Who I Am
First and foremost, I am a child of God, a slave set free, a new creation, a masterpiece crafted with purpose, a co-heir with Jesus, and a worker called on a mission. That’s my identity in Christ, and that’s yours too if you call Jesus your savior!
Beyond that, I’m a 26-year-old Oregonian, born and raised just outside of Portland. Brought up in a Christian home, I got saved as a young child. But it wasn’t till my teenage years that my faith was really put to the test, when I was physically and verbally abused by my father and my parents went through a painful divorce. I seriously considered suicide on two occasion during this dark time. And one of the core reasons I didn’t try to kill myself was that I knew this one truth: God had a plan for my life.
After graduating high school at the top of my class in 2015, I earned a B.S. in Geology at Oregon State University and then a M.S. in Water Resources Policy & Management and a Graduate Certificate in Water Conflict Management and Transformation. I’ve been blessed with many opportunities to travel and learn from other cultures, including India, New Zealand, Canada, Scotland, Albania, Greece, Egypt and Israel-Palestine.
The Call
One day I was at work listening to my favorite podcast about leadership when I heard a statistic that rocked my world. The number one reason why Christian missionaries leave the mission field is internal team conflict (Taylor, 1997, Too Valuable To Lose). Yep, you read that right. The most common reason that our missionaries go home is that they can’t get along with their fellow missionaries.
When I heard this I began to literally cry at my work desk, hoping nobody would notice. This was a gap year before I started my Master’s degree, and over the next few months God crystallized a clear calling in my mind.
The Vision
Someday I will teach biblical conflict management principles all over the world, especially to church staff and missionaries. I sometimes tell people that I would love to become “the Dave Ramsey of Conflict Management”, not because I want the fame, but because I get excited thinking about the incredible, multiplied blessings that would come from Christians who are well trained in how to handle conflict.
The Plan
God willing, I will spend my early career in natural resources and environmental work, getting conflict management experience where I can. And then at some point I will transition and begin to travel and teach more frequently.
I am fundraising to spend 6 months training and serving overseas with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) for several reasons. I know that this training will greatly complement my vision of teaching conflict management, I am eager to fellowship and with like-minded Christians, and I look forward to getting hands-on experience serving as a missionary. The first 3 months will be a YWAM Discipleship Training School in Kona, Hawaii. The next 3 months will be spent serving with a smaller team somewhere else in a to-be-determined location. I know there will be many challenges along the journey, but I’m very excited for all of it!
Partner with me on an epic journey of calling and discovery
Would you prayerfully consider supporting me? I am recruiting both prayer partners and financial partners. I have no doubt that the enemy will be launching fresh attacks at me as I take this big step towards God’s calling for my life, and so your prayers would be greatly appreciated. You can sign up for emails updates and prayer requests at this link:
https://forms.gle/1g7BK5kgeFpH7Nw56
Josiah