How God Called Doug and Mindy into Kingdom Rain
This is the story of how Brian first asked me (Doug) to join KR. It is a fascinating narrative of how God weaves lives together for his purposes.
The Bakers and the Floats
The relationship that Mindy and I have with the Floats goes back to 1985. At that time, Brian was Mindy’s youth pastor at Central Baptist Church in Sioux City, Iowa. Brian and Donna invested in her during those formative years, and she developed a heart for ministry. When Mindy was a senior in high school she served as a youth ministry intern with Brian, getting equipped with practical ministry skills.
Brian officiated our wedding in 1995. And the Floats’ daughter Kelly went on a missions trip that Mindy and I led to India, which is one of the primary nations that Kingdom Rain now impacts. So I’ve always appreciated the Floats and our long-standing ministry friendship.
Brian’s Ideal Coworker
Brian had started Kingdom Rain in 2002. By 2015, the ministry had grown to the point that Brian needed a coworker. On November 12, 2015, Brian met with the KR board, and they asked him for a description of his ideal coworker. He said that the candidate needed to have these four qualities:
- international travel experience
- cross-cultural training
- training in Jesus’ model for discipleship
- significant church experience applying the principles found in Jesus’ model for discipleship
Brian said that as he described these qualities, he did not know if such a person existed.
My Job Transition
Meanwhile, I had been praying and seeking godly counsel for a job transition I was experiencing. I decided to call Brian because I wanted advice from others I respected to help determine what God might have for me in the next season of my career. When I contacted Brian, it was a few weeks after his November 12th board meeting. I was simply seeking his career advice. I was not seeking to join the staff of Kingdom Rain.
Brian and I talked several times over a two-week period, as he provided advice and counsel. During that time, Brian was wondering if God had prepared me to be his coworker—but he didn’t mention anything to me.
Called to Kingdom Rain
Finally, soon after that two-week period, Brian felt led to tell me about the KR opportunity. He shared the description he had told the board on November 12th, and asked me to pray about joining KR.
As I heard Brian’s list, I was shocked to hear him describing my resume so clearly and concisely. The four qualifications that Brian listed were an exact description of my career and my gifts. God had my attention!
That led to me traveling with Brian in January 2016, so that I could experience the ministry firsthand. During that life-changing trip, I saw how effective Kingdom Rain is, how well Brian and I work together, and how joyful I was interacting with the national leaders. God used that trip to confirm to me that KR was the future he had been preparing me for all along. God knew!