(Written by Evan)
In 2013, I came to Grace Life for counseling in desperate pursuit of emotional healing. My marriage had ended abruptly despite an all-out effort to pursue reconciliation. Life as I knew it had been shattered and I was in crisis. By God’s grace, I found peace and hope through the truth imparted to me at Grace Life. I was slowly but surely healed by the beauty and simplicity of the Gospel: we are loved more than we can possibly imagine by our heavenly Father, and we have been given abundant life through Jesus who now lives in and through us. The lies I had unwittingly developed about God and myself were replaced with truth. I began to walk in forgiveness and wholeness through the knowledge of my identity in Christ. Soon it was overflowing, and I started sharing this with others who were searching or suffering. I had a genuine testimony of hope to share. It was the first time in my life I’d ever seen people be so open, even eager, to hear about Jesus from me.
As you might know, I spent significant time as a missionary in Nicaragua. That’s actually where Hannah and I met, even though we’re both from NC, if you can believe that! In the wake of this new season of life, I started to curiously investigate full time ministry opportunities in Nicaragua. But, God had a different plan. In early 2014, I entered Advanced Discipleship Training at Grace Life, where I began to realize a gift for counseling becoming apparent in my life. I mentioned my interest in counseling to one of my instructors. Much to my surprise, the President and Directors of Ministry had unanimously agreed to invite me on to their ministry staff several months prior to my inquiry. The ministry was in need of more counselors, especially male counselors, to contend with an ever-expanding waiting list for counselees. They had also been praying for a person with my technology skill set that could help propel the ministry forward with vision the Lord had set before them in that area. I was astonished by how well my unique gifts and abilities could be used by God to meet these needs so precisely.
After much prayer and counsel, the Lord clearly confirmed to me that this was the direction I should take for my life, I accepted this call. In my role at Grace Life, I am a full-time minister of the Gospel, utilizing my training and God-given gifts to counsel, teach, and provide outreach through technology to those who are searching, hurting, and in need of emotional and spiritual healing. This is all accomplished through the powerful message of both sides of the cross and the relentless, incredible love of the Father. At Grace Life, Christ-centered counseling is offered in such a way that cost is never a barrier to a person in need, regardless of their financial situation. If that’s not exciting enough, to top it all off, as a part of this role I will have the opportunity to spend time in Nicaragua each year, and potentially many other parts of the world as God leads.
In 2015, Grace Life celebrated 20 years of being used by God to transform thousands of lives, including my own. Like all paid staff ministers at Grace Life, including the President, I have the privilege of stepping out in faith and raising support as a missionary through a team of financial supporters made up of people just like you.
If you would like to become a financial partner, instructions are easy to find here.
Grace Life International is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible.