“God is more concerned about who I become rather than what I do. ‘Be’ comes before ‘Do’.”

Josiah and Lydia Stout are newly weds who graduated this spring with degrees in Intercultural Studies and TESOL. Josiah grew up with his family in Omaha, Nebraska for most his life, where he says “Life was good ‘on the prairie.’” Lydia grew up in Missouri and Michigan with her eight siblings and two godly parents who she says exemplified following the Lord in a powerful way throughout her life. Josiah and Lydia met each other at Calvary University through the Nikao Leadership Institute, and married in the summer of 2021. Today, they are eager to embark on their missionary calling through receiving training with Ethnos 360 to reach the unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Josiah reflects that his time at Calvary has been “instrumental” in choosing the ministry and career he is now pursuing, and Lydia adds that her education at Calvary has trained and equipped her for her ministry and career through studying Intercultural Studies and teaching English as a second language. She states: “My intercultural classes have encouraged me to fully consider others’ perspectives and the influences that have shaped who they are. This will be important to consider as I try to learn the culture of the people I will work with someday in order to effectively share the Gospel with them.” Josiah adds, “Being in an environment with people to cultivate your passion, opportunities to wet your feet, and an atmosphere that elevates God’s Word have been three of the most instrumental ways my time at Calvary has prepared me for the future.”

The pull towards missions started for Josiah and Lydia when they were both just children. Josiah reveals that, “I was the kid who used my free time to read a book.”  He states that God used both the Word and missionary biographies to grow an early excitement in him to serve in missions, potentially overseas: “I never felt a specific call from God, although I enjoyed volunteering with CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship) during the summer and thought it could be fun to pursue a teaching ministry, possibly for children. God really used circumstances at Calvary to draw me to His Word and see His love and passion for those who have never heard the gospel.” Lydia recalls a time when she was in elementary school that specifically burdened her soul for the unreached. One day, a missionary speaker came to her school and pulled out a piece of paper that stretched down the audience’s aisle: “On this paper was a list of all the languages which did not have the Bible. It made me so sad, because I knew this meant they did not know the saving message of salvation.” Since this experience, Lydia says God has increased her burden for the unreached and that Calvary has enabled her to pursue a vision of reaching them successfully. Together, Josiah and Lydia are determined to reach the unreached as a unified force. 

During Josiah and Lydia’s four years at Calvary, they volunteered with Global FC: “Because of the four year commitment to tutor these refugees,” Josiah says, “We have developed deeper connections with them. A couple weeks ago Lydia and I were able to spend some time with a family that Lydia began tutoring her freshman year. Even though it had been months since we had seen them, there was a close bond that we sensed in the room.”  Lydia adds, “Global FC has provided me with opportunities to build relationships for Christ with refugee kids and their families. Working with this organization has allowed me to view people of other cultures in a more personal light than I would have otherwise.”

Both Josiah and Lydia have learned powerful lessons through their classes at Calvary. One of the key lessons that Josiah learned was the concept of “Know, Be, Do” which Dr. Joshua Paxton helped “drill” into his head: “What stood out to me is that God is more concerned about who I become rather than what I do. ‘Be’ comes before ‘Do’. All three areas (knowledge, character, actions) are a continual work in progress that God matures as we seek Him.” When reflecting on Lydia’s educational journey, she touches on a lesson that deeply impacted her life: “One of the professors at Calvary, Dr. Bonine, continually reminded me to think of the ‘people or things’ concept. This has reminded me to have the right perspective in life. I try to invest my time and energy into people, which will last forever, instead of things, which are only temporary.”

Presently, Josiah and Lydia are “anticipating what the future holds” as they enter Ethnos 360’s missionary training center this August: “We have been talking and praying about this decision for a few years,” Josiah says, “And so it feels hard to hold our plans loosely. We are excited to begin this next phase of what may lead us overseas in just a few years.” 

Aftermath of helicopter following hangar collapse. 

“‘The safest place to be is within God’s will.'” 

Lance and Caitlin Rensberger are alumni of Calvary University who graduated one year apart from each other, Caitlin in 2015 and Lance in 2016. The couple, married in 2016, began building a family and serving at Ethnos 360’s campus in Arizona. Currently, Lance serves as a Maintenance Specialist for Ethnos360 Aviation, working on helicopters and airplanes to keep them running and outfitting new aircraft with upgrades for teams in other locations.

Recently, a disaster took place that challenged Lance and the Ethnos 360 team. The team in Brazil had just received the Ethnos 360’s Aviation R66 helicopter and had been renting a hangar on the airfield while finishing building their own hangar. On Tuesday, September 21, 2021, winds of over 100km collapsed the aircraft hangar, destroying their helicopter. Lance shares how God protected Ethnos 360’s pilot Jeremiah, who was inside the helicopter, cleaning the windows when the winds struck: “The windstorm was so strong and the accident was so sudden that there was even part of a wing from another airplane that crashed into the windshield of the helicopter.” This airplane wing went through the helicopter cockpit right over Jeremiah’s body, shielding him from the falling roof. By God’s grace, Jeremiah crawled out of the crushed helicopter uninjured. 

Lance reflects: “When we talked to Jeremiah about his experience, he couldn’t even remember getting out of the helicopter after the collapse…He just remembered one minute he was inside the helicopter–and the next moment he was outside of it–looking at the damage.” The insurance adjuster assessed the damage to the helicopter and determined it to be a total loss, providing Ethnos360 with the full amount for which it was insured and allowing a replacement to be ordered.

When reflecting on the impact this challenge had on his personal life, Lance states: 

“Looking at this experience, there’s been a few things I’ve been reminded about. First, the enemy can and does interfere with our day-to-day lives. The team in Brazil has gone through other trials similar to this one in terms of severity.  For instance, a friend on the team in Brazil was in a rollover car crash while moving to the new location. Yet, in every trial, they have experienced God’s ultimate protection. It reminds me of something someone told me recently, which is that the safest place to be in life is within God’s will.” Lance concludes: “I’m still not sure why that first R66 got smashed, but I do know that it is a part of God’s plan, and He will use it to further His Kingdom. God’s plans are never ‘messed up’ by the things we perceive as setbacks.”

Lance’s family plans to serve in the Philippines, although they have had a difficult time in preparation for this. “Covid has certainly played its part in this process, but on top of that I have some autoimmune disorders that need to be monitored to ensure that everything is still under control.” Lance states: “We’ve been talking with doctors in the Philippines to see if we would get the necessary care needed for me to stay there long term, but we’ve had a hard time finding answers via email. So, we plan to take a trip this August to visit the team in the Philippines and directly ask questions to the doctors there. We hope that those questions will give favorable answers so we can start the process of moving. We would come back to the U.S. to make one final round of raising prayer and financial partners and then be in the Philippines by spring or summer of 2023.” 

Today, Lance and his family are pursuing a life of service through Ethnos 360, where Lance is using his skillsets to further his career and ministry to God. Despite the struggles that have come along the way, God has continued to protect and provide, no matter what the circumstance. Jeremiah, the pilot from the helicopter accident, showed this same confidence as he reflected on God’s goodness despite the accident: “God is in control. He has a purpose and a plan and is controlling everything all the way down to the smallest details. Things will come in His most perfect timing, just like He did with protecting me in that helicopter.”