Throughout my school years I tried to faithfully witness to my classmates and teachers. I knew that I would serve the Lord in full time service, though I tried to avoid pastoring by asserting I wasn’t “called”. I graduated from Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri in 1977 and went into Christian education. While administrating a Christian school in Maine, I recognized that, though I enjoyed working with the children, my soul was still unfulfilled because I was not doing what God had called me to do; ministering the gospel.

          Krista, my wife, was led to the Lord by her father, Rev. John Pursselley when she was five years old. She has led a faithful life to the Lord ever since, attempting to please her parents, her Lord, and for the last 29 years, her husband. Not only this, but she has been a most excellent mother, leading both our children to the Lord and doing her part in preparing them to be faithful servants of God.

          Our daughter Rachel, her husband Cory Barker, and their sons, Isaac, Micah, and Aaron who will be born in March of 2006, are in Managua, Nicaragua for the purpose of planting churches. Our son Eli, has recently earned his Master of Divinity degree and has moved his family to Colorado to become the Youth Pastor at Bethel Baptist Church of Fort Collins. His wife, Rebekah, has just completed two undergraduate degrees in Education and Missions. They have two sons, Joel and Ethan. If you are keeping count, that is five grandsons and zero granddaughters….as of yet! Our children and their spouses have led exemplary lives before and during their college years. God has richly blessed us with children that want nothing more than to serve their Lord and Savior.

Ministries – past, present, and future
          After surrendering to the gospel ministry in Maine, we went to Virginia to gain experience working under a pastor as an assistant, majoring on the youth and soul-winning. After that period of preparation for the ministry, in 1982 we moved to Massachusetts. There I started a church and pastored it four years.

          From there we went to work with my father-in-law at Meadowview Baptist Church in Republic, Missouri. In 1989 I was called to Bible Baptist Church in Elkhart, Kansas. After a ten year ministry, the Lord burdened us for missions in a new way.

          In May of 1999, Krista and I were approved as missionaries to England. I was called to head up Independent Baptist Bible College. I enjoyed this ministry immensely. We saw graduates go into the pastorate, missionary service, and church-planting ministries.

           Now God has touched our hearts for the field of Nicaragua. Presently, there are six BBF missionary families and one single lady serving in Nicaragua, with a couple more on the way. We are presently in language school in Managua. We are so anxious to learn the language well enough to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to this dear but needy people. When we complete our studies, we then will work with “Team Nicaragua” in the ministry of winning the lost to Christ, establishing Bible-believing Baptist Churches, and training the Nicaraguans to reach their own people for Christ.
“Team Nicaragua” is a concept of church planting taken from the New Testament.
 

          Along with Paul we find many other names involved in a cooperative effort for planting New Testament churches. Barnabas, Mark, Silas, Timothy, and Titus of course were his major partners. At this point there are three missionary couples involved with Team Nicaragua. We will work both in cooperation and independently as the situations dictate. The Kratochvils and Barkers are establishing a church in Managua. Krista and I are praying about starting a work in Ciudad Sandino, a city of 100,000 souls, less than 10 km west of Managua. We will work together in evangelistic and pastor training efforts. As pastors are trained and other missionaries join our efforts, we anticipate seeing many souls won and many churches established throughout the country.

Thank you for considering us for this needy people.