I was privileged to be born to missionary parents in the country of the Central African Republic. Our normal routine was to live four years on the field and take a one year furlough in the U.S., so for the first fourteen years of my life I spent the majority of it growing up in the Central African Republic. I grew up speaking both English and the national language of the country - Songo.
It was there in the Central African Republic that I also realized that it was not just the African who was eternally lost but the missionary child as well and I repented of my sin and accepted Christ as my Saviour. Shortly after my salvation I recognized and submitted to God's call upon my life to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Beginning the third grade I attended a missionary boarding school which was two days away from the village where my parents lived. We were there for the whole school year with a short CHRISTmas vacation. I came to the U.S. to finish high school while my parents returned to Africa.
After high school I went on to two separate colleges and graduated from the Fellowship Baptist College in May of 1985. Upon graduation I served as an assistant to my pastor and church in Goshen, Ohio and then was able to return to Africa with my father for a three month term to help in his ministry there. In March of 1986 I was ordained and commissioned by the authority of the Cozaddale Baptist Temple as their missionary.
During my college years I married the one who God had for me, Peggy. God had allowed us to meet there at Cozaddale Baptist Temple. Peggy was part of our youth group and had a clear and good testimony with my pastor and our youth director. We were married in June of 1984. Through the years God has given us a tremendous family (six children), wonderful opportunities of ministry, and a great love for one another.
Missionary life began in New Zealand. Peggy and I thought that New Zealand would be the only country we would ever serve in. It was there we planned to live, to raise our family and to give our life for the Lord Jesus Christ. Just two short years latter through the illness and death of our daughter Bethany we were back in the U.S. Although it was our hope to return to New Zealand God placed us in Bullhead City, Arizona to serve Him. The youth and fervency of our lives were given to God to start the Mohave Baptist Church. What a tremendous time those years were for us as we saw God do what many said were impossible. Thank you God and thank you members of the Mohave Baptist Church!
In November of 2003 God moved us again allowing us to return to foreign missionary service. Although we spoke no Spanish God moved us to Mexico. After a short furlough back in Ohio with our home church we began co-labouring with the Nelson Dorr family in the city of Navajoa, Sonora, Mexico. Visit their ministry at http://www.providencebaptistministries.com/ to get an idea of our first years in Mexico.
We are now in the process of beginning anew. Pray for us as we seek God's will for that exact location. Currently we are looking at the town of Magdalena de Kino.
For the salvation of souls,
Steven Harris
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
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I'm Tim Burgess, Peggy's cousin from Kentucky. First let me say that you two have a fine looking family. I've known Peg her entire Life and she looks just the same as she did as a child. Now my story, In June 2008 my Wife Melody and I were out in the yard playing Ball, like we've done two or three times a week for about the last 30 years. I wanted to come in because i felt tired, and she wanted to hit me a couple more. So she hit me a couple more and we went in to have supper, as soon as I got in the house a feeling like the Sun was setting on my chest hit me, I tried to ignore it but then a loud clear voice in my head started telling me to go to the Hospital, a Voice that Got Louder, and louder until it was Greater than the pian in my Chest. I told Melody That God was telling me to go to the Hospital, so I went downstairs kissed my sons goodbye and I drove Myself to the Hospital. All the while I was just as calm as could be. I had been dreading this day all of my Life, My Father had Bypass surgery twice, one of my brothers has had it, and the other was has a stint. So I've known I was a marked man since 1975. But there was know fear, when I arrived at the hospital I grabbed the first guy in scrubs that I saw, and I told him what my symptoms were. He didn't make me wait, but took me straight into the Emergency room. I ended up spending 18 days in the Hospital, and two people never left me in that time. My Wife and The Lord! I had Five bypasses, and I am alive today by Gods Grace. He was actually yelling in my head, and I could no more ignore it, than I could fly. He took away all the fear I had of that experience. An experience I had seen my Father go through, and witnessing it scared me to death. But when My time came I had no fear, The fear of death left me, I knew whose hands I was in, and it was the most comforting feeling in the world. Since then I have tried to tell as many people as I could about how God Yelled in my Head! I always told everyone that when my time comes, I won't have all that cutting on me, and go through everything that dad had gone through, But the Lord had other plans! Sincerely
Timothy J. Burgess
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