For my Dad

In just a couple of days, Father's day will be here so I thought it would be fitting to write a post about my dad and the impact he has had on my life. I know I don't tell him enough just how thankful I am to have his example in my life and while I didn't always know it growing up, I know now how blessed I was to have a dad who is also a pastor. I have always believed in God, but I had my struggles in my teens and early twenties. I wanted my relationship with God to be my own, not a product of my dads work as a pastor and for a while I had a hard time with that. When I was twelve, my dad took me on my first "mission trip" to Costa Rica and it was there that a little fire was lit inside my heart. I watched my dad minister to people on the streets, in the local church, and to children in the orphanage. At that age I really didn't understand the impact he had on those lives- but looking back I do. He served- and he served humbly- seeking nothing in return. It was that example that help me define my walk with Christianity.

Growing up, we always went to church on Sunday morning and Wednesday nights- it was just what we did- it was our normal routine. My dad never brought the iron fist down on me when I would choose that something else was more entertaining than going to church. He would tell me he wanted me to be there and that it was important to him, but he would leave it up to me. That was just what I needed- he let me create my own relationship with God.  He didn't preach or patronize me when I made mistakes- he loved me, prayed for me and had blind faith in me even when I went astray. That blind faith changed my life.

In my high school years I did my best to be a little rebellious...I mean, what teenage girl doesn't?? :) I always thought my parents were "strict"...now that Jim & I are starting our family I realize how much trust they had in me, and how hard that must have been for them. We don't have any kids yet, and I can't imagine how tough those teenage years will be at times- I thought they were tough for me...I can't imagine how tough they were for my parents. Yet, no matter the situation, they loved me through it without judgement, and without forcing me, they continued to graciously guide me on a Godly path.

 My sophomore year of high school my dad took me on my second mission trip to Thailand. Again, I watched him serve, preach, pray and teach the many people we encountered. I came home on fire- begging my parents to adopt from an orphanage we had visited, talking non-stop about everything I had seen. My mom sat me down and told me that they couldn't adopt, but that maybe someday I could...and now here we are in the process of adopting our first little one from Africa. My dad was a brave man to take a 16 year old girl with him overseas & my mom was gracious to stay home and let me go in her stead. Those two mission trips changed my life- while I didn't know exactly the plan God had for my life- at the time, seeing my dads Christ-like example on the mission field spoke more to me then any message he ever preached in church. Seeing my dad "preach" at church was great- but at that time it was also his"job" to me. So there were times when it just didn't resonate with me. But seeing him graciously serve people he didn't know & cultures he had never experienced spoke volumes to my heart.

It would seem only fitting that when I graduated college my dad asked me to go on yet another mission trip with him- this time to Uga*nda. I was 21, just graduating college and getting ready to take my nursing board exams. I was terrified of what was going to come next in my life- that transition from thinking you are an adult to really being one was very scary for me. In Uga*nda, watching my father- my Christian walk changed. I knew God was there- I saw Him in the people, and I heard Him through my father. I am so thankful for him and his example. He graciously took me around the world with him, didn't force religion on me, just let me watch and see his heart for The Lord and the lost- which was exactly what I needed.

So, thank you dad, for your gracious, kind, loving, Godly heart that was always patient with me. Your blind faith in me was exactly what I needed. I am so blessed to have you as my father.