Pastor’s son follows call to missions By Shannon Baker BCM/D National Correspondent OAKLAND, Md.—It was news that many pastors like to hear. Joshua Lahay, a freshman at Garrett Community College, has decided to follow God’s call to be a missionary. This news made Ben Lahay ecstatic. Lahay is the pastor of Deep Creek Baptist Church in Oakland, Md. But more than that: he is Joshua’s father. Deep Creek Baptist Church actively sends and supports five missionaries in three countries: Botswana, Guatemala and the United States, where they support Windswept Academy, a Christian School for Native Americans; First Baptist Church, Eagle Butte in South Dakota; and local ministries, Deep Creek Lake Resort Ministries and a jail ministry. This past summer, Deep Creek took a team of ten people to Guatemala to minister in communities surrounding ClubHouse Guatemala, which serves over 400 children in five different villages through student programs and summer camps. The church was introduced to this ministry by Amped Student Ministry, the student evangelism ministry of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware. Former Amped Ministry staffer Peter Odulana, who now lives and ministers in Guatemala, led the Deep Creek volunteers. Among the church volunteers was Page 20
Joshua, a recent high school graduate the children waited patiently and who came along to help build stoves, didn’t touch food until it was given chicken coops and even houses for the to them. poverty-stricken families in the Nixcio As a pastor’s kid, Joshua didn’t and San Miguel villages. grow up with a lot of things, but after “The goal was to do whatever serving in Guatemala, he realized how the Lord wanted us to do,” shared much he does have. Now, he wants to Pastor Lahay. Though he had served share. as a U. S. Marine and witnessed “I really didn’t want to leave,” poverty all over the globe, Lahay was shared Joshua. “It’s something I am overwhelmed by the extremely poor being pulled to. I don’t understand it. conditions in the villages. Much of I had no desire to leave that country.” their work involved improving those “God used this experience to conditions. awaken what was The team already in him,” Pastor built several Lahay said. concrete block Joshua agreed, stoves, designed “That was an experito push smoke ence that would be outside of the something I would houses and prowant everyone to do, tect the inhabitespecially Americans!” ants from smoke Joshua said he inhalation. wants to go back to Joshua and Guatemala to help fellow church them build houses and member, Miguel to serve as a resource Perinne, built for the mission teams one of the stoves who come to assist in by themselves. the ministry. He now They were overworks with a private Joshua Lahay whelmed by the contractor who “flips” family’s gratitude in return. (buys, renovates and resells) houses. The team also shared shoes with He currently plans to earn an the children, many who “had bleedassociate’s degree in network admining feet because their shoes were too istration, and then attend a trade small.” There weren’t enough shoes school to learn more about computto give to kids, Joshua marveled, “and ers—and about metal work. not one child complained!” “That’s what they need there,” he He was equally impressed that said. December 2013