The dream God put in my heart from a young age was to learn languages and share God’s word in remote places. In my first months of retirement from 39 years teaching English and Spanish in the US and abroad, I am finally throwing myself headlong into that dream. My first stop is Quebec with Mission Quebec, an organization whose goal is to double the presence of the evangelical church in this Canadian province. Here is their website to read more about them. https://missionqc.org/en/ I will be spending the month of December with John and Kimberly Barnard in Trois Rivieres. John has graciously agreed to provide me with an intensive three-week long course in French, a language I have been working on for years with only minimal progress, while diving in doing whatever they can find for me to employ my hands in with their ministry.

English, Spanish and French are among the top five languages spoken on the planet. Of those three French is the one that I have not mastered to fluency. Understanding and speaking French will vastly open doors in places where I can not only volunteer but also integrate in a more personal way with people.

As I searched for somewhere close to home where I could connect with a mission organization while learning French, I discovered Mission Quebec. I am very excited about this opportunity and very grateful to John for being willing to allow me to participate in his French classes and the work he and his team have going on in and around Trois Rivieres.

I also want to thank GO International for being the ones under whose auspices I can begin this adventure that I hope lasts many, many years… as long as the Lord allows. I am providing here my email address for anyone who is interested in supporting me through prayer and/or financially. It is jeffontheroad@yahoo.com I am not much one for social media, but I do love writing a good letter. These days, I use email instead of letters. Email/letters allow for more personal and thoughtful interaction which I prefer. Through email, prayer and financial supporters can follow along with me on this journey. I have worked to get my overhead expenses down to the minimum possible to make my retirement income stretch to fund these years of volunteering, but it will not be enough. My goal is to spend at minimum half the year volunteering with mission organizations around the world.

Throughout the years that I have spent volunteering and through my connections at Indian Springs Holiness Campmeeting, I am in contact with missionaries scattered across the planet and who work with a variety of organizations. My dream is to spend at least a month in any one place to amortize the expense of getting there. That is a lot of coming and going, but that is one of Jesus’ gifts to me. I love change of venue. We are ultimately nomads, pilgrims on this planet. This is just the first part of a glorious eternal existence. This is our training ground. This is where God hones our gifts and loyalty, our faith and perseverance. I have never been one to enjoy being in one place for too long, but my career in public school education and family obligations have made spending more than a month or more per year away from home difficult.

I spent many years dedicating some holidays and most summers to volunteering with different organizations. I have spent time in Japan, Syria, France, Portugal, Brazil, Navajo Nation, Nicaragua, India… and I am looking forward in this next stage of my life to spending much more time doing more of that. I usually volunteer in schools teaching. Who knows what God holds in store? After Quebec, next stop is Honduras with WGM with Rhonda Holton leading the trip. After that, only the Lord knows, but I know it will be somewhere that Jesus can continue to grow me into an ever-deeper relationship with him and allow me to serve in whatever way he sees fit for his kingdom.