The Beginning of a New Chapter

A Testimony of God’s Faithfulness

Introduction

Writing is a remarkable gift—one that God Himself used as a way to reveal His truth to us. God wrote His commands down with His finger to ensure that the coming generations would remember them. When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, “he gave to Moses, … the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God” (Exodus 31:18, English Standard Version). Just as God preserved His testimony through writing, I want to start this blog to preserve my journey, to testify to His faithfulness, and to share what the Lord has done in my life.

A Life Shaped by God’s Providence

I was born in Wenatchee, Washington—raised in the small, Bavarian-themed town of Leavenworth. Which we left when I was still a child, but have recently returned to as the Lord has led. My parents, Matthew and Robin, were not people of great fortune—apart from my mother’s heart for the destitute and my father’s musical talent. I grew up with two older brothers, David and Joshua, and a younger sister—Mandy. We have experienced the joys and challenges of a close-knit impoverished family. However, our family life took an unexpected turn when my little sister tragically passed away. Twenty-seven days after the Lord had called me to preach His Word—the family I grew up with began to fade away.

Three years later, I faced another great loss when my mother passed away. Those final days were filled with a great mourning pain—but also with an overwhelming sense of God’s gracious mercy and presence. I spent those final weeks at the foot of my mother’s hospital bed and shared the Gospel with her, and I witnessed the Lord’s hand on her heart in her final moments. By His grace and at her request, I was able to baptize her in that very room—just days before she went home to be with the Lord. While her passing was a heavy trial that I was not prepared for, God provided me the strength that I needed to endure, even as I continued to persevere through that second year of my four-year theology degree. Nevertheless, God said that His grace “is sufficient for you, for [His] power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). It was only through His sustaining grace, that I was able to endure in my academics while going through these personal trials of life—for the Lord is with us.

A Calling Confirmed

A few weeks before my mother passed away, I was licensed into the ministry at First Baptist Church of Leavenworth—and after fulfilling a year-long pastoral residency program, I was ordained into the Gospel ministry. Two months after my ordination ceremony, our senior pastor’s health took a sharp decline which led to his retirement. After learning of this, the church called upon me to serve as their senior pastor—and I accepted. This is what God had been preparing me for. The Bible says that the Lord “will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jer. 3:15). The Lord equips those He calls—and as I stepped into this role with great reverence, I was fully aware that shepherding God’s people was both a great privilege and a weighty responsibility.

A Growing Ministry and a Future Hope

Since stepping into the pastorate, the Lord has been gracious to our church. Our children’s ministry is flourishing, and I pray that their love for the Lord will grow along with it. It is not enough for a church to grow in number—spiritual growth must always be the priority. Scripture says to “[t]rain up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). I hope that these young ones that the Lord has brought to the church will grow into faithful men and women who stand firm in Christ all their days—to glorify God by sharing the joy and salvation found in Jesus Christ.

That is what pastoring and preaching is—teaching the next generation about Jesus. That responsibility cannot be taken lightly. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14). Therefore, we must guide them in truh and ensure that they have a firm foundation in the Gospel. And, we must pray that the seeds being planted in their hearts will bear fruit for the glory of God and that the Spirit will lead them through a lifetime of faithful discipleship.

Conclusion

This blog is an extension of that same calling—to share the goodness of God, to encourage the weary, and to proclaim the truth of His Word. I am not writing because I have figured everything out—I write because God is faithful, and His faithfulness deserves to be known. So “[l]et us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). It is my aim is to use this space to declare His work in my life in a way that encourages others to trust in Him.

Thank you for reading this—there is more to come.