I have known Ken DeYoung for over 35 years. When he told my wife and I what he was doing in Haiti, we quickly agreed to support a girl at the Consolation Center. We count Taina as another grandchild. After taking on sponsorship I was invited to lunch with Ken and Terry Baxter. After listening to them tell me about the ministry for an hour, I assumed they were goingto ask me for a check. When Terry finally took a breath and I could interrupt, I asked them why I was at the meeting. Terry told me they wanted me to quit my job and become development director for the ministry. After praying with my wife, I decided that I would keep my job (as a territory manager for a Fortune 100 company) and use my “windshield” time to do as much as possible to help the ministry. Originally, I was development director until the job grew too large to handle part-time. After Mary Graham was hired, I continued to work with her in the development area. I am now transitioning into a new role. I have been asked to work on developing the structure for a foundation as a branch of the ministry. Then I will be involved in the foundation as we seek to involve large donors in the ministry.
How has your involvement with GoServ Global impacted or changed your life?The best answer to this question is to tell you my wife’s reaction when she went to Haiti and met the little girl we sponsor for the first time. After sitting with her for 10 minutes, my wife looked at me and said, “Now how am I supposed to leave this country?”There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about the ministry (mostly the kids). Knowing the horror they have experienced drives me to do what I can to make it better. God has taken the selfish nature I have and stamped the faces of boys and girls over it. And I thank God that He did.
My Life
Gene and his wife, Joanne, live in Cleghorn, Iowa. The couple has 4 children and 9 grandchildren.
