We were asked to write a blog about how we were called to this mission trip. Here is my story…
If you have had the chance to read my biography, I talked a little about living in the Dominican Republic as a MK. I left a note saying that I would describe more of my life there in this post, so I’ll try to do my best because its the reason for my calling to missions!
I moved there when I was nine, my dad become the director of a missions clinic, and I soon found that my favorite place to hang out was the clinic. I grew up in a household with both parents being doctors, so medicine was always around, but it soon became part of my life in a much more personal way. When I was 11 I started watching surgeries in the clinic; the first surgery I watched I got to help the pump the bag to keep the patient breathing. I kept watching surgeries, and then I had a couple doctors ask me if I would like to scrub-in and help them operate. Of course I did what any 11 year old would do, I said “Of Course!”, and from that day on I knew that my dream, my calling, was to be a surgeon! Now, I know your asking yourself what that has to do with missions? Well, my calling didn’t end there. I kept helping do surgeries for the next 4 years, but I knew that God had a greater plan for me than just bringing healing to people physically. He wanted me to share His healing to the people I treated. So, my dream is to become a surgeon missionary!
Now, my calling to the Novas Project has a lot to do with my other calling, mostly because it seems to magnify my dream, and at the same time delay it! I was going through my senior year of high school, focused on graduating and moving on to college. It was April and I had gone up to Chicago to visit Wheaton College. The visit was great, but as I was pulling out of the campus I felt like just breaking down and crying. Not because I was leaving, but because I felt an emptiness inside me. I didn’t understand why I didn’t feel God’s peace about any of the colleges I had applied to! It was frustrating, and all I could do to not cry was to ask God what was wrong. I prayed for a couple days about it, and then found that it wasn’t the colleges that were the problem, but rather that God had something else in store for me. I prayed to find out what that was, talked to my parents and other influential people in my life about it, and decided to look into the FYM program. Mind you, I had already had some experience with AIM through Miguel and Kristina Shaul, a couple who were missionaries in the DR, and had helped with a group that came down in 2006. I found God’s peace about going this route, and soon started filling out paper work. I got accepted into the program, as you can tell, and I don’t think September can come fast enough!
This calling for my life this year will give me a chance to experience missions on a personal level. Meaning, I won’t be with my family doing missions work. I believe that it will give me a greater perspective of what I’m being shaped to be in the future, and it will definitely give me a greater purpose in furthering my education and reaching my dream of becoming a doctor! So, that’s my story! Hope you enjoyed it, and if you plan on studying medicine and being a missionary, maybe we can work together someday!
That’s all for now! Peace out,
Jon
Hey Jonathan,
Thanks for sharing your story. Proud of you for pursuing the dreams that GOD has given you. If I ever need surgery, I’d want you to be the one holding the scalpel!
Bless you bro,
m
Hey Jon, I am glad that you sent this so that I could learn more about you and your goals of becoming a doctor and a missionary all in one!!!! Wow!!! That is really cool and I know that has to be from God Himself. You really are quite a unique young man and I consider it an honor to know you. You don’t know how honored I feel for you to have asked me to be one of your Prayer Partners.
I know that you will be a great missionary and that someday you will become a tremendous doctor. Your heart is definitely in the right place, Jon, and I know that God has great plans for you. As you grow and mature over the coming years, remember to always put God first in your life. Everything else will work out for the best if you do that.
Thanks again, Jon, and may God Bless you all the days of your life.
Sincerely,
Your Brother in Christ,
John
I am so proud of you listening to God! And we missed you last night at the DCLA Recap Service. But just so you know the most powerful part of the night was when I read your letter to the congregation as the close. You’re a stud!
Be blessed!
Hi Jon,
This is a great backdrop! Well said.
See you soon,
Mark and your family in Georgia
Hello Jon, I am very happy for you and for all that is waiting for you to happen in the near future.
Great blessings to you.
Love,
Tio David