Amazing Grace: Chris' Faith Journey- Part 4

Hi friends! On today’s Draw Near to Me post we have the last part of Chris’ testimony. In part 3, Chris really began to lean into all the things that God was calling him to do. There was such renewal as we saw the new path given to him by God. Today we learn about his newly formed organization, Life On Mission. For those wanting to learn more about it, please check out https://lifeonmissionproject.com. Chris, thank you so much for your great authenticity, transparency and your heart for all the things God is calling you to do. It is an inspiration and an honor to know part of your story. Now, let’s dive into the final part of Chris’ story. Enjoy!

I started hitting roadblocks as soon as I began researching how to get Bibles to the Dominican Republic. Shipping was expensive and I didn’t have someone to pick them up. Bringing them in from the U.S. also had obstacles. The Dominican’s customs process was stricter and you had to demonstrate that the books were not for resale. To get around these issues, I decided to try to find a distributor in the Dominican Republic.

Communication quickly became a problem. I did not speak any Spanish and I needed information about logistical questions such as buying in bulk and cost. I tried to email the distributor using a translation app, but I was getting nowhere. Then I remembered that Jonathan, a friend of mine from my men’s group, was from the Dominican Republic. I reached out and talked to him about what I was hoping to do. I shared my heart behind creating an organization, Life On Mission, to distribute Bibles.

Jonathan said he would love to help. We set up a three-way call with the distributor and he talked to them for like 11 minutes. They were going back and forth rapidly. Jonathan dug in and was able to accomplish things that I never would have been able to do. It was crazy.

Although I am doing most of the groundwork for Life On Mission, I have never felt like I am alone. I’ve had help from friends and family. Jonathan and Frank, another friend from my men’s group, both jumped-on board early. They were instrumental in giving me additional ideas and feedback for this mission. My friend, Shannon, shared how she set up her non-profit, and my youngest daughter, Angel, helped me with the social media aspects. It has been a prayer of mine to do ministry with my kids. Watching that unfold as Angel works alongside of me has been amazing.

Above all, I struggle with saying that this non-profit is mostly me because at minimum it is the Holy Spirit, God and me. So, it is a “we.” I’ve never spent so much time in prayer asking God what He wants to happen and what the next step should be.

By the end of September, I was planning to go back to the Dominican by myself. We had secured about 50 Bibles to distribute. Some Bibles were going to Mission of Hope. Others were reserved for a church we had served when I was there on mission. Even though I was not sure how I was going to get around once I arrived, I told the pastor’s son that we planned on bringing them some Bibles.

I was initially concerned about navigating around the Dominican Republic. Driving there is a completely different experience. I had never seen anything like that in my life. When I had gone there with my church, I noticed that people seemed to take the lane lines on the road as a suggestion. We saw three cars driving across two lanes with motorcycles squeezing in between. It made me a little nervous to think about it. Thankfully, God had already provided me with the connections I needed to make the solo trip easier.

Previously, while I was on the short-term mission trip with my church, I met a young girl at one of the kids’ camps. Even though she has a great father, she began to call me “Papa.” In turn, I called her “hija,” which is daughter in Spanish. I loved her like family. Through a translator, I told her mom that if her daughter wanted to stay in touch with me she could, but only with her mom’s permission. That is how I ended up remaining connected with all of them.

When the family discovered that I was coming back to the Dominican Republic, they offered to meet me at the airport. Not only did they guide me through the first part of my solo trip, but they even picked up the Bibles from the distributor for me before I landed. Additionally, being with a family that I loved was so personal and encouraging. Everything really worked out perfectly.

On Sunday, I brought Bibles to the church we had previously visited while on mission. I talked to the pastor before the service and showed him what we had. He was very excited. The pastor was speaking in Spanish when he began the service. I did not have an interpreter with me, so all I heard was something, something and then “Chris.” After saying my name, he held up a Bible and gave them out to the 20 people there. Then he started preaching.

