SON OF HANS

Kingdom Come. Amen.
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Vision

Calvin and his wife Camille

I believe God has led us on this path of life for a reason. As I think back at events growing up, I can see his leading even when I wasn’t neccessarily tuned in. One of those instances was when I was a Freshman at Clemson as an Engineering major. I knew engineering wasn’t for me and was looking for another major when I ran into an old friend who said he was majoring in Graphic Commications (GC) and he told me to tour the building. I did and it peaked my interest. I ended up switching majors and graduating with a degree in GC. Even further back, I have always loved computers and remember creating greeting cards on Microsoft Publisher on Windows 3.2. God rekindled my passion even when I had forgotten it. I started my own design business, Design Smart, and love it! Art, design, business and technology is what I love to do.

Camille has always been in to health and fitness and after a semester at USC-Spartanburg in the TV Journalist major, all of her classes were canceled for the next semester because of a glitch in the system. As a result, she had to on a whim take some other classes. She took some time to rethink her major and ended up graduating with a certificate of personal training. She started her own business as well.

I believe God is always trying to lead us further into our passions that he created us for. I’ve seen a pattern emerge throughout my YWAM DTS experience. As I saw people pursue God, He brings them deeper passion for what they love to do. It happened to us too! He also does another special thing. He gives us a heart for what breaks His. I no longer want to go through life making money to spend on myself. I want my business to fully honor God. Camille and my skills are an offering to the Kingdom of God to be used for His glory.

Here’s what I’m thinking God is leading Camille and I towards in missions:

  • Using my design skills to help out fellow missionaries with blogs and other marketing
  • Using my business knowledge to help the impoverished out of their poverty by helping them with start ups businesses and other initiatives.
  • Using Design and software knowledge to train people in this skill.
  • Keeping an eye on injustices and creating campaigns to bring them to the light.
  • Linking the business world with the mission world through my business (with friend and designer, Liam Byrnes),Design Smart.
  • Through my business, encourage other businesses to partner with missionaries and redefine what missionary means. All businesses can be missional
  • Camille is a great teacher (you have to be in personal training) and she can use her gifting in a number of ways.
  • Camille also has a great counseling gift which God has allowed her to use in the past and will continue to allow her to use in the future.

Why are we dropping everything to go all over the world?

God has given us a hunger and a passion to seek Him for the rest of our lives. While seeking God, we developed his heart for the lost and broken. We want to go tell others about the glory of His kingdom and spread His love to the sick, impoverished, hungry and hurting.

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20

We feel led to help fulfill God’s great commission that Jesus talks about in Matthew. Just as a school teacher needs training before he or she teaches, we felt the need to learn how to become a trained disciple so we are ready to effectively spread and teach the Gospel to others. The Youth with a Mission (YWAM) Community Transformations Discipleship Training School (DTS) was the perfect fit to train us and take what we learn in the classroom to the nations. Starting at the end of September 2009, we spent 3 months in Kona, HI and then spent 3 months on an outreach in Finland and Sweden. The school gave new understanding of how to transform people, communities, and the world.

With the DTS training under our belt, we want to spend some time teaching others what we learned and discipling them by partnering with God in what He is doing in their life! We also realize if we are going to stay long term in another country, we will need to learn leadership skills. After much prayer, we felt the best way to do this is to staff a DTS. We will be staffing the Summer DTS 2010 and leading an outreach to a yet-to-be-determined location. We ask for your prayers and partnership as we continue to follow Jesus!

Check out the DTS we will be staffing: Summer DTS

After training, we are looking into spending time long term where ever God leads us. We feel a call to Spanish speaking countries (Spain, anything south of America :) ) as well as any lost sons and daughters of God.

Please keep us in your prayers, as we discern the path that God has us on.