| Thoughts about God and Ministry |
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| The Story of God's Call on the Davises |
The Story of God’s Call on the Davises
The Past
When I was in 3rd grade in Awana, there was a lesson in one of our workbooks about missions. The question at the end of the lesson asked, “Who should be a missionary?” I wrote the obvious answer in my book, “everyone”. Then I remember sitting there and staring at it for a while becoming lost in the thought of being a missionary and wondering if God would call me overseas.
When Deb and I were engaged we traveled to Mexico and investigated several different missions organizations. We took that time to pray over whether we should go there as missionaries. God did not lead there. When we got married we traveled to Nicaragua and El Salvador to look into some missions organizations there. God did not open that door either. One of the biggest hindrances was our college loans which loomed large at the time. God was clearly calling me into youth ministry and He was calling me to do that in the States. I obeyed that calling and began to do youth ministry in the States, but always I had a quote from George Verwer swirling around in the back of my head. He said,
"The need is so great around the world, you should go unless you are called to stay."
I have always been acutely aware that although there is a great need in our country for the gospel, there is an even greater need around the world. I had a peace working in the States, however, because I knew that this was where God was calling me. He had closed the door financially for me to go overseas, and he had burdened my heart for the teens here, so I knew this was where I needed to be. There was joy in that obedience. Also, for many years I thought that if I left the States and went to a foreign culture, I would be sacrificing the ability that I have to connect with teens.
The Past Few Years
Over the past few years, though, the Lord has blown away my myth that I couldn’t connect with teens from a different culture. He has blessed me with a number of different speaking engagements to teens from a wide variety of cultures. A few years ago I spoke at a retreat for the teens of a Chinese Christian Mandarin Church. A few summers ago I spoke at a week of Urban Camp for inner city kids from Chicago and Milwaukee. Recently, I spoke at a retreat in Flagstaff, Arizona for Native American teens from the Hopi Indian Reservation. Before each of these speaking engagements I had a great deal of tension. I wrestled with the Lord over how I could possibly communicate to teens with such different backgrounds than mine. Yet for each of those, as I stood up there to speak, I found that I was able to connect with them just the same as any other teen audience I’d ever spoken to.
For many months, I had several opportunities to talk with people about missions, and each time I told them, “You should go unless you’re called to stay.” But each time I did this, I felt the nagging question in the back of my heart saying, “Are you? Are you called to stay?” I felt that I could still say that I was, but my reasons for thinking I had to stay were gradually drifting away.
In May of 2004, Rob Willey, the Associate Pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel Glen Ellyn (now head pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel Quad Cities) asked me if I would consider moving with him to plant a church in the Quad Cities and work with the teens and worship there. I prayed over it and felt strongly that the Lord had led me clearly to be at Harvest and that there were some key lessons I still had to learn here before I could move on. In those prayers, though, there was still the vague sense that He was calling us to seek Him about moving on, not because anything was wrong with where we were, but just because He was calling us.
Summer 2004
In summer 2004 the final straw was laid on the camel’s back, so to speak, when I led my youth group on a missions trip to Estonia and got a chance to speak at an evangelistic retreat put together by the Estonian church. I had the opportunity to share the gospel with teens we had just met on the streets and gotten to come join us for the retreat! It was amazing to see that even though I had to speak through an interpreter (many understood English well, though) I was still able to connect with these kids as well! Their eyes connected with me and I could look into their souls the same as any other teen ever. It was then that God finally opened my eyes to see that although these were all definitely different cultures and different languages, they were really the same at the core.
All these teens were struggling with the same basic things - they were all insecure and trying to find who they really were - they were all wooed by the world and all of its attractiveness that they saw in the media - they were all struggling with their parents and feeling that they were unreasonable - they were all struggling with the opposite sex trying and failing to understand one another – they were all aching deep down to have meaning in their life and know the God who created them. The fact that they’ve all seen MTV and have their own opinions about Brittany Spears and Justin Timberlake tends to blend them together in an amazing way, too. As I prayed, then, God made it clear to me that, through Him, I could serve Him anywhere with just as much effectiveness.
This feeling stayed in the back of my mind and heart for quite a long time until one night when Deb and I were sitting up in our bedroom talking about God’s calling on our life. We talked again about the sense we both had that God was calling us to move on potentially after this year, but we had no idea where. I couldn’t dream of what else it would be to. I knew that I didn’t have any desire in my heart to move on from working with teens and I had no desire to go somewhere else and just lead another youth group. I had poured so much into The Rock, why would I go elsewhere and start all over? Why not build on what was already started? Yet still there was this sense that we were being called to move on. Then, almost without even thinking it, I looked at Deb and said the words, “or we can go into missions.”
