About (My Bioview)

Hey everyone! My name is Nathan and I’m 22 years old. I just graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I love design, fixing, building, and any hands-on or practical activity (like doing the dishes). I’m a poet at heart, love long walks, and love to take pictures of flowers as I hike. Which… I love hiking, exploring, traveling, and any adventure. I have a million interest but deeply care about only a few things. Keep it to the simple things in life and I’ll be happy.

There are a lot of things going on in my life but I’m never quite sure how to tell others about it all. So, when writing a Bio, I’m not sure where to start. So instead, I’m going to list some questions and answer them in hopes you get a better picture of who I am. It’s an interview bio, or what I like to call my Bioview.

1. How old are you and what have you been doing lately?

I’m 22 years old. I will be turning 23 July 28, just before my launch on the Expedition Route. The last 4.5 years I have been studying Mechanical Engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. During my time, here, I have had two co-ops (internships that last 8 months over a semester and a summer) which have delayed school an extra year. I currently work at Darceo in Rapid City, SD while finishing my final year of school. At Darceo, I am a student intern working on design and research projects. On campus, I am part of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. With IV I am leading a leadership small group and participate in conferences and retreats. In my spare time, I go out hiking and backpacking in the Black Hills of SD. I love to go off trail and find secluded areas to set up a tent and enjoy the outdoors.

 

2. Childhood/adolescence: Where have you lived? Who are your parents? Your siblings?

I come from the most amazing family ever (slightly biased). I grew up in Sioux Falls, SD before moving out to Rapid City for college. Shortly after moving, the rest the family followed me out West and moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming. So now I get to call Wyoming home. They moved to Wyoming because of my Dad’s job. He currently works as a coordinator for Sampson Construction overseeing HVAC and Plumbing construction sites in the region. Mom stays at home and homeschools the kids. A 24/7 job for sure! Speaking of kids, there are 7 of us total. I have an older sister Shaina who is living at home and always has some new and awesome skill she is learning. She recently was certified for EMT and now teaches Violin lessons. Then there are my younger brothers Noah and Caleb, both coming up with their own plans for after high school. Then there is Isabella, who has the biggest heart of us all. And finally, Titus and Naomi, the twins. We adopted Titus and Naomi from Tanzania 5 years ago, and they are the greatest 6-year-old pair you could meet! The big question… were you homeschooled? No, sadly, Shaina and I went to public school as my family transitioned from public and private schools to homeschooling. But I’m proud to be a part of a close-knit homeschooling family none the less!

 

3. Your heart: Tell us about the things that have impacted it.

I’m learning, a lot. God has given me a heart and passion for many different things. Most of all, it’s continually changing. Whether through relationships that didn’t work out, Apologetics camps over the summer, mission trips to Africa, or simple community and prayer with believers on campus. God has over and over taken me on little adventures that impact the core of who I am. My heart. My heart is definitely adventurous, but I think simple is also a good word. I care deeply for the simple life and authentic community.

 

4. Your interests: What do you love to do? Where do you maybe feel called? What’s your Myers/Briggs? Spiritual gifts? 

Big question. I love to do a lot of things. I think I’ll answer this question in lists. My hobbies include: Camping, Backpacking, Hiking, Hunting, Biking, Frisbee, Soccer, Sports, Building things, Fixing things, Breaking things, Engineering things, Reading, Small Groups, Prayer, Book Studies, and Exploring.

Where do I feel called: I feel called to discipleship, engineering, supporting world missions, and loving my community, church, and neighbors whatever that looks like. My life the last few years has really been segmented in 6 months. I don’t have a big picture of what I am called to do in the future, but God has been faithfully and steadily, giving me something to work towards for the next year. Right now, I feel called to discipleship on campus by pouring into and helping teach the younger students, working my hardest at graduating and giving my all-in engineering, and I feel called to the World Race. After that, the doors open.

My Myers Briggs is INTJ, but sometimes ENTJ, but then it’s INFJ. I’m a 50/50 split between extrovert and introvert, but the other three are fairly good descriptions of who I am but sometimes terrible descriptions of who I am.

My strengths are: Strategic, Adaptability, Command, Includer, and Context. (strengths from the strengths finder book).

My spiritual gifts: Leadership, Teaching, Wisdom, Generosity, and Service. All five describe the things I love to do and ways I love to love others.

 

5. Your spiritual journey: What have been the significant factors and who have been the significant people? What are the highlights?

My parents have been all the above. They set a foundation early on and pour into all of us kids continually. I didn’t start owning my faith as my own until leaving high school. Like immediately leaving high school. I left to go to Tanzania only a few weeks after graduating. There I spent time living with missionaries and seeing what world missions looks like. The people there gave me a beautiful picture of what God is doing in the world and what the larger church community looks like. It also reminded me that I’m very small, just one person, in God’s world. Next I went to Summit Camp in Colorado. I grew a lot in apologetics and understanding the big issues that face Christians in society. I’m also going to point out that this was the start of a very prideful first year for me at college. Having a lot of knowledge, I lacked a lot of love. It was easy to get into arguments with the other students on my floor and debate Christianity vs. the rest of the world. Over the course of college God has been showing more and more how His kingdom is so much more than just having the right arguments, it’s about pouring into people and loving others. That takes sacrifice.

