Don
I grew up in a loving Christian home where church & God was the center of our lives. We often had the guest speaker or visiting missionary in our home and each summer I went to Ontario Bible Camp in New York as counselors & life guard. In my high school years we moved to Orlando, Florida where we began attending a church where some students from the New Tribes Mission training also attended. My parents would invite the students home for lunch after church. We began attending the Tuesday evening fellowship meetings at the New Tribes training camp. That is where I was challenged for missions. After graduating from high school I sent my application to the New Tribes Bible Institute in Waukesha,Wisconsin. In August of 1969 I began my training to become a missionary.
Julie
I grew up in a loving Christian home where church & God was the center of our lives. We often invited the guest speaker or visiting missionary to stay in our home. I went to Prescott Pines Bible camp each summer for a week. At camp I heard a missionary speak & I dedicated my life to God when I was 12 years old to be a missionary. When I was 19 years old Mel Wyma a missionary from New Tribes Mission came to my home church to speak. God used him to challenge me for missions to tribal people and in a week I was off to the New Tribes Bible Institute in Waukesha,Wisconsin.
Julie flew from Arizona & Don flew from Florida to both meet for the first time at the New Tribes Mission Bible Institute. Of course it was love at first sight. smile We were married Dec. 19, 1971. We completed the New Tribes Mission Training in May 1973 and we set a date to fly to Paraguay, SA for the first of the year. We traveled visiting family & churches for 6 months. January 1974 we arrived in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay.
We would choose to do it all over again, the only thing we would change would be that we would listen more, be kinder, more patient and more loving. What a wonderful life & privilege we have had.