The second I said the words, there was a confirmation in my spirit that I had spoken correctly. Deb looked at me with a look of utter amazement and began to weep! She wasn’t weeping because she was sad or upset, though. She was overwhelmed with the fear and excitement of knowing clearly that this was what it was that God was calling us to. She looked and me and said, “That’s it isn’t it?”
At this point we definitely didn’t know for sure if this was where God was leading us. We still needed to pray a whole lot more about it. We prayed for God to burden our hearts and reset our passions to match His as we searched. It was at this point that we realized that within this very year we would be finally done with paying off all of our college debts. It was an amazing realization. In my mind it was as if the last stronghold against going to missions had fallen. And the timing was impeccable! I felt I had to seriously pray over this and pursue it until God led elsewhere. As I prayed I found myself drawn more and more to Spain and only Spain. Nothing else competed in my heart and mind with Spain.
Why Spain?
To my mind Spain made sense because Deb is fluent in Spanish and grew up there. Although she has become very Americanized since she’s returned to the States, she still knows the country and the language well. I also know quite a bit of Spanish and, although not fluent, could become so very quickly. It didn’t make sense to me for us to start learning a whole new language when we already have such a head start here.
As I read about Spain it also made sense to my mind to go there since there is such a need for the gospel. The whole country is technically Christian since over 80% are considered Catholic, but the Catholic church is more than dead there and Christ has been associated with deadness, not life. By some counts only 0.89% of the nation is even Protestant. Of that only 0.75% are Evangelical believers! By the same standard of estimating, the US is said to be 51% protestant and 30% Evangelical! If you think that number should be lower, then remember that the same standard was used for Spain’s percentage. It’s sad to imagine that it could be lower!
We soon found ourselves in contact with two different missionary couples in the Madrid area, and began asking questions. As I talked with these missionaries they told me of how the church is struggling - especially the young people. Many of the missionaries were confident that if significant growth is to happen it will start with the younger generations in Spain, yet they described the teens in the church in Spain as neglected and malnourished. That assessment alone stirred my heart as much as any picture or video of a starving child ever has. Just read this excerpt from an e-mail written by one of those missionaries …
“In no other group in Spain do you see reflected the materialistic, post-Christian course Spaniards are taking than in the youth. From the youngest to those in their teenage years there is an incredible lack of direction, self-discipline or respect for any kind of authority. Teachers and the ministry of education are pulling their hair out. The papers have been full of this discussion lately asking openly how they should teach values in the schools. Meanwhile teachers are having nervous breakdowns... But something else has happened in these last 15 years. A whole new generation has been born that are not under the influence of the Catholic Church. These are young people who don't have the religious prejudice that their parents had.
For a long time now those of us in the SEND Spain area have been praying for missionaries that can help the church to take advantage of the new opportunities for outreach and specifically for missionaries experienced and capable of leading youth ministries. I was totally blown away when I got an email from Giles & Debbie communicating how God had been leading them to consider ministry with youth in Spain. Now here is a couple experienced in youth ministry willing to launch out into pioneer youth ministry! What an answer to prayer! The timing and need are coming together in a way only God could put together.”
In my heart I began to crave for Spain because I love teens and the passion they can have for Christ. I have seen them revitalize the church. I have seen God make His power and grace known through them. I ached to see that done in Spain. As I prayed more and more, the Lord planted in my heart an ache for all of Europe - with Spain as the portal to it. I still didn’t know what the end result of His leading will be, but that was what He was sticking on my heart.
But Giles, weren’t you needed in the States, too?
The longer I looked at Spain, and missions in general, the more I began to ache for our world. I agree, the need in America is indeed great. There are so many who need Jesus here! I look around me and see so many who go through the day with total ignorance of the meaning of life. But in America there are so many who can tell them. The need is great here, but so is the number of harvesters! A 30% Evangelical population in the States means that 1 out of every 3 people know the gospel and can share it with the other two! In Spain it’s less than 1 in a 100! The phrase “The need is so great around the world that you should go unless you are called to stay” took greater and greater hold of my heart. If I leave America, there are many who can fill my shoes. There are many others who are ready and able and willing to disciple teens and push them to a life lived for God in the States. In Spain, as in so many countries around the world, there is virtually no one to fill those shoes. There are plenty of people here who are ready to fill my shoes should I leave. I am ready to let them have my shoes and go somewhere that isn't being walked on so much.
