“…stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain!”

(1 Cor 15:58)

I was born the youngest of four children (actually just 13 minutes after my twin sister so I’m pretty close to a tie for third!), and was raised on the island of O`ahu in Hawai`i. Back then, Waikiki was still a low key tourist destination and Hawai`i was primarily an agriculture based economy (pineapples and sugar cane … of course!). Life was easy in these trade wind bathed islands of this tropical paradise, and there was little to concern me.

That all changed when I entered high school during the Sixties and witnessed the turmoil erupting in our society … a brew of various social movements, from women’s liberation, to civil rights, to the emerging drug culture and the hippie movement. Into this mix, throw the anti-Vietnam War movement and you’ve got one confused moment in American history. America herself seemed to be teetering at times on the edge of chaos as some of our best leaders were being killed by assassins’ bullets. The optimism of the Fifties gave way to the cynicism of the Sixties, and our Innocence has been lost ever since.

But it was during this period that God tapped on the shoulder of my life … and there was birthed in me a desire to discover a greater meaning to life than the one before me: ie. getting a good education … landing a good job … finding a good wife … raising some good children … enjoying a good retirement … and finally, being buried in a good cemetery. There had to be more to life than that! And that “more” came when I discovered a flyer advertising a free performance by a Christian magician, Andre Kole, at the University of Hawai`i where I was a student. A Christian? … “Nobody’s perfect”, I thought … and besides, it was “free”, the magic word for any college student! I was in my final year at the University still looking for that one thing for which I could live, and even die, for. Little did I know that that thing was waiting for me at Kole’s performance!

The illusions of Andre Kole were masterful, but what riveted my attention was his simple explanation at the end of his performance on the Person of Jesus Christ … and how His Life, Death and Resurrection 2000 years ago could change my life today … giving me meaning and hope! He said that Christ promised a new and eternal life to all who would trust in Him to forgive their sins. My decision was not immediate, and I struggled with the teachings and implications of the Christian Faith for an entire year.

But the fact was, my life was empty! Oh sure, I filled it with all kinds of activities, but on the inside there was a dark hollow abyss … meaningless, hopeless and without real worth. I chose to believe Christ and His Word, and have never regretted it! In the last week of December, 1972, I invited Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of my life, and finally discovered why I was alive … first, to Know and Experience God and His Love, and second, to Love, Serve and Enjoy Him Forever!

Having come to know Christ, it became my life’s desire to make Him known! My gifted wife, Gail, and I served on the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ for 12 years, on college campuses in Hawaii and California, and in Papua New Guinea for six years where she gave birth to two of our three children.

After returning to the U.S. in 1984, we attended the Multnomah School of the Bible (today called Multnomah Bible College and Biblical Seminary and which I highly recommend to anyone desiring excellent Bible training). Today, Gail is a retired Science Specialist Instructor while I am a retired Water Microbiologist. But these were just our “tent making” skills. Our real vocation is sharing Christ’s Good News to all people everywhere!

The Discipleship Ministry was started for this purpose. It is our hope and desire that Jesus would use it for His Glory, and in some small way to help fulfill His Great Commission!

Ke Aloha a me Na Maika`i o Ke Akua ia`oe a mau loa aku! (May the Love and Blessings of God be with you Always!)

– Kenson