For years, the notion of missionary service flickered in the backs of our minds. Looking back, we clearly see the Lord’s hand preparing our hearts and leading us toward full-time missionary service. Short term mission trips to Ukraine, conversations with missionaries, and stories of others on the field would often fan the flame of desire to go, but our response was always, “Someday, someday...”
On November 13, 2003, that “someday” arrived.
For several months, we had been debating the issue of moving from our home in Northern Virginia to pursue a job lead in Pennsylvania. Seeking the Lord in our “Virginia vs. Pennsylvania” decision had, for so long, left us unsettled. Neither option brought a sense of peace to our hearts. In His grace and sovereignty, the Lord postponed the written offer of employment (and thus, our final moment of decision) until the week of Reston Bible Church’s annual missions conference. God used that week - through speakers at the conference and conversations with missionaries staying at our house - to peel away our excuses and hesitancies for going. By the end of the week, we once again felt the tug on our hearts to consider missions, someday.
It was just after the conference, when the events had ended and the missionaries had left, that the Lord led us to a completely unexpected answer to Marc’s job decision. Our prayers had been too narrow, our focus too limited. Neither Virginia nor Pennsylvania was in God’s plan. Someday had turned into now!
Upon realizing that God was calling us to full-time missions, our first thought was that Marc’s role would be in computer support. After all, that has long been his career and passion. However, not wanting to limit our options (we had learned our lesson!), we investigated many missions organizations and the various roles within them. After much research, prayer, and discussion, it became very clear to us that the Lord wanted Marc to apply his computer skills to further the spread of His gospel through Bible translation.
“Computers?” you may be thinking, “in missions?!” Allow us to share an analogy that a friend once shared with us… According to the United States Air Force website, “only 4% of the people in the Air Force are pilots. That means there are many other technical, scientific, and specialty careers available.”
Only four percent! Yet I would guess that, if playing a word association game, most of us would pick “pilot” above any other job as “an Air Force career.”
Let’s try another word association. I say “missionary,” you think… Church planter? Bible translator? Evangelist? Certainly, each of those is a vital part of bringing God’s Word and the message of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. But just as the Air Force needs 24 other skilled men and women for every one pilot, there are many important support roles in missions.
We currently serve with Wycliffe Bible Translators where Marc develops and maintains software to support the translation of God’s Word. We are excited and privileged to use the skills that God has given us to serve in missions! May the Lord use us to His glory!
