Our Story

Looking to Jesus

In the gospel of John, at the end of the Last Supper, John writes this.; “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper.” Immediately following this, Jesus went on to wash his disciples’ feet, encouraged them with his farewell discourse, and went on to his crucifixion, death, and resurrection. As Chelsey and I look back on our lives up until this point, we’re reminded of this passage. How before Jesus went on to finish his task that he was sent for, John makes it a point to tell us that Jesus knew three things; where he had come from, where he was going, and who had given him all things.

Where we came from

God graciously provided Chelsey and I with safe childhoods in the same hometown. We were both raised going to the same church, Trinity Covenant Church in Manchester, CT, hearing weekly about who God is and was. Even though our paths crossed many times in our early years, our lives were very different. Chelsey believed in Jesus at a young age, and I did not come to believe in Jesus until I was 17. Our worlds truly collided in the second half of high school, after the gospel radically changed my life and brought me back to our church’s youth group. We attended a missions trip to Tijuana, Mexico together, and while there, God convicted us of His heart for all nations, and we saw it happen in each other’s hearts. A couple months after that trip, we began dating. Over the six and half years of our dating relationship, God continued to faithfully teach us more about His Word, His love, and what it truly meant to live in light of the gospel.

In 2015, we were married, with the plans to work ourselves out of debt so we could be missionaries. Chelsey worked as a nurse, and I as an EMT, until God uprooted us from our hometown to begin training with Ethnos360. When we heard how there are over 1,600 people groups in the world without any Bible translated into their own language, it broke our hearts. God drew us to Ethnos360 because of their mission to reach the unreached with the gospel.

God brought us to a place where we both KNEW who we were, and that our identities were in Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Galatians 2:20a

Where we’re going

In August of 2018, we moved to Jackson, Michigan and attended the Ethnos360 Bible Institute for a year of Bible training. This was the first step in the training process of becoming tribal church planters with Ethnos360. God continued to teach us more about His Word, and grew our trust in Him greatly. 

In August of 2019, we began our full-time training at the Missionary Training Center in Roach, Missouri. This is a two year program where missionaries are trained in all the areas necessary to plant a church among an unreached people group. We graduated in the Spring of 2021!

Throughout our training, we were thrown many curveballs. In His mercy, God has been faithful to us every step of the way. Despite the pandemic hitting at the end of our first year, our trainers found a way to get our class finished, through many alterations and much wisdom from the Lord. 

In the summer between our two years of our church planting training, God blessed us with our son Roman, who was born in June of 2020. For the months that followed, Chelsey experienced concerning health problems, and she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in September 2020. Prior to her diagnosis, we were committed to serving in Papua New Guinea as tribal church planters. Through much prayer and counsel from doctors and mentors, the Lord led us to serve at the Ethnos360 Bible Institute in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Having been through the training program with Ethnos360, we have been totally convinced of the vital importance of the training Ethnos360 offers. We are both humbled and honored to have the opportunity to transition from church planting to equipping church planters! 

After this season of transition and many unknowns, Chelsey and I are thankful for the hope and eternal security we have in Christ. We’ve come to an understanding of our own sinfulness, and we know there is no way we can earn our own salvation. Knowing full well that we are sinners, God in his grace made a way for us through his Son’s death and resurrection to have a relationship with Him. We are overwhelmed by the grace shown in this, and that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” . It is through knowing Jesus and trusting in what He has done for us that we can be assured of our eternal salvation. “And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20b

Our provider

God has taught us thus far in our lives that He is our provider. He provided us with salvation through His son Jesus; He’s provided us with His Word; He’s provided us with absolutely everything we have. Everything we have is a gift from God. And He wants us to use His gifts for His glory. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

So far in our lives, God has shown us over and over again how faithful He is to us in providing everything we need. Often times, He uses the people He’s put in our lives to remind us of His faithfulness. Chelsey and I are seeking to play a small role in fulfilling God’s desire, for people from every tribe, tongue, and nation to be able to have a relationship with Him and read and understand His word in their own language. You can get involved too!