A few days
ago I took a flight from St. Louis, Missouri, where I live, to Fresno,
California, where I was raised. I have come to spend a few days with my parents
and to celebrate my father’s 90th birthday. There is always
something nostalgic about returning to the place where we grew up. Although I
have been back to visit on other occasions, I have not lived in this San
Joaquin Valley for 36 years.
Everything
seems so familiar: The fruit and nut trees, the vineyards, the alfalfa fields, and the dairies with
countless cows. Citrus orchards and just about every kind of vegetable that
will grow are here. Surrounding this valley is the majestic view of the Sierra
Mountains with their snow-capped peaks. This is a nice place to live. However,
this morning I realized temperature is always relative. The news featured a
reporter on the street bundled up from head to toe, reporting that it was a
very cold morning of 38 degrees. I thought to myself, that all depends on where
you live. A few hours later it reached nearly 70 degrees, so I have been
willing to handle the 38.
My memories
of growing up are good. My parents provided for all of my basic needs as a
child, so I grew up feeling loved and cared for. In this valley, many people
taught their children a strong work ethic from a very young age. I happen to
have been born to those kinds of parents. It hasn’t hurt me in life, and to the
contrary, it has come in handy.
Both of my
parents were born in the Midwest and came to California with their parents when
they were adults. In fact, the San Joaquin was settled by millions of people
like my folks who came here looking for a better life. Many of my family have
become farmers, truckers or businessmen.
When I left
California, I followed my calling—the ministry. That calling took me to the
Midwest, then to Argentina, and now back to the Midwest. I have no regrets
about the life I chose to follow. It has been challenging, but extremely
rewarding.
My call to
ministry actually happened when I was sixteen. I was part of a missions trip to
Hermosillo, Mexico. During one part of the trip, we sang in a prison, and it
was there that God spoke to me about sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with
the world. I looked at the prisoners and realized that we are all prisoners of
our own sin until Jesus sets us free.
First, I
experienced forgiveness for my sins when I received Christ as my savior, and
since then I have been telling other people about Jesus. He is one who sets the
prisoner free. Jesus said this about his ministry:
Luke 4:18-19
"The
Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he
has anointed me
to preach
good news to the poor.
He has sent me
to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery
of sight for the blind,
to release
the oppressed,
to proclaim
the year of the Lord's favor."
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