Butch and Ellen Booth
I came to know Christ at the age of 10. I was influenced by my grandmothers of the faith.
At the age of 16 I was at church camp laying on my bunk, I asked the Father what it is that he was wanting me to do? I envisioned a black chalkboard with a piece of white chalk, drawing a heart. Once the heart was drawn the word preach was spelled across the heart. I followed that call.
In 1994 I read Genesis chapter 12 verse one in a staff meeting. As I read that scripture, it quickened and woke my spirit it up. I knew the Father spoke to me at that moment. I looked up out of the bay window of our staff room. The park architecture was Japanese style. I remember asking the Lord then are you wanting me to go to Japan? That wasn’t the plan at that time, but the seed was planted.
In 2004, I was sent to Japan for work. It became a nightmare.
In 2006 I lived in Japan and worked and it was then God allowed me to see vision of the need for Japan. It was still not our Father’s time.
My wife and I moved back to the states and served in the educational field for four years and ministry the past 6 years. We recently have resigned from Sugar Creek Baptist Church to pursue this calling.
In December 2016 I spent a month in the Philippines and saturated myself with prayer and study of God’s word. After being in the Philippines for about three days the Spirit of the Lord told me to read Exodus 3:1-6. I read it several times today and never understood what I was reading, I knew the story, but didn’t see correlation of how it pertained to me. Then one day when I was fixing to give up reading it the Lord spoke clearly spoke and laid upon my heart to return to Japan. I argued the point several different times but through the process of that December, confirmation in scripture, circumstance and the conviction of the Holy Spirit The Father begin to reveal His purpose.