Looking back, Ron and Joyce were my small group leaders in middle school. They set a great example of what it looks like to pour into young men and challenge them in their faith. They would challenge us to show up each week with our bibles and genuinely cared for us by inviting us to more than just bible studies, but life and fun as well. That’s what I’ve been growing in. Reaching the world not through my pride and ‘flawless’ knowledge but through love, teaching, and simple friendship. (disclaimer: knowledge is valuable and should be sought after, pride not so much). In college, I have been a small group leader, and executive student leader, and have been in various leadership positions during my travels to Iowa and North Dakota. God has used those leadership positions in different ways (often through my failure or complacency) to stretch me and bring me back to Jesus over and over. (long stories, I’ll leave you guessing)

I also have to mention Tami. Tami has been a mentor and friend through college. I was blessed with the opportunity to work for her at a company in rapid city early in college and she has continually been there to help with career decisions. School is a large part of who I am, and who God has called me to be. I’ve grown in understanding and knowledge, but also in my workforce skills over the last 5 years. Work and school have been a huge factor in my spiritual and life journey. Tami always called it as she saw it and wasn’t afraid to talk about issues like religion in the work place. I’ve benefited and grown a lot from investing in my work and applying what my supervisors and mentors have suggested. God has blessed my education and work and part of the journey has been learning what it means to work for the Lord in all you do and to be faithful with everything He entrusts you with.

 

6. Your pains/issues: What do you struggle with? What do you want to get out of the year to come?

I mentioned it a little bit above, but I’ve struggled with pride in the past. I’ve been working a lot on being intentional with the time and influence God has given me. I’ve had a lot of complacency in my life but have been captured by the idea of spiritually training over the last year. Paul makes the argument that if athletes train so hard for a temporary prize, how much MORE should we train for our eternal reward. I’ve slacked in this area of my life. So currently I am struggling with, wrestling with, working on, being intentional and purposeful with my life. Along with that, I’ve always struggled with the idea of the American Dream life and settling into a comfortable life style. I feel called to be an engineer and use my career to bless others through it, but there is the danger of settling into a comfortable western lifestyle. So, I hope that the next two years of WR will provide perspective and purpose to whatever God calls me to next. What does that look like in the next two years? I don’t know, I just look forward to growing and seeing how God works.

 

7. Why the World Race? What led you to it? What hopes do you have? What worries?

I first heard about the world race my freshman year of college. I found it while looking at missions online. At the time, I didn’t consider the world race, but towards the end of college (last year or so) it came back. I’ve had 4 years of work experience and 4 years of schooling over the last 5 years. I feel that now is a great time, as a single guy about to head into a career, to take a big step away. A chapter is closing in my life and a new chapter is beginning. The world race is a launching platform of sorts for a life filled with God’s purpose.

God has laid it on my heart that I need to “see what He is doing” in the world. It’s a chance to join alongside the greatest mission across the heart of the world. I hope that the WR will be an opportunity to simply be a servant wherever I find myself, as well as an opportunity to see the world. It’s not just traveling the world, which is already an amazing opportunity! But it’s traveling the world, and seeing the world, from a kingdom of heaven perspective. That’s not just seeing the world… that’s really really seeing the world. My prayer is that I will be used by God, but also that I can return and send others after him into the world.

My biggest worry is relating to others and with the other racers. I already feel like I’m disconnected from my generation and I’m not sure how that will make me feel when I am on the race. It’s a feeling of being a stranger everywhere you go. Even in church, or hanging out with friends, I feel this way quite often. I’m worried that being a foreigner, literally, would lead to feeling lonely at times. That said, I also look forward to being with the same group of people for an entire year. I think that is one of the greatest pictures of community and the things we will share together will be lifelong memories.

 

8. How can we be praying for you?

Pray for boldness! Not only in sharing about the trip that I am about to embark on, but in encouraging others in their own call from God.

Pray for Joy! The race is still 9 months away as of today and there is a lot of time left before leaving. Pray God continues to bring opportunities to rejoice and give thanks in what He is doing through the WR. When on the race, I also want to be continually filled with Joy. Pray that starts today and that I build a habit of thanking God through the daily trials and little things. Thank God with me for opening this next door in my life, for His provision, and for the work He has done in our lives!

Pray that the Lord of the Harvest would send out workers. I am super excited to have this opportunity and to be able to Go in this way. Pray God sends even more on the world race and on other missions all throughout the world. Pray that my trip would be an encouragement to others to also Go—to our local communities, and to other nations. Pray for those who will be on my team and who are not yet signed up for the team.

Pray for funds. But beyond funds, pray for the hearts of those giving. I believe God will bless everyone who gives but pray they find joy in giving and can hear about all the things that God is doing through them. Sometimes we give and never see the fruit. Pray that they see the fruit and can experience the power of what they are a part of in the world!