A Mission Challenge.org
"Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.' II Tm. 4:2
Greetings, from Guatemala, Central America - the heart of the Mayan world & the mission field which the Lord has called us to serve!
Briefly, I would like to introduce you to my wife & I to help make you feel more like family...after all, we are all family in the Lord's eyes.
Let me begin by saying that, in the same way as all other men and women before me, I can divide my life in two clear, yet painfully, different epochs. Though always a Christian, the first epoch of my life can be defined as having only a conditional acceptance and surrender to Christ juxtaposed to my present day one where upon I have utterly given myself solely & completely to His will and teachings. I am a graduate of KNOX Theological Seminary, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (Biblical and Theological Studies) and attended the University of Florida (among other universities) for my undergraduate studies. I have continued my graduate studies at
both Saint Andrews and Saint Timothy Theological College and Seminaries.
Growing up, first in the mid-west and then southern Florida, I was an upper-terr athlete, student, illustrator and fisherman. I spent countless hours on the water, diving and fishing, and deep in my academic studies. All of my time outdoors combined with my studies of literature caused me to fall into the “trap” of admiring and worshiping the “creation” and not the “Creator”. With success in the classroom and on the various fields of sport, I believed “I”could control the direction and outcome of my life. I used these distractions to numb and, unfortunately, muffle God’s calling for me which I heard as a young boy.
Yet, all of this “running” came to a crashing halt when it was discovered, after surviving a lengthy illness, and server and prolonged coma, that I had several large bone tumors growing, in my left hip and knee. These Heterotopic Ossifications caused me to completely lose the total use of the entire left side of my lower body. This condition, coupled with the sever and chronic pain, forced me in bed for over a year and to incur numerous radical and precarious orthopedic reconstructive surgeries.
After each operation I underwent an excruciating round of radiation treatments followed up with extensive physical therapy. All the while, the Lord was working on my heart. Nothing can come as unwelcome as such a horrific illness in the prime of one’s youth but nothing could ever have brought a greater blessing then the Lord forcing me to “step-out” of my life and to see my place in the word from the perspective of a Biblical worldview. For it is not just enough to be a good person, doing acts of kindness and charity, for if it were, than there was no reason, no need, for the Christ to have come. But as the apostle Paul pens in his letter to the Christians in Rome, we are "lost" on our own (Romans 1:19-23). Now let my wonderful wife introduce herself.
"HOLA!" My name has been blessed to have had an "addition," I have added- de Craft! Now here's a little bit about me. I was blessed to grow up in a Christian family and when I was 17 years old I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Ever since I was a child I always had a deep desire to help the poor and the orphans. Thus, I started to work in my local church teaching children, teenagers and adults. Living in Guatemala City, unfortunately, we have a lot of orphans along homeless people, so I began to work by helping the children and those with drug problems. When I was 20 years old, I started to work in O.M. (Operation Mobilization). While there I was part of the group helping to start a ministry in Guatemala City focusing on both these issues. In the past Guatemala suffered through a three-plus decade civil war in which tens of thousands of indigenous ran away to the mountains in Mexico and even a greater number were slaughtered in their fields and towns. In fact, just this year, a general from those years was tried and convicted on charges of war crimes & genocide. Due to these painful decades, the government decided to give the returning refugees lands in the region called Ixcan. Because so many were murdered and in many cases, entire families wiped out, the people returning to Guatemala after the years hiding in the mountains of Mexico suffered from shock along with many other spiritual, emotional & physical scars. Thus, we started a new ministry to serve these disenfranchised by offering them the love of Christ and the true forgiveness which can only be found in Him!
After serving these people for two years I spent the next five training other missionaries to serve the Lord in their countries. I traveled through many countries preaching the Living Word. During this time I finished my studies in Bible College and the Missionary school. In 2003 I finish working with O.M. and started new ministries in some other countries. In 2006 I started working in Swaziland, Africa. In 2012 I closed this chapter of working with orphan children and people suffering with tuberculosis and HIV to return to my native land. While working in Africa, I witnessed God’s heart for the unreached, and my own heart was touched even more for the amazing love of God and His love for the world. I could see God’s hands opening doors, even when none seemed present. God started to do amazing things between the Swazis, we started drilling boreholes (drinking wells), supporting those with HIV, building schools and implementing feeding programs for orphaned children. Even with the pain of so much death we were blessed to be able to share the love of Jesus Christ with so many in their most desperate hours.
In 2012 God brought me back to my country and I met a wonderful man that God is using in the mission field. Dana and I were married and have chosen to combine our ministries & focus, and as confirmation, we now have been blessed with our beautiful son, Noah Daniel. He is not only a miracle child but represents the next generation of servants for our Risen Savior. We hope & pray that you decide to share with us in our passion for sharing God’s Word, living in His grace and pouring ourselves out to serve those most in need!
