A New Direction

Pastor Armando and Phil after a cement pour.

I’ve been thinking about the idea of vocation vs. career for some time. In his book Wishful Thinking, Frederick Buechner writes of vocation: “It comes from the Latin vocare—to call—and means the work a person is called to by God… The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done… The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

I have felt a deep gladness while working alongside fellow Christians in Latin America, and, after 22 years of working in Christian higher education administration—mentoring students, leading short‐term mission trips, leadership development, alumni relations and fundraising—I feel it is time to step out in faith and follow my calling to full-time mission work. My work and experiences have prepared me for this next phase of my life. I have been volunteering with Beyond Partnership since 1993 and I left my job in higher education administration on June 30, 2011 to assume the role of Director of Partnership Development.

Beyond Partnership is committed to the principle of “undership”—to be under the authority of the national leadership in all aspects of ministry. My role will include leading short‐term mission trips, spearheading communication and helping to develop a strategic plan for Beyond Partnership and our ministry partners. 

I'm excited about this new chapter in my life. My goal is to post bi-weekly. You can learn more about Beyond Partnership at www.beyondpartnership.org.