How God Confirmed His Call on Us
We are very aware that Spain is a difficult mission field. This is one of the things that frightens me the most. We’ve been told that Spain is referred to as, “The graveyard for missionaries.” Yikes! The reason there are so few Evangelical believers there is because they are so closed to Christianity because of the Catholic church and its dominance over them for so many years. They are ready to move ahead, not go back. If I weren’t thoroughly convinced that we were walking through the doors that God has clearly opened then the fear would have dominated me. Instead I have peace.
Confirmed through Scripture:
During this time the Lord led us to a number of different scriptures that spoke deeply to us and confirmed what He was saying. The Lord led Deb to Ezekiel 2:1-8 and 3:16-21:
The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen – for they are a rebellious house – they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. … You must speak my words to them.
This was such an encouragement to us that though He may be sending us to a stubborn people, we don’t need to be afraid. We just need to speak what He gives us. He also led us to Isaiah 30:20-21 when, on the same day, He led two different people to suggest that we read it.
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
What an assurance that was to know that He is still guiding us and won’t let us walk from His path unless we choose to!
Confirmed through a New Teammate:
After praying over this intensely for a while, we felt led to talk with Karin Harper about her missions experience in Estonia with Campus Crusade. We knew that she was feeling very led to go back into missions some time next year, but had for the time being felt very led to plug in with the Senior High ministry at Harvest. I even joked with Deb saying, “And maybe we can sucker Karin into joining us!”
When Deb approached Karin on a Sunday morning to ask her about her experiences, Karin was astounded. She told Deb how just 2 days earlier she had been praying to God about going back to the missions field. She definitely wanted to go, yet she really didn’t want to have to go alone. It was at that moment that the Lord laid us on her heart and mind. She actually argued with God about it saying, “Them, Lord? There’s no way they would go to the mission field, they are so invested here at Harvest!” Yet she still had us laid on her heart. This obviously amazed us that the Lord’s timing had been so perfect in setting all that up. Karin had felt a burden for Europe and felt clear that the Lord wasn’t calling her back to Estonia, but didn’t know where in Europe God was calling her. When Deb said Spain, her immediate response was, “Spain will work!!” As we continued to talk with Karin it became obvious to us how God had prepared each of our hearts for working as a team to reach youth! He had even led Karin to plug in with our youth group well before we were even thinking about missions seriously. We could not deny the fact that God had blown open that door. We felt at that moment that we had to walk through it.
Confirmed through Family:
Another huge confirmation from the Lord, came in a small unlikely package – our son Micah. We have tried to move out of our town home and into another larger home with a yard for over a year or two now. Each and every time, we hit walls. Financial, legal, etc but more importantly, emotional walls in Micah's heart. As the first born, he had taken on a very serious "no change" attitude. He DID NOT WANT US TO MOVE. . . not even to West Chicago, where housing would have been more affordable. Each time we'd even mention the thought of moving he’d end up in tears. So as the Lord laid overseas on our minds, we knew we'd have to include Micah in the early stages of the conversations. We prayed that the Lord would use his response as yet another confirmation.
One night, he walked up to us and plopped down on our bed. Deb and I looked at each other and with a quick look at each other we knew, "this is the time". We gently began introducing him to the fact and we were overwhelmed by his acceptance, and willingness. A couple of days later, Micah put into his own words that which blessed us deeply. He said, "If we were to move to say, New Jersey . . just for a house . . then I'd think of all of the negative things, and all of the things I'll miss. But if we are moving to a place for a purpose, then I can get excited about that, and think about the good things." Praise God. This was HUGE! We definitely viewed that as a incredible sign of the Holy Spirit working in his little heart to give him a wisdom well beyond his years. Two other such conversations happened as we opened up with each of our sets of parents. All loved ones are on board, supportive and prayerfully working through details with us.
Confirmed through Friends:
Several months ago, while we were in the midst of praying deeply about all of this, a friend of ours felt led to share a word of prophesy that she had from the Lord which she felt was for us. She spoke of God calling us to a new people and new leadership. She spoke of how it would be difficult, but that God had been preparing us for it! We sat there in stunned silence as we listened to her speak. She had not seen us for quite some time and had no knowledge of God’s calling upon us to Spain. This was another wonderful confirmation to us from God that we were going in the direction He wanted us going.
