Reasons Dust is Going to Scotland

Here's the letter I gave my congregation last fall when I decided to go to Scotland to get a Masters degree. Since then, I've got a few more reasons for taking off into the wild blue, but I'll write about them later. . . . for now, here's the letter:

To the brothers and sisters at Trinity:

I shared the following news at the Voters Meeting on November 17, and I am now taking a little more time and space to share my thoughts with you.

I have been accepted to a Masters program (and hopefully also PhD studies to follow) at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland for Outdoor/Experiential Education. The program begins next September and I plan on serving Trinity until the beginning of June. I consider this a “call” to develop and invest the gifts God has given me, for His purposes, to serve His Church.

This decision has come after many months of prayer and questioning and listening to God. I truly believe it is primarily not a decision to leave Trinity but rather a decision to obey God’s call for myself and my family. All of you at Trinity have been a grace and blessing to us in too many ways to count.

My hope is that you will continue to support us once you consider the reasons behind this call:

It’s a call to grow in my ability to make disciples for the Lord. Through the Masters and PhD research programs, I have the opportunity to study and develop student leaders through servant events, international expeditions, and small groups.

It’s a call to serve someday as a professor in higher education (university setting) or simply return to serving the Church with better training. Either way, my goal is to work with youth and young adults as servant leaders, which I believe is a core value of mine.

It’s a call to share my international experience (my first 17 years as a missionary kid) with my wife and daughters. Janette has never traveled outside the country with me. We have a deep desire to share that part of my experience and skills together.

It’s a call to be a “bridge-builder” because of my international experience and particular set of talents and abilities.

It’s a call to “seminary” for me. Based on what you’ve read above, and what you know about me, you will recognize my call is to leadership development, and the multiplication of disciples. I want to learn how to grow disciples like Jesus did—in the “field.” Once I had listened to what God has made me by His Grace, I was able to look for a program that would help me grow in those areas, a program that would help me invest the talents He has given. In that sense, I believe wholeheartedly that this further training is an act of stewardship. I am called to invest His gifts in me as a leader for the good of the Church.

A very high priority for me is caring for the well-being of my family. I consider this a “window of time” in which we can be more mobile without hurting our family dynamic. Once the girls are pre-teens or teenagers, it is important to be settled as a family. So, as I considered how to care for my daughters, I felt that if I was going back to school it had to be now—or after they grew up and left home.

One of the common questions we’ve been asked is “Why Scotland and not here in the U.S.?” There are many experiential education Bachelor programs (4 year degree) in the U.S., but very few that go on to the Masters or PhD level. The program at the University of Edinburgh has the longest tradition in the UK (over 30 years) and is well known throughout the world for its development of outdoor educators. Plus, the staff who teach in the program have experience in youth-led expeditions and cross-cultural education—two areas that drive my calling.

Why have I chosen to share this with you so early—7 months before we are done here? In some ways, it might be easier on all of us if I had waited and announced a month before I left. It would remove some of the uneasiness of working together knowing that I will be gone soon. But I chose to tell you now so that we have the opportunity to work together, and carry out my primary call: “to equip God’s people for works of service so that the Body of Christ might be built up, until . . . we become mature. . .” (Ephesians 4:12, 13). In my role as your Director of Youth and Education, I believe God has given me some work to do with you in the coming months. Here’s a short list (please visit with me if you have questions about any of it):

++Empowering the Christian Education Team and Youth Team to refine their vision and goals for their areas.
++Encouraging Trinity to “Get smaller as we get bigger.”
++Helping members of Trinity to see that “people mentoring people” is how we make disciples.
++Implementing the Faith Stepping Stones System—a strategy to help our families become the molders of faith in the home, and for our congregation to reach out to families in our neighborhood through quality Stepping Stones workshops.
++Strengthening the TLC Release Time program through a team of people who “own” its purpose, and want to see it as the foundation for outreach to the Oregon City H.S. campus.
++Mobilizing youth leaders in the O.C. area into a committed and united front to reach students (at present O.C. youth leaders DO NOT meet or connect in a meaningful way).

Finally, I ask for your help in a number of ways:

Janette and I have been through a grieving process as we approached this decision, and we ask that you consider this a very normal feeling because there is a loss. Please grieve with us, but at the same time remember that we are not leaving you because of anything you have done. In fact, we believe and trust that the Lord Jesus will keep us close in His Spirit even while away.

Please ask God to provide for our needs as we approach this move. The costs for this education will be high, as will the travel and living arrangements. Ask God to be our great provider.

Please ask God to raise up more and more leaders from within Trinity to help lead the Church. I believe that the Spirit has given His gifts to this body of believers and you have everything you need to do His work and will, His way.

And finally, please ask God to give Janette and me clear guidance during this adventure. Ask Him to make us faithful, available, and trainable under His Spirit.

Serving Him, Serving You, Dustin