As most of you know, I grew up in a Christian home, but for me, Christianity was just a front that I put up every day, so I would be accepted by my Christian friends, and Christian peers. I knew all the “right” words, and all the “right” actions, but inside I wanted nothing to do with God. I was a man filled with a lot of bitterness, malice, rage, anger, hatred, and immorality. I was headed for destruction, and was blinded to a lot of things. On March 31st, 2009 at a Journey to the Heart that I attended under the will of my parents, God miraculously changed my life! I repented of my sins, I accepted Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, and my faith became real to me for the first time!
The Fulfillment of a Promise
After I got home from the Journey, I had many opportunities to share my testimony. Each time I would willingly share my testimony, and give glory to God for what He did in my life, God opened the door for me to share my story again. At that time, I was less than three months away from graduating from high school; honestly, I had no idea of what I was supposed to do with myself. However, the Bible says in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Each time I did that – acknowledged God – He made his path clear to me. And as I continued to give God glory for what he had done at the Journey, He began to show me what He wanted me to do after graduation. In other words, God did exactly what that verse promises He will do: He directed my steps through circumstances and showed me which way to go. He “made my paths straight!” and it was amazing!
The Planting of a Seed
One of the direction seeds was planted when my family and I attended theRegional ATI conference last May in Big Sandy, Texas. At the end of the week, having heard my testimony a few times, Mr. Gothard suggested
to my parents, that I apply for the teaching trip in Taiwan. They shared his proposal with me, and at first, I had no interest at all. I thought to myself, “Me teach English? I hate English.” Obviously then, teaching English hadn’t even entered my mind; in fact, I thought it was ridiculous and therefore responded, “No way!” However, as we drove home, my parents and I discussed the opportunity and through those conversations, the Lord “watered” the seed. I actually pondered the possibility. I prayed about it. Having a new desire to walk in God’s will, not mine, I decided to apply for the position. I trusted that if God didn’t want me in Taiwan, He would “shut the door.” Interestingly, the more I thought about this incredible opportunity, the more excited I became!
A few weeks after I applied, I was accepted to join the t
eam of people traveling to Taiwan to teach English! All doors were left open…… At that point, I had all the required prerequisites completed, except one. I had just become a Christian, I had just turned 18, and I had just completed a Journey to the Heart. The timing for me to go was perfect. My parents were at peace about it; in fact they were encouraging me to faithfully pursue this prospect. Praise the Lord for awesome parents! The last thing I needed, was my TESOL certification….oh yeah, and $1300 to pay for the course. My parents prayed…I prayed. God heard…and God responded. I’m from a small country town, where jobs are sparse, but the good Lord opened a door for me; He gave me a six-week summer job that allowed me to earn the exact amount of money, to the dollar, that I needed for my TESOL training! Without a doubt, He “made my path straight!”
The Equipping of the Called
As time went on and the reality of my departure set in, I became really stressed out. I had a long list of things to do and I thought I
would never finish in time. Also, I allowed fear to set in. Once again I thought, “I don’t know anything about teaching English!” My human reasoning took over and I thought I was going to fail. Just days before leaving, I had an emotional breakdown, and really started freaking out. My dad shared some words of encouragement, which I have stuck with me the entire time: “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.” This gave me peace, in the midst of my fear and stress. As I trusted in God, He was faithful and in His proper timing, God worked everything out! 
My prayers and my mom’s was that I would be placed on a team who had been in Taiwan before, and that they knew what they were doing. In addition to that, my mom prayed that there would be another guy on the team. God answered both of those prayers! First, I was placed on the Dudley’s team, the directors of the teaching English in Taiwan through IBLP opportunity. And second, out of six potential teams, God put me on a team with my new friend, David. We had met, and become really good friends, during the TESOL course in Oklahoma. God answered our prayers above and beyond what we had even asked!
The Experience of a Lifetime
Ephesians 3:20 says that God can do “exceeding abundantly above all we can ask” and that is exactly what He has done for me! First of all, I LOVE teaching English! I LOVE these kids! I am so thankful that I was encouraged to walk in faith, and not in fear! These past seven months in Taiwan, have been filled with
exciting new adventures, and opportunities, that I never once thought I ever get to do! I have had the opportunity to work with rural mountain kids in Thailand! I experienced scuba diving, and snorkeling in the ocean, mountain hiking, touring the oldest city in Taiwan, and the list goes on and on. One of the things that I love most about being in Taiwan is my team! God has blessed me with an AMAZING team of teachers! I appreciate each one of them so much. I could not have asked for a better team! God has truly blessed me this past year in Taiwan. I have come to realize that my sole purpose in coming to Taiwan was not to be an English teacher, or a missionary. Rather, the most important reason God brought me to Taiwan, was for my own personal growth as a man, and in the Lord. God paved the way for me to spend time here for personal refining! These past seven months, have been an incredible time of growing in my relationship with God…..and I am thankful!
It all started with a Journey, and the Journey still continues…….All Glory to
Christ Jesus!
