Our Stories
How I came to be a follower of Christ
I grew up knowing that God existed, but thinking He was way too busy to really have much time for me. When I got into high school I noticed a void in my life that I could not fill with friends, sports or activities. I met a group of people who seemed to have that void in their lives filled. They told me about how I could have a personal relationship with Christ and I became a Christian shortly after that.
Getting involved with Campus Crusade
I got involved with Campus Crusade for Christ while a student at Texas Tech University. I remember my Bible study leader challenged me to start an investigative Bible study in my dorm. I told him I didn’t know how. He said he would show me how – and he did. It was a huge step of faith for me and I saw God use me to help lead someone into a relationship with God. As I grew in my walk with God I became convinced that only 3 things last forever – God, His word, and the souls of man. I sensed God calling me to invest my life full-time into those things.
After graduating from Tech I went with Campus Crusade for 2 years to the Czech Republic to help start campus ministry there. Upon returning to the US I worked for a small medical company for 2 years and then came on staff full time with Crusade.
Serving in Estonia
After getting my initial training with Campus Crusade at Baylor University I moved to Tartu, Estonia in 1996 to help start the campus ministry there. Suzanne moved over to Estonia a few months later. We began dating and got married in 1999. In 2000 I was asked to direct the overall Campus Crusade ministry in Estonia. In 2005 we turned the ministry over to an Estonian director – our goal since moving to Estonia 8 years earlier.
Sending laborers to the world
After Estonia I served with Campus Crsade in Austin, Texas as a regional director for Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana (called the Red River Region). My role included helping give leadership to our 20 US teams and then recruiting, training, sending and helping shepherd our 10 teams overseas.
The next steps
Naturally, there is only so long you can be involved in sending missionaries to the world before you yourself feel the tug to go. In January, 2012 I stepped out of my regional director role to move to Lisbon, Portugal to help start the campus ministry there. Lisbon is a city of 3+ million people with 160,000 college students and virtually no one stepping foot on campus to share the gospel with them.
At a glance
Names: Mike, Suzanne, Cader, Judson, and Alayna
location: soon to be Lisbon, Portugal