God spoke again in a powerful way through a parent in our ministry. On Sunday, January 30th, we announced to our teens that God had been calling us to Spain. It was an incredibly difficult announcement to make not only because we knew the pain we would feel of announcing our departure, but also because the day before our announcement was to take place, Jim Deen, the father of three girls who have or are a part of The Rock, passed away. We couldn’t put off our announcement, though, because the church had already sent out letters to the parents that day explaining my departure. I had to make the announcement on Sunday night! As we went to visit the Deens we wrestled with how we could talk to them about the news of me leaving in the midst of such grief. We were astonished, however, to find out that God had already told them I was leaving through Jim several weeks earlier! Without any knowledge of us being called to Spain, he had announced to his family, “Giles has a calling on his head” and told them to prepare for my departure! We were blown away by the faith of this grieving family and the grace of our God to prepare the way for things to come. It is clear to us now that God has been actively involved in this process from the first day until the present. It has been amazing to follow Him! What a journey!
We want you to join us!
Don’t worry, though, we aren’t leaving tomorrow. Our goal is to leave for Spain in August 2005, and so in the meantime we have the job of finding everyone that God has prepared to join us in this ministry! It is comforting and exciting to know that we cannot do this ministry alone. You don’t have to go to Spain in order to have a significant impact on teens in Spain. Your prayers and your money will deeply affect the Kingdom of God in Spain! Read this little excerpt from a letter Karin Harper wrote about her time as a missionary in Estonia. It is so powerful:
Early in my time in Estonia, I met a girl named Kati. She described herself as a happy pagan. She didn’t know God & she was very content with her life without God. But she was very interested in getting to know us as friends. She was quite intrigued by how we had money to pay for rent & food & such if we didn’t get a paycheck from the university or a church there.
I had the chance to share with Kati that there were people I knew in America who had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that had so profoundly changed their lives that they wanted to be involved in giving people in Estonia a chance to hear about God & investigate how He could relate to their lives. I explained that people gave on a monthly basis to make it possible for me to live in Estonia & pour into students full-time. I also had the chance to share with her that there were people who were praying specifically for her as she was on this journey of faith.
About a year later, after countless hours of spiritual conversation & investigative Bible Studies, Kati chose to give her life to Christ. Soon after that, she asked me if she could write a thank you note to all the people who gave financially so that I could live in Estonia & to all the people who prayed specifically for her. Kati understood that each of those people played as vital of a role in her coming to know Christ as I did.
We invite you, then, to prayerfully consider how God might want to use you to reach teens in Spain through our ministry. We are looking for prayer partners, financial partners and physical partners (you physically come with us!). If you think God is leading you in any way towards any or all of these directions, please contact us right away! (See bottom of e-mail for contact info if you don’t have it.) Our goal is to leave for Spain in August and that doesn’t leave us much time to sit around. We are taking every available moment to talk with people about this calling and build up our ministry team so we can get to Spain and get this work underway!
This excites me greatly, though, because it means that I truly don’t have to ever say a full “goodbye” to any of you. If you join us as part of our prayer team or our financial team or both, then it will be a part of my job to stay connected with you! Isn’t that awesome? When we come home after every few years to visit our supporters, you will be one of the ones that we come back to see! And if God ever does call you to the mission field, you can come test it out with us first! This is far from a “goodbye”. God is giving us and opportunity to go into ministry together. That’s what I love about it.
We thank the Lord also that He has led Harvest Bible Chapel Glen Ellyn to significantly support us. Harvest is fully behind our calling and they are sending us with their full blessing and a great deal of financial support! It has been an incredible encouragement and blessing.
In Conclusion
And so here we are. Although some of the initial thrills and excitement has faded and been replaced by the intimidating ache of reality, we still have a confidence in our spirits that this is the way God has led us, so we can’t imagine going any other way. This is a whole lot to share. If you have actually read all of this, then you must truly be interested in the work that God has been doing here! Please feel more than free to give us a call or write us an e-mail back. We are actually aching to see whom God will partner us with in this ministry!!! We look forward with great anticipation to talking through all of this with you one on one.
We can’t wait to see all that God is going to do! I can see now that all these years of doing youth ministry in the States were not wasted. I was in obedience to Him and He has blessed my ministry here while at the same time preparing me for the ministry to come! If I were to ignore Him now and disobey His clear calling, then everything I love would suffer. I love The Rock too deeply to insist on being its leader when God has called me elsewhere. So here we go!
Please continue to pray for us as we seek His will and we will continue to pray for you as we have been doing these past 4 years.
Created on 04/23/2005 08:30 AM by Bjorn
Updated on 04/23/2005 08:46 AM by Bjorn
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