| I (Shirleen) grew up as a Baptist and was confirmed into the Anglican way of life as a college student. I was an active Baptist, especially in my teen years, and at fifteen years old, I had a life-changing experience while attending a youth camp. I remember sitting alone on the lawn in front of the auditorium and making a covenant with Jesus that I would go on the mission field after training at a Bible college.
When I shared my vision with my parents, they were astonished! “You’ll not do that,” they said. “You’re going to go to a state university, get married, have a family, and BE NORMAL!” The only degree that they would approve was a BS in Elementary Education. A fifteen-year-old doesn’t have much say in a situation like that, so I did all that they wanted me to do—education degree, husband, and two children.
Years later, when I was close to retirement, I had a vivid dream. A voice was speaking to me saying, “Shirleen – I haven’t forgotten what you promised. You are going to do it when you retire!” WOW!
I (Pete) was born at home to Christian parents, and I was raised in a liturgical church where I learned about God and how to worship Him, but never developed a personal relationship with Jesus. Two weeks after my 37th birthday, I encountered Christ and was filled with the Holy Spirit. Twenty-six years later, after retiring as a professional engineer and executive, I earned a seminary degree, was ordained to the priesthood, and was then appointed as a Canon for Evangelism, local and global.
Immediately after my appointment as Canon, my wife and I took the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course, and then we started leading these courses. We were renewed in the Spirit who spoke deeply into our hearts about spending the rest of our lives making the most significant impact possible for the Kingdom: to the ends of the earth – unreached people groups. While we found other agencies that danced around the edges of this purpose, we wanted one fully dedicated to it. We called Tad de Bordenave, the founder of Anglican Frontier Missions. He signed us up as Pastoral Caregivers to AFM missionaries.
Our first pastoral care visit, a month-long journey, began on September 15, 2001, and we have now made 18 international pastoral visits and presented the case for frontier missions all over the globe, through testimony, teaching, and preaching.
One thing we’ve discovered through visiting AFM’s cross-cultural workers is that missionaries need people dedicated to their own pastoral care because missionaries are thousands of miles from their families and natural support systems. In addition, missionaries have the added stress of obtaining fluency in a language and culture not their own. For those raising children overseas, educational challenges always abound. Finally, because AFM missionaries often serve in oppressive areas, physically and spiritually hostile to the gospel, they frequently experience some form of persecution.
For these reasons, we’re thankful AFM places a high priority on the emotional, spiritual, and physical health of its missionaries. We continue to maintain active prayer and ministry support of AFM’s workers from home. Due to our increasing years (we’re each eighty-five years-young!), AFM brought on another couple to complement our ministry to AFM missionaries. We are blessed to work with Andy and Janet Kerr, AFM’s Member Care Coordinators, as we seek to ensure the well-being of each of our missionaries.
To sum up, we’re beyond blessed to have a firsthand perspective of the gospel going out to places and peoples where the saving love of Jesus is completely unknown. We cherish these modern-day missionary heroes of our faith who take Jesus’s message of love to areas that lack a Christian presence.
So, if you’re in your sixties like we were when God called us into service with AFM, we invite you to contact us or AFM to talk about how God might be calling you to finish well and finish strong. And we invite you to support AFM’s Great Commission Fund, that the needs of those who serve Jesus in difficult places might always be met by those of us who care.
Pete+ and Shirleen are currently resident in the Gulf Atlantic Diocese and active at St. Barnabas Church in Jacksonville. Pete also finds time to be Chaplain of the American Legion (Motorcycle) Riders, Atlantic Beach. You can reach them at pete@afm-us.org |
