Torch, Fall 1999

The following article is an excerpt from Ed Lewis' opening message at the 1999 Missions Conference. Lewis was the conference keynote speaker. s I was growing up, the last thing in the world that I wanted to be was a missionary. The reason I didn't want to be a missionary was that I had observed missionaries. In fact, I attended a good, solid, Bible– believing, Bible-preaching church, and missionaries came through with astounding regularity. But, they weren't always the most interesting speakers in the world. In fact, sometimes they were downright boring. So, I determined that the last thing in the world I was ever going to be was a missionary. Now, the reason I did not want to be a missionary was that I had a distorted, almost warped, perspective of what a missionary is and does. Over the years, the Lord has seen fit to correct my perspective. Now I am a missionary and I can tell you unabashedly that I am having a blast. 10 Torch I~ \\_ I was born and raised in Ohio. In fact, I never left Ohio until I was about 18 years old. I remember one momentous trip when my parents took me to Indiana. It was such a momentous occasion we actually got out at the state border sign and took a picture of me standing next to the Indiana state line. . .