My Story

My story is very complicated and involved. How do you begin to pinpoint the moment that your destiny kicks in? Is it really any one moment? I can't be sure about mine, but I can tell you the story of how I came to be a missionary.

It all started when I was eight years old. My parents were pastors of the First Southern Baptist Church of Ewa Beach, which was located on the island of Oahu. One Sunday afternoon, a missionary from Romania gave his testimony. He told a heartbreaking story that I will never forget. He was a young pastor with a wife, a small child, and a baby on the way. One day, he was suddenly arrested for preaching the gospel, which was against the law. He was thrown into prison for over twenty years. By a miraculous mistake, he was released from prison instead of executed. His wife and two grown children met him at the gate. Once he was free, he spent the rest of his life smuggling Bible's into Bulgaria. This man's name was Harlan Popov.

As I sat in the pew, I realized for the first time in my life that the world was not a very nice place. In that eight-year-old innocence, I made a vow that one day I would do something to help those people who were suffering in the world around me. And I did.

This vow ignited something inside of me which eventually led me to follow an exciting and worthwhile destiny. I hope those that read it, will find hope and inspiration from it. And, more than that, I hope that you will find your own path and have the courage to follow it.