Julina & Damon.
I can still remember the day I walked upon those steps on a cold November morning in New England. I was 23 years old and excited about what lied ahead for my family and I as we started our journey in ministry. Some of the things I remember the most are still clear to me today. I can remember the feeling of absolute terror filled with excitement. I can also remember the complete insecurity of what it was to pioneer a brand new ministry. From recruiting students, to training leaders to laying the wallpaper that still decorates the halls. Our mission was very clear: design and develop a ministry for students that would provide a full-time ministry experience, while training them to be disciples for Jesus Christ. I never realized how unequipped I was for that task at the time.
There were 2 things that I am still in touch with about myself as I reflect on those 4 years Georgina and I spent in Connecticut.
1. I was terribly inexperienced.
2. I was rough around the edges. I always had the habit of saying the wrong things.
3. I was a new husband and father. I had to be horrible at it.
4. I had a passion that could not be quenched!
I had a deep feeling that God wanted to use me to make an impact in my generation. Who would have known God had other plans? I remember those cold, quiet mornings when the clouds filled the air over the city. It seemed that God would speak so clearly to me then. I can still remember the smell of the woodwork in the house that gave you that feeling of being in another world. I can remember how the city would come alive at the slightest crack of sun. I can remember how the people were so tough. God really used them to build my compassion for hurting and lost people. It was in the East Coast where I learned to love the seeming unlovable, and to touch the untouchable. I can still remember how God developed my heart. Who would have known how God would use those experiences later in my life?
Those days were exciting days. They were days filled with evangelism. We would evangelize every single day. Our first class wasn’t that large. It was only about 12 students. They were rough, but they loved to evangelize. They were some of the best I have ever seen. As years went by the UTC began to grow in number, we started to develop other strategies to develop young people such as student curriculums, East Coast Spring retreat, X-Days, Operation New Generation, High School Impact and many other things, but it all started with that raw spirit of evangelism. One day I asked 2 of my students to separate with me for a week of prayer and fasting to ask God for an idea to write a drama that would relate to the need in the east coast. We separated to an apartment in Brooklyn to pray and write. It was in that small Brooklyn apartment that we came up with the drama entitled, “Street Dreams”. We were so excited to present the idea to the students, they were excited to hear it. Who would have know that over 10 years later that drama would continue to be used all over the world. It is humbling to hear of the reports of souls being reached in Texas, Florida, Connecticut, El Salvador and Los Angeles just this year alone. In over 10 years, thousands have seen “Street Dreams” and many, many people have received Christ as a result. We did not expect those results at the time.
Those were truly exciting days. As the UTC began to expand to other cities, such as Los Angeles, Manila, Mexico & South Africa my wife and I began to feel the call to raise up other leaders. I have alway been thankful for those students who became staff. They were the foundation for the UTC’s expansion. Today many of those leaders have become pastors or have moved on to other ministries but they continue to remain tightly knit through their UTC experience.
Today, the UTC continues to be a ministry that is close to my heart. Not only because my wife and I pioneered the work and thousands of students have walked through those doors and slept in those beds. But now our favorite niece and nephew are students in the UTC. Damon & Julina are young people who have made a decision to follow Christ with all of their hearts. They have surrendered all and they are top students in the UTC. Julina has just completed a year of training and Damon is well on his way to completion. Recently, I had an opportunity to speak with Damon on the phone. I spent some time encouraging him and envisioning him. It was an honor. Julina lived with us for 3 months before she enrolled. We are very, very proud of her.
Looking back at the battles of those days, have a new meaning to me. All the struggles, all the feelings of loneliness & frustration, all those dark days were worth it. Little did we know that we were busy building a legacy. Little did we know the impact it would have upon our future. We would drive up and down the 95 from Boston to Washington DC. We would eat Ray’s Pizza in NYC. We would go from church service to church service. We would evangelize in below 0 temperatures. We would sleep in Men’s Homes and shower with buckets. We would pray. We would pray for God to do something with our lives! We would pray that God would impact our generation. God has been faithful to us.
I can’t wait until Ryan, Averi, Zanelle, Savannah & Julie enroll.
Other than Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, I am truly inspired by sports. I pretty much follow most american sports competition especially baseball, basketball & football. I grew up playing them all and was pretty good all the way up through high school. I can really say that sports taught me many things about competition and effort. I continue to watch professional sports today and find inspiration in many different athletes. How does sports inspire me?
