10 Years in the Making

It's hard to believe it has been ten years now since I first stepped on the field (Training Camp)of Royal Servants. June 28, 2003: I was a problematic, rebellious, cynical teenager. Or I could just say a teenager. I signed up to travel to Ecuador because it meant 4 full weeks without my family. God had nothing to do with it. Or so I thought. That day began a process the altered the course of my life. I had been depressed, on the brink of suicide (even attempting it once, with only a couple months until my trip). That summer God used my staff discipler and senior staff men to help show me the value of life and God's purpose for it. A change began to occur, slowly but surely. During our final week in Ecuador I already knew what was next. I could feel God calling me back to mission field. I had China on my heart in 2003 and in 2004 I went. I love the ministry in China. The relationships built can be beautiful. After this summer I intended to be done with summer missions. In my mind two countries in two summers equated putting in my time of ministry as a student. God wasn't done with me yet. I got my invitation for Nehemiah and immediately knew what my summer was going to look like. There was no way I was going to pass up 9 weeks of travel with Louie Inks going to Israel and half of Europe. That summer was instrumental in my understanding of Christian fellowship and community. We were brothers and sisters, ministering to the nations, but also each others. A deep phileo type of love was there. I returned to Israel on the Timothy Team in 2006 not knowing how especially important that summer was going to be to my future. On June 10 (my birthday) a beautiful girl named Kelsie walked onto the field and into my life. Best friends that summer, husband and wife four years later! That aside, this was definitely the summer God chose to smack me off of the pedestal I had built for myself. On my fourth mission trip in as many summers... I thought I was a pretty big deal. God used my senior staff to painfully, but wisely show me the pride I was harboring. Thank you Louie and Travis for that. 2007 was two weeks of 'back-breaking' labor on the Barnabas team. It's hard to fathom that a team that spends two weeks in Illinois cleaning toilets and mowing the lawn could possibly have been the best two weeks of my life, but it was definitely in the running. A good crew of students with servants hearts and fun-loving sprits, I'd do it all this summer if those people came back. There are not enough words to describe the impact my year in Kairos (2007-08) had on me, but it completely changed my worldview, how I viewed God and how I viewed my part in His plans. Wonderful. Being a staff discipler may honestly have been the most difficult thing I have ever done. I headed back to China in 2008 responsible for three great guys who I loved the heck out of, but definitely wanted to smack a few times. The commitment that was necessary to pour into them was more than I ever had had before, and it was by God's hand that I had any at all. 2009-2012 was a blur. I think being Senior Staff makes the summer go faster. Or maybe it is just age. Barnabas, Ireland, my first summer break, and then to Nepal I went. Every summer I haven't felt cut out for my role and every summer God has made it possible for me to fulfill it anyway. Nepal has a special place in my heart because it was my first summer mission with my wife and seeing each other intently involved in ministry day after day really helped bind our hearts to each other. I am a better husband simply for having done ministry with my wife. 9 trips in 10 years with Royal Servants to 15 countries. I got a wife and a lifetime of experiences by the age of 24. God you are so good to me. I will continue to follow your path, and I will try to trust you every day. I look forward to seeing what the next ten years bring. IMAGE: My youth pastor and senior staff Dave Salsedo in Chicago on June 28, 2003.