How the Dream Began

It seemed like forever since we had lived and worked in Hong Kong. That was particularly true when I heard from Ilene Bertschman that a group from the Church at the Crossing, in Indianapolis, was going back to help the church with renovation of a new facility.As she shared about the trip, I said, "I would love to go back to see the church, but I am in the middle of residency training at Methodist Hospital (in Indianapolis) and there is no way I could afford it on the stipend that I am receiving this year."The next week, Ilene told me that the church would pay 1/2 of the cost of my trip. Wow! I wasn't sure if I could take 10 days off in the middle of my unit. I checked with the coordinator of the program and she agreed to let me go. I couldn't believe it.

I needed to give the group (going to Hong Kong) a response in one week if I was going . The problem was that I did not know from where the rest of the funds would come. Talking to Tim Broyles, the mission pastor at the Church at the Crossing, he said, "I believe the Lord is wanting you to go and he will work out this need." I stepped out in faith.

I wrote letters to a few former churches that had supported us when we were missionaries in Hong Kong. I received responses from the Maiden Lane Church of God in Springfield and a few members from the congregation in Bedford, IN where I had pastored. The funds had been supplied and the dream began.

Partners in His Service