Color me red!

He who wants milk should not set himself in the middle of a

pasture waiting for a cow to back up to him.

I’ll never forget my first trip to Romania sometime in 1999. My parents had travelled to Romania the previous year with a small group to do VBS in an orphanage. My father was once again returning with several friends to explore opportunities for future ministry. At the last minute a spot opened up and I was able to join the group. God really opened my eyes and touched my heart during that trip. I will never forget this trip because it laid the foundation for everything yet to come in my life. Since that trip I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve travelled to Romania, even taking a year to live in Timisoara. Since that first trip I’ve always known God had many great things in store for me and Romania, plans that are much bigger than I can even imagine. As I look back over the years I’m amazed at all the stops we’ve made along the way. Romania has become a fabric of my DNA. Most of my close friends are either Romanian or people I met while living in Romania. Some of my fondest memories have come from Romania. I would trade nothing for where I am today but I will always value the time Kacee and I shared in Romania.

I’ve had a lot of dreams about doing work in Romania. Before we moved to Romania I swore to myself that I was not going to just “do something” in Romania so I could say I “did something.” Consequently, a lot of ideas have ended up in File 13. I guess you could say I’ve spent a lot of time “sitting in the pasture” waiting for an opportunity to find me. What I’ve discovered is that ideas don’t find us, and truthfully we don’t find ideas either. The truth is that when a dream, or idea if you will, is planted in our heart by our Father in Heaven it completely consumes us to the point we know it is not of us but rather of Him. That’s where we are today. When Kacee and I moved home we promised Ovidiu and Adina that one day we would work together to restore the people of Romania to the place God intended them to be. The timing and opportunity just had to be right. Now after years of praying and prompting from the Hold Spirit we are finally grabbing that cow by the tail!

Last week I put in the mail an application for the Articles of Incorporation for Red Page Ministries. You are probably asking yourself where I came up with the name. A little over a year ago Kacee and I purchased our daughter Brynlee her first Bible. To this day she still loves reading her Bible. She will climb in my lap and tell me, “Daddy, read my Bible to me.” Prompting a response from her I’ll open it to the Old Testament. Immediately she will respond, “Daddy, turn to the red pages!”

I guess you could say our name is pretty simple. First, we all want to leave something that will last for our children. This ministry is more than just something for the founders; rather it is a legacy we all hope to leave for our children. As Max Lucado once said, “The greatest gift you can give your children is not your riches, but revealing to them their own.” As we strive to impact Romania we hope we will encourage our children to pursue His will for them. Second, there is no greater place to turn than to the words of Jesus (written in red) to find instruction for caring for widows, orphans, at-risk children, and families.

We’ve been down a long and winding road that has led us to this point. Now our vision is clear. It’s easy to see how the pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place for this ministry. Over the next few weeks I’m going to share with you information about our mission, purpose, vision, needs, and dreams. We are new, very new. We don’t have a website. We don’t have a logo. We haven’t even been approved as a 501.c.3 ministry yet. However, I couldn’t wait to tell you the wonderful news. Right now we need your prayers more than anything. So until next week, aspire to new heights, and add us to your prayer list!

Blessings from the Red Page Ministries team.