Michael:
I was blessed in the fact that I grew up in a good, Godly home. As an only child, my parents gave me the time and love needed and raised me in church, and to love the Lord. I was saved at the age of 15, at Pleasant Grove Baptist Temple, R.D Wade, pastor. Pleasant Grove Baptist Temple is a very mission minded church, and I surrendered to full-time ministry at the age of 16. During my high school years, I served as a bus captain, children's church worker, youth leader, and camp counselor.
I met my wife, Cristy, at Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri and we were married in 1997. In 2000, while living in Mesquite, Texas, we surrendered to the mission field. We quickly sold our home and returned to BBC, where I majored in Missions. We returned to Mesquite and we were the Children's Ministry Director and Youth Director at Northside Baptist Church.
In 2006, I met a Japanese man at my office where I was working. He was unsaved, and I began to witness to him daily. Immediately, I felt a burden not only for this man, but for the people of Japan. When I learned that less than 1% claimed to be Christian, I began praying what God would have my family to do. After discussing with them and praying with them, we surrendered to go to the country of Japan in December of 2008.
Cristy:
I had a very normal childhood. I grew up in a pastor’s home, and I don’t remember missing very many services. I know that my brother, sister and I thought the church building was a second home to us. So it was no shock to anyone when at the age of 5 I began to ask question about my own salvation, heaven and hell. I made a profession of faith at age 5. I don’t remember much about that, but I did always remember being baptized. Life went on as a normal preachers kid until June 1989. I was 13 years old. After hearing a sermon about salvation, I heard for the first time, that you must “know that you know that you know that you are saved.” I went home and that line stuck with me for weeks. Did I know that I know that I know? I talked to my mom, she remembered what I had said and what I had done. Talked to my dad and he remembered too. I didn’t remember. I wanted to know that I know that I know!! So at age 13, in my parent’s bedroom, I knelt down on the side of the bed. My dad showed me the scriptures from Romans. I asked Jesus into my heart, asked him to wash away all my sin, to move it as far away as the East is from the West. The next Sunday, I was baptized. From that point on I have never had to ask myself if I know, because I know!
After graduation from High School I attended Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO. That is were I met my wonderful husband. We attended for a year. We came back to Texas to be closer to family while we started our own family. While attending a mission’s conference in Mesquite, TX, Mike and I surrendered to missions. That summer, we sold our house and went back to BBC.
In 2006, the Lord began to speak to Mike about Japan. It was a very scary thing for me. Having four children, it was hard to think about moving away from “home”. In December 2007, the Lord got a hold of my heart for Japan. We had been invited to attend a New Years tradition at a Japanese Baptist Church in Richardson. Mike could not attend and I had to go by myself. It was at that service, I saw the people from Japan as lost souls and not just people. I cried as I watched a lost man, tell me about the mochitsuki tradition of pounding rice on New Years Eve. I came home that night and told Mike, “We have to go! We have to tell them about Jesus!!”
I was blessed in the fact that I grew up in a good, Godly home. As an only child, my parents gave me the time and love needed and raised me in church, and to love the Lord. I was saved at the age of 15, at Pleasant Grove Baptist Temple, R.D Wade, pastor. Pleasant Grove Baptist Temple is a very mission minded church, and I surrendered to full-time ministry at the age of 16. During my high school years, I served as a bus captain, children's church worker, youth leader, and camp counselor.
I met my wife, Cristy, at Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri and we were married in 1997. In 2000, while living in Mesquite, Texas, we surrendered to the mission field. We quickly sold our home and returned to BBC, where I majored in Missions. We returned to Mesquite and we were the Children's Ministry Director and Youth Director at Northside Baptist Church.
In 2006, I met a Japanese man at my office where I was working. He was unsaved, and I began to witness to him daily. Immediately, I felt a burden not only for this man, but for the people of Japan. When I learned that less than 1% claimed to be Christian, I began praying what God would have my family to do. After discussing with them and praying with them, we surrendered to go to the country of Japan in December of 2008.
Cristy:
I had a very normal childhood. I grew up in a pastor’s home, and I don’t remember missing very many services. I know that my brother, sister and I thought the church building was a second home to us. So it was no shock to anyone when at the age of 5 I began to ask question about my own salvation, heaven and hell. I made a profession of faith at age 5. I don’t remember much about that, but I did always remember being baptized. Life went on as a normal preachers kid until June 1989. I was 13 years old. After hearing a sermon about salvation, I heard for the first time, that you must “know that you know that you know that you are saved.” I went home and that line stuck with me for weeks. Did I know that I know that I know? I talked to my mom, she remembered what I had said and what I had done. Talked to my dad and he remembered too. I didn’t remember. I wanted to know that I know that I know!! So at age 13, in my parent’s bedroom, I knelt down on the side of the bed. My dad showed me the scriptures from Romans. I asked Jesus into my heart, asked him to wash away all my sin, to move it as far away as the East is from the West. The next Sunday, I was baptized. From that point on I have never had to ask myself if I know, because I know!
After graduation from High School I attended Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO. That is were I met my wonderful husband. We attended for a year. We came back to Texas to be closer to family while we started our own family. While attending a mission’s conference in Mesquite, TX, Mike and I surrendered to missions. That summer, we sold our house and went back to BBC.
In 2006, the Lord began to speak to Mike about Japan. It was a very scary thing for me. Having four children, it was hard to think about moving away from “home”. In December 2007, the Lord got a hold of my heart for Japan. We had been invited to attend a New Years tradition at a Japanese Baptist Church in Richardson. Mike could not attend and I had to go by myself. It was at that service, I saw the people from Japan as lost souls and not just people. I cried as I watched a lost man, tell me about the mochitsuki tradition of pounding rice on New Years Eve. I came home that night and told Mike, “We have to go! We have to tell them about Jesus!!”