Call to Missions

"Whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his for my sake shall find it." Matthew 16:24

"All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,  Son, and Holy Spirit." Matthew 28:18

Let me share with you my call to mission. When I was 20, I was serving in the Navy and far from home, geographically and spiritually. God came to me in such a powerful way that I knew I would definitely commit my life to Christ. The call began with the desire to share with others what God had done for me. In the year of active duty I had left to do, I was involved in Bible study aboard ship and sharing my faith with other sailors.

When I left active duty, I went to Louisiana College. Right away, I was involved in student ministry in the old BSU. My sophomore year, we were doing fundraising for a student mission to Zimbabwe. I was not as interested in going as I thought I needed to work and had a two-week Navy reserve duty coming up. However, I was approached about being on the team as I was a few years older and had experience speaking in churches by then. So, I made my first trip to Africa as a college student! It was three weeks that changed my life! Fast forward to 2004. While I was serving a pastoral appointment in Johannesburg and helping with Volunteers in Missions, we hosted the Louisiana Tech Wesley team in South Africa!

I met Lisa, my wife, at Louisiana College. We talked about ministry and missions from the beginning of our relationship. Since then, we have made a pretty good team for 42 years of marriage, ten of those years spent in Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa. Lisa and I were privileged to serve as missionaries to Tanzania from 1986-94. In some ways, those experiences are helping us cope with the challenges that we face today. We lived in a mountainside village from '87-'89. When the rainy season came, we could not go anywhere for weeks at a time. Food had to be stored up. My busy schedule was suspended. We actually began to look forward to the rainy season as a time of Sabbath rest.

Our health was also a concern in East Africa. The AIDS epidemic was just becoming known. No one knew at that time whether or not AIDS could be transmitted by mosquitoes. We did know that malaria was caused by mosquitoes, but our home was above 5,000 feet, above the range of malaria. In 1992, I took one of our pastors to hold a church meeting at a lower elevation. I contracted a new form of malaria and almost died. Didn't God love me and want to protect me? Yes! And God gave me enough knowledge that I should have used a mosquito net! I say all that to say that while we offer our lives to God's service, God also expects us to use the brains that have been entrusted to us!

Jesus said, "Many are called, but few are chosen." Matthew 22:14 

How do you know if you are called? We've often joked that when God has opened a door for us, he then shoves us on through. Sometimes, the waiting and wanting to know is the hard part. Enjoy the journey! What you are doing right now is just as important as what you hope to be doing five years from now! That child in Dubach is just as important as that child in Dubai! 

This virus pandemic reminds us that we are all connected in this world as one body. We’re still capable of doing God's work and answering God's call even though we’re not traveling all over the world. Please continue praying for us as we continue lifting each of you up to the Lord.

Jon and Lisa Lord

Pastor Jon is a lovely servant of the Lord. He served as a board member for many years here with the Wesley Foundation and has continued to support our ministry through communal fellowship during church outreaches. He is the head pastor at Sicily Island/Harrisonburg churches. To pass the time, he enjoys singing and playing guitar.