I look
back on the early part of my life with little regret and a grateful heart. My
family has been blessed with a strong Christian foundation. Both my
grandfathers were Christians. These men were faithful believers whose
faith in Christ greatly influenced me in my childhood. Also, my mother and
father were powerful examples of lives lived in devotion to Christ.
I was
born in Fort Worth, TX while my father, Bob Lane, was a student. I’m the youngest of four, the only boy, and
deeply grateful for my three older sisters. Each would later marry full-time
ministers. They all remain ministering families to this day. My birth
certificate identifies my mother as a homemaker and my father as a grocery
clerk. We were a humble family, living in a small house near the Seminary.
Money was tight, as it still is, but we enjoyed the closeness of family and the
joy that comes in service to Christ.
Shortly
after I was born my father and mother decided to return to Memphis, TN, where
we moved into a house near my paternal grandparents. I have many fond memories
of these small years. During this time my father served on staff at two large
Baptist churches, but he knew that God had called him to a senior pastor role.
This was confirmed when my father was called to pastor a small country church
in Tipton County called Faith Baptist Church. I was four-years-old when we
moved to Tipton County and my real boyhood began.
In the
summer of 1989, I attended our church’s Backyard Bible Club and it was there
that I first remember hearing the story of Jesus Christ. As our neighbor told
the simple Gospel story my mind and heart were opened and I was impressed with
the desire to give my life to Jesus. I talked with both my mother and father
about this. I remember my father walking me through what the Bible teaches on
salvation and what it meant to be a follower of Jesus. I was ready. On August
8, 1989, I was baptized in the presence of Faith Baptist Church. My life had
been changed and the joy I found in Christ was to follow me throughout
childhood.
I
remember the first person I led to faith in Jesus, his name was Dennis. He was
my fifth-grade friend and I was amazed when he asked Jesus into his heart in
the back of class before the bell rang. I tried to live out my faith during
these school years and found great encouragement when other friends would come
to faith in Jesus. In high school, I volunteered with my Church’s children’s
department and I led Bible studies in different places in my town.
At
eighteen, I felt a different calling coming from the Lord. I knew that God
wanted me to do something but I did not know what. I had recently graduated
high school, found a job as a warehouse worker, and started night classes at a
local community college. My life was to change when I met a local minister,
Phil Wade, who was teaching a Bible study at my college. Pastor Phil began to
challenge my way of thinking and helped me to look at ministry in a new way. I assumed
that a call to the ministry gave me only two options: youth pastor or preacher.
Neither of these positions seemed right for me. With the advice of Pastor Phil,
I left home for my first great adventure. I moved to Andrews, NC and began a
lifelong relationship with a Christian camp called Snowbird Wilderness
Outfitters. I arrived the day after my twentieth birthday. I was immediately
impressed to see young men and women living out their faith in a truly
authentic way. I realized so much of my Christian life was underdeveloped.
At Snowbird,
I was taught how to memorize and study the Scriptures. I grew in depth and
maturity. I felt that every part of my being was being challenged. I had never
had this level of mentorship and intentional accountability. During my first
summer at Snowbird, I heard of something called an unreached people group.
Previously, I figured that everyone had at least some idea of who Jesus was. I
was wrong. The fact that there were millions of people still lacking in their
understanding of the Gospel cut me to my core. I had to respond. At the end of
the summer, I called the IMB. I don’t remember who picked up the phone, but I
told them my story. I thought there was no way I would qualify with my few
community college classes. The lady on the other end of the line told me to
apply for an ISC position–these were Journeymen-type jobs without the educational
requirements. I was elated.
I set a
two-year timeline for myself. During this time, I worked hard in ministry and
mentorship, I studied mechanics in college, and took a semester off to thru-hike
the Appalachian Trail. All of these activities helped to ready me for the
mission field, but none more than being part of a small group of people that
would plant a Church that today has become a sending church to the uttermost
parts of the earth. The church is called Red Oak (SBC) and as been my sending
church since my first mission trip. I was a young member of the church and had
little to offer, but I gave all I had. I watched as God took a small group of men
and women and formed us into a church for his glory with global consequences. I
was sent out from that church in May of 2006. I was heading to the Jungles of
Peru to work with the IMB’s Extreme Team for the next two years.
My time
in the jungle was the most difficult thing I had ever attempted. I was given
four month of training; all with nationals–none of whom were English speakers.
And then I was given two words: Yaminahua and Jurua. The first was the name of
an unreached unengaged people group and the second was the river where they
were known to live. My partner was an indigenous man from Columbia named
Efrain. Efrain and I would become dear brothers and remain so to this day. We
were flown out to the Jurua in a small bush plane and arranged a time to be
picked up at that same remote airstrip four months later. This was the first of
three trips into the Jungle where my life would forever change. We lived in an
elevated hut near the river. We hunted for our food. The Yaminahua are a
foraging society which meant we had a lot to learn. Like all the men we took
game with a crude shotgun and shells were used like currency.
We
studied their language and later began to teach Bible stories among the few
believers in the community who were helping SIL/Wycliffe to translate the
Scriptures into their language. Gradually, I became more comfortable in the
local language and knew that God had called me to study linguistics in the
future. After completing my two years, I was eager to return to the field but I
knew there were other things to do first.
Earlier
in the story we met Pastor Phil. Well, he had a daughter; Maridith, who I had
developed a deep respect and attraction to. We had worked together at Snowbird
and while I was in Peru she was in Honduras helping to start a bilingual
Christian school in Tegucigalpa. We returned to the US at the same time and in
the summer of 2008 Pastor Phil became my father-in-law.
Maridith and I were
married in Andrews, NC in the presence of our church, family, and friends. This
day was the happiest of my young life and we were off to attempt great things
for Christ together. Our adventures in following Jesus continue to change my life. Maridith has been a wonderful companion and challenging influence in my life. My love for her is deep as I am deeply indebted to her refining love for me... Cont.
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