Growing up in Newberg Oregon, I often wondered what life was like in other places. So, when God opened doors for me to see what He was doing around the world (shortly after graduating from George Fox University) with One Mission Society (OMS), I jumped on the opportunity. What I thought would last only a short time stretched into over 20 years. The last 16 of those years my wonderful wife Marla and I have been working in church planting in Brazil with our growing family. Today, we have three daughters and are happy once again to call Newberg our home.

Though my wife and I are from the Pacific Northwest, we have been greatly influenced by some of the saints and mentors that we have walked with throughout the country and around the world. We have come to love and appreciate the Word of God in its perfection, reliability and relevancy to everyday life, regardless of the culture we are immersed in. I consider it a great privilege and responsibility to teach the Word and to walk with people through different seasons of life.

A verse that has been special to me is Isaiah 43:19,

“Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it?”

I like it because it speaks of God’s dynamism; that He is active, even if we don’t perceive it. Our responsibility and privilege is to be sensitive to what He is doing and to walk in step with Him.