Cross to the Mountain Ministries

The Island

After raising our children we moved to St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Our lives would never be the same. We attended a very special church on the beach there on St. John and my faith was tested and grew while we were there. In September of 2017, St. John was hit by two Category 5 hurricanes - Irma and Maria. Strongest storm to ever hit the Caribbean. We were without power, water, food and communication and our faith was tested in ways we never expected. We lived in wreckage for months but we stayed on island and immersed ourselves into helping with the recovery. Mission teams came from the U.S. and our church assisted feeding, clothing and helping all affected. Ever since then, my heart has been drawn to doing mission work and helping others in need.

I loved the island more than almost anything else. As I had done with many things in my life - including my wife, my car, my dog, fishing….I had made it an idol. But this time God would not allow it! He soon made me so uncomfortable in my own skin I humbly hit my knees in tears after months of pushing against His Will and finally said, “I trust you and your plan for me, God”. I surrendered and immediately felt relief. I knew that God wanted us to leave the island. God broke me and made it clear that He will be first in my life. We moved back to Chicago in October of 2018. We thought it would maybe be for a year. God had other plans.

We returned to St. John in 2019 to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary to renew our vows. One morning while I was fishing at my favorite spot I was overtaken by all the beauty surrounding me. An amazing rainbow, a floating taco bar and an awesome sunrise. I took pictures and was thanking God for all the beauty around me. After an hour or so of fishing I decided to walk down the narrow island to investigate. While walking back to my fishing spot I was talking to Jesus. I had always struggled feeling worthy of Him and feeling connected to Him. I was crying and asking Him to let me hear His voice. To let me see Him. I approached my spot. Then I saw it…a cross! A simple handmade wooden cross. I heard Jesus speak to me and say, “I’m right in front of you but you don’t even see me”. How did I not see this cross? It was a tall cross made of driftwood with a large stone base! I was standing 10 feet away while fishing. I didn’t see it. When I looked back later at the pictures I had taken at sunrise, it was right there! I hadn’t seen it. I was so distracted by the world that I didn’t notice the cross right in front of me! Ever since that day I have felt Jesus with me. That picture has a special place in my heart. It’s the day that Jesus showed Himself to me. He spoke to me! The King of Kings and Lord of Lords spoke to me. Wow!

The Cross

But now we wait

Covid hit in 2020 and there were riots breaking out all across the country. I struggled with the state of the world. I reached out to a pastor who we knew from the island and he suggested that I get a paper Bible and read it every day. I picked up a Bible and started reading a couple of chapters each day. I also started praying for God to change me and to use me. I prayed to focus my passion and energy towards Him and Jesus. I felt that God had something for me to do since returning from the island, something important, but it would be 7 years before we heard from God! It was a long wait.

During these year of waiting, we were blessed with 12 more grandchildren, my wife lost her mom and just recently I lost my father. We also went through the hardest time of our life together when our large, beautiful blended family faced terrible division. We both went through very difficult health issues and through it all we felt like we could not hear what God wanted us to do. But we kept our faith strong. We clung to each other and to Him. We kept praying and we kept God first through it all. I read the Bible front to back many times. I discovered that the Word of God will change you. It will transform you.

Journey to the mountain

Have you ever heard the term being “kneecapped”? That’s exactly what happened to me in April of 2024. I was out of work for a month with knee issues. During that time God’s calling was so strong. I had a crazy thought about being a pastor! But if that’s what God had planned for me I would be obedient. Again I called that pastor from the island and he said that he had just returned from Costa Rica. He said God was really doing some wonderful work there. I put on my VR headset and was looking at pictures of Costa Rica. I looked at a lot of pictures but when I clicked one picture, tears started flowing down and I heard God say, “What if this is where I have work for you?” I thought….WOW.

We first lived in a house on a mountain near Quepos. Up the steep road there was a plateau and a large clearing overlooking the ocean. There was a handmade bench that was put together with some old board set on top of 2 plastic buckets. Some heavy God moments took place on that bench and He showed me His presence in some very big ways there! My time on that bench on the mountain was special!

My wife and I decided to take a vision trip over the holidays to check out Costa Rica and to celebrate 25 years of marriage. We attended Beach Church of Manuel Antonio and from the moment the pastor started speaking I knew that this is where God had work for us. We returned to Illinois and after much prayer (and my wife’s ‘Jacob moment’) we both knew that Costa Rica is where we were supposed to be.

After we gave God our YES everything went very quickly. Our house sold day 1, my car sold and my wife was able to work it out to keep her job and work remotely. In February of 2025 we made the move to Costa Rica!

While attending Beach Church of Manuel Antonio I connected with a men’s addiction recovery house - Casa de Amor. Their facility and the 30 men living there are in need of great help.

Today the goal of Cross to the Mountain Ministries is to provide financial support and renovations to organizations in need. Casa de Amor is our first mission and we are excited to see what God can do through our dedication and the support of people with a heart to help. My heart has always been for helping people in recovery. God has equipped me with over 20 years construction experience so I can train these men and teach them skills that will help them find employment once they complete the program. Our goal is to provide each of the men with a set of their own tools once they are ready to leave Casa de Amor. We will be performing renovations on the facility - kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms and gathering room.

Help us make a difference as we serve those in need in Costa Rica! Any amount you give can make a huge difference in the lives of these men. Will you be obedient and help Cross to the Mountain Ministries help transform lives?

Cross to the Mountain’s Vision