Our Testimony

My name is Carl and my wife's name is Richelle. In 1995, I lost my first two children, Andrew and Amber, in a car wreck. This changed my life drastically. My wife at that time divorced me and this put my life in a place that I will never forget. The Lord spoke to me that day and told me I would have to make a choice to live or die and I chose to live. I still had one child, Jacob, that survived the wreck who was 3 years old. Later on, I wound up meeting my wife now of 25 years who had three kids of her own and we started our life together. Together we had one child of our own, Carly. 

After the loss of my first two kids I hadn't been in church except a few times and even though God was pulling on me to do so, I never fully gave my heart to the Lord until June of 2006. In June, The Lord came to me in my kitchen and told me I had to serve Him now and I told Him I couldn’t because every other time I had tried and failed, but He said something I will never forget. He said, “You are right, you have tried and failed, but if you trust me I will do this in your life.” I gave my heart to God, and this time there was no turning back. He said I was to give Him everything I have, this meant my family, my finances. All that I was I had to entrust to God.

 In August of 2006 our 15-year-old son, Curtis, was killed in a car wreck. The first thing that I thought was, ‘Lord I can’t do this’, but we continued our journey with the Lord trusting and praying and believing that God was able to keep us and He did! He blessed us and kept us and around 2011 we stared to do ministry to reach a hurting world. We set out to help those in despair as the Lord was leading us. In 2012 our 29-year-old son Joe was killed in a car wreck and we took in his son, Nick, and step daughter, Patience, that we are still raising. As we continued in ministry with many changes and trials we continued to trust the Lord Jesus and press in to His will for our life. In 2013 we took in another child, Azariah, from my son Jacob and are still raising him. We soon decided to move to St. Clair, Mo. to do ministry and even with all the loss the Lord was keeping us. In 2016 our 26-year-old son Ethan passed from an overdose. We have continued to trust God and stand on His word even through such pain knowing only the Lord can sustain us. 

In January 2017 I felt the Lord say to me I want you to quit your job and go full time ministry. So, I turned my notice in March to one of the best jobs I have ever had and took the call. Not many days after that our 24-year-old son Jacob was killed in a car wreck. I said, “God You promised You would do this!” And He said, “You must trust me.” We have stood on the promises of God and we are still standing. In August of 2018 we began House of Hope in Sullivan, Mo, and are still going strong. 

I believe He has kept us for such a time as this. America is full of hurting people that need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our testimony says you can live in adversity and loss, that you can trust in the Lord when it seems like everything is against you, and He will bring you out. I left my job, in faith, to be an American missionary and to take the gospel into every city in this great country and tell the hurting that there is a Savior. The Lord has kept us to reach America. He has put a vision of revival in me, that is coming to America, where many will be restored in Christ. I ask that you continue to pray for us as we continue our new journey in full time ministry. We have already seen several miracles of healing and of lives changed through the preaching of the gospel. 

2 Chronicles 7:14 

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land! 

Will you help me take the gospel to the cities of America?