I was born into a small-town family in rural Maine back before WWII even started. It was a railroading town, and my father was a third-generation railroader. During my childhood, the rail yards were my playground.

My family was staunchly Christian, and the church played a central role is our lives. Church members were like my extended family. It’s no surprise that I grew up knowing God was Lord of my life, and I was confident he would direct my path through whatever might lie ahead. Also, as the son of a railroader, I thought of myself as being on a train with God as the Engineer.

I’ve ridden a lot of trains throughout my life, here in North America, in Europe, and even in Asia. Generally, train rides are smooth going, but there are also curves that can toss you around. Sometimes trains break down. A snowstorm or an accident brings an unexpected situation that have to be dealt with. In many ways my life could be compared to a train ride: long and eventful, ultimately leading to my final destination.

Growing up, I did not give much thought to where the train of my life was taking me. Although my family was not wealthy, we never felt poor. There were hard times, but as a child I was more focused on the fun times, of which there were no shortage. I loved school and church. I loved to learn, and both of these places gave me some challenges.

As I approached graduation from high school, I began to wonder where my train ride was going to take me next. It seemed obvious to me that I was not to be a railroader like my father and grandfather. I supposed whatever God would have me do would require I go to college. So, in the fall of 1954 I headed off to college with almost no money, and no idea what I was supposed to study when I got there. I quickly discovered that I was not ready for this.

After one semester my train ride took me into the U.S. Army, hoping that three years there would give me a better perspective – and the GI Bill would be able to finance college. I fully expected to return to that college, but the Engineer directed me elsewhere, to a Christian college in western New York. I wondered, “Why here, Lord?“ The Lord began to reveal the reasons. First, I could easily afford it. Second, it was where I met my future wife and lifelong soulmate, Barbara. It was also where I began to see the many ways the world needed Christ.

Ten days after her graduation, Barbara joined me on the train of life and we continued our trip together. Neither one of us had any idea where that train was headed; we just knew that wherever the Engineer was taking us, that was where we were supposed to go. And somehow we felt it would include doing something related to global missions.

The train brought us back to Maine for a couple years where we pastored a few rural churches. Then one day we stepped aboard a literal train from Maine through Western Canada. Our destination was a faraway place neither of us had ever dreamed of going. At this stage our family had grown by one – an 18 month-old son.

As I boarded that train with my family and all of our belongings I thought, “What am I doing? Am I out of my mind? I don’t even know where I am going.” After a few minutes, my heart quieted. God was still driving this train and He’d never failed me, so I relaxed, and entrusted us once more to His direction.

That ride took us all the way across Canada and then into the United States to Seattle, Washington where we boarded a freighter headed for Singapore! It took us a month to get there, with a week-long stopover in Saigon (right in the middle of the war). Once we arrived, headquarters decided to send us North to Thailand. In 1965 we arrived in Bangkok. We were in Thailand for thirty-five years.

Within our first five years in Thailand, we added two daughters to our family. The Thai people loved children, and ours were great connectors in meeting people. But children also provide another target for the Enemy to attack. Ten months after the birth of our older daughter, she came down with epilepsy. One thing a parent never wants to see is their child thrashing helplessly on the floor and being able to do nothing but watch (and pray). Fortunately, two years later she’d largely grown out of it.

There were other curves that rocked me especially hard. During our time in Thailand, both my parents died, along with two of my three siblings, with me on the other side of the world. Later, I developed prostate cancer which nearly ended our ministry in Thailand. But again, the Engineer kept us going.

After eight years in Thailand, we found ourselves at a Bible training school up in the Northern part of the country. Working with other Thai and foreign staff, we helped train young men and women (ages 18-22) to go out and labor in God’s vineyard.

We quickly came to feel that this was the work God had been preparing us for all along, and He confirmed it to us over and over during the next 25 years. It was a fantastic train ride.

All too soon the train carried us back to the US for retirement in 2002. We cared for Barbara’s parents in Phoenix, and became heavily involved in ministry there. Again, we felt God’s blessing on our life and work. Before I knew it I’d turned 80.

Barbara and I both realize there are not too many more stops on this train ride, but experience has taught us to expect a few more bumps and sharp curves. Knowing that the Lord is still at the helm though, we’ll just continue to hang on and experience the rest of the ride.