Every person in the room now had a Bible in their hands. I saw how their faces lit up when they got them and how they used them to follow along with the pastor. That reaction was good enough for me. I had been asking God if what I was doing was going to make any difference and I got to see that answer.

The Word is alive, powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword. It really, really is. The more you read it, the more it changes you. I don’t have to be a lawyer and close a deal on every evangelistic conversation. Sometimes all I have to do is give a Bible and say, “Hey, I want to give this to you and share this with you. Tell me what you think.” Sometimes that’s enough to plant a seed.

After I returned to the US, I contacted the pastor and shared how we are trying to get more Bibles to bring down. At the end of our conversation he said, “Chris, we miss you. The church misses you. We can’t wait to see you again.” Right now, early relationships are forming and that is just as important and special for me as anything else.

Life On Mission is currently being formed into a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Our goal is to get Bibles to where they are needed. It is about sowing the Word. We want to get the physical Word of God out to unreached places. What better gift can you give to somebody?

God has been good and has even given me confirmation that this is His path for me. The other day I received a message from Lisa, our team leader for our Dominican Republic mission trip. She told me that she was happy that I was pursuing this. Then, out of nowhere, she said almost word for word the first sentence of my mission statement, which I had not yet shared. It was such an encouragement and a reminder of this calling. I know God is moving.

Right now, that’s where my season of life is. I am so excited to do this with the Lord and to continue to see where this is going to go. I know scripture tells us to go out and make disciples among the nations. I have no evangelistic gifting, but I can hand out Bibles. This is something I would have never done in my younger years. I had to go through everything I went through to reach the bottom in order to look up and say, “God, I need you to do everything. I’ve blown everything up in my life. I have nowhere else to go but you.” It was at that point that I was no longer depending on my own power or how I wanted to do things. Now, I just want to say “yes” to whatever God asks me to do.

I have realized more and more that God is not going to lay out the whole plan to me, but if I take one step, immediately the next thing opens up. Yeah, it gets scary. I don’t think I’ve prayed so hard ever. However, at every step of the way God opens the door. He’ll meet us as soon as we take that step. I’m aware that it’s His sovereign plan. At any moment He could change it, so I am taking one step at a time. In the end, it will probably be totally different than what I’ve ever thought.

As God has moved through my story, all I can think about is truly His amazing grace. I am so, so far from perfect, but God is still sanctifying me. He’s doing what He has to do and is so gracious and merciful to me. If He could do this in me, He can do this in anybody.

A few months ago, I was listening to the Deepen podcast from my church. They were talking about how when we get to heaven, we may ask God why certain things happened in our lives. We will ask all the “whys” we didn’t get answers to. Then, He will show us the reasons and we will say, “God, you did it again! That was the only way this could have ever worked.” I truly believe that.

God knows exactly how our lives need to go down to be where we need to be. It’s all about His glory. That thought really stuck with me. I keep reminding myself that God is sovereign and knows what is going to happen. I keep trusting that.

I don’t know where God is going to take all of this. When I was having dinner with the pastor in the Dominican Republic, he paused and asked me, “Chris, are you ready to do the work of the Lord with me? Maybe you are called to be here.” I was just there to try to convince him to let me bring more Bibles to them. It felt way over my head at the time.

Although I do not yet feel called to move, I am willing if that is what God asks me to do. I am in a place where I keep asking, “Lord, what do you want me to do in my life? I am willing to sell everything and go where you’ve called me to go.” I never thought I would be thinking in terms of uprooting everything for God, but I would because I just want to be part of His plan. Being so open to that idea is such a far, far cry from where I was a few years ago when I was destroying my whole world with my actions.

The more I open my Bible and read it, the more I get out of it. I think, “Lord, you still love me. You’re still moving in my heart and that’s what I need. I just need you every day.” Now, I am that guy in church that is standing and praising to the music. My hands are raised high and I am worshiping as loud as I can because I have been forgiven much by God and He still wanted me. God still has purpose for me and uses me despite everything. That is amazing grace.