I grew up attending a Baptist church in my hometown, Wolfsburg, Germany. Some of the earliest memories in my life are me running around in that place. In particular, I remember the first time I went to Sunday School - I must have been like three or something. Being at church was normal. When I was 11, there was a tent revival in our town, and we went to hear the sermons every night. On one of those nights, I went forward like others had done, and I gave my life to Christ.
Well, kind of would be nice to be able to say that’s where things ended and that i just kept growing older and more mature in the faith. But, of course that’s not the end of the story...
While I was not the nasty, outright rebellious, chart-your-own-course type of teen, I was outwardly conforming and inwardly selfish, and calculating, even wicked. Either way, I clearly needed help!
Things really changed in my life when my parents went through a divorce. It literally wrecked me. When I was first told about it, I ran into my room and wept in my bed begging God to show up. I hadn’t really cared about him or lived for him like I had previously said I would. Yet, he heard my cries and met me in my pain! I cried out for mercy and asked for Him to lead me out of the mess, and he did. It wasn’t easy. It didn’t happen in a day. It didn’t end with some epic “Aha-moment,” BUT GOD walked with me every step of the way - even when I had moments of doubt, failure, or rebellion, he was faithful - and he obviously still is.
I want you to know this: trials, pain, disappointment, suffering, failure, discouragement, and whatever other words you may use, they are wonderful graces; God can and does use them to show us our need for Jesus Christ to save us.
It wasn’t long after turning back to God that I found myself at church all the time. After getting baptized and being asked if I could help serve in children’s ministry, I began to think about ministry more. Working on the kids church team, leading a boy-scout type group, and organizing youth events, I got busy serving where I could.
Since living in Germany meant mandatory military service, I had to figure out what to do next. Because I didn’t want to serve in the military, I did civil service instead. Basically, you just have to choose an avenue to serve the German people somehow (soup kitchen, church, meals on wheels, nursing homes, etc.). Conveniently, I served at my home church. Under the leadership of our senior pastor, I did everything from driving the elderly to/from church, visiting them in nursing homes, helping the pastor get organized, and countless other tasks. All this, as well as a growing hunger to serve the Lord Jesus Christ more fully, I began to consider going into full-time ministry.
After making a decision to go into ministry, giving up a well-paying job at VW in Wolfsburg, Germany, I came to the US to work on a bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies. Then followed a Master's in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton college. After my studies, I hoped to go right into ministry - God had other plans. While I did end up serving at a church right away, I was not anywhere near the position I thought God had called me to. In God's kindness and being very patient with me, he eventually led me to biblical counseling. Caring for people who had their lives in shambles was what God wanted me to do. He trained me, grew me, and helped connect me to those who really need the truths of Scripture for their lives.
This journey we are on, is an extension of this path God put me on a while back. We are excited to see all the things the Lord will do first in and then through us.
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