaries. The church agreed to hire me full time while he was away.

A key event in this year was our application to serve as missionaries with the mission’s department of our church. There was a glitch. On the form asking why you want to be a missionary Nancy stated that she was not called to missions but because I had a clear call, she was willing to go with me. They suggested that we consider serving as a lead pastor for a couple of years and then reapply. I was disappointed but we accepted their advice

It was in December of that year we took a second honeymoon but to a warmer climate. We went to the Bahamas. This was the first time Nancy had been outside of the USA other than Canada.

  • 1983 –

This was to be a pivotal year for us. We interviewed for a position as pastor and were accepted. Our first child was born, and he had his first airplane trip when he was four months old. A sign of things to come. We also organized a mission trip for young people to go to Puerto Rico. This posed a challenge because we had to leave our baby with Nancy’s parents. It was a great trip and afterwards Nancy commented that she now understood why I wanted to be a missionary.