Wherever, Whenever, Whatever
Our Testimony
Dan & Paula Lumadue
“Wherever, Whenever Whatever” was my response to God as a 16-year-old teenager, newly baptized in the Holy Spirit, responding to the call of ministry around the altar at a Sunday evening service. “Wherever you want me to go, whenever you call me to go, whatever you want me to do, I will do it!”
Wherever, Whenever, Whatever
My story begins long before that pivotal moment at the altar at that church in Ohio. My faith story begins when both my father and mother came to faith in Jesus just a couple of years after I was born. Both my mother and father had grown up in difficult situations. My dad grew up on a rough street with violent kids who often got in trouble. One of the other young men on his street later had his hands declared a “legal weapon” and would face prison if he fought again. Poverty was rampant. His home life was difficult as one of seven children of an alcoholic and verbally abusive father. Thankfully my grandparents both came to know the Lord later in life. Dad managed to stay out of trouble, but then dropped out of high school in eighth grade. He later joined the United States Navy and liked to go Polka dancing, even in Iceland where he was stationed. Later, he came back to the USA and met a young blonde woman with whom he fell in love. That was my mom. She was raised in a home where her father also struggled with alcohol. Her mom would take her to the Lutheran church as a child, just as dad would sometimes go to the Episcopal church, but neither really knew what it meant to be “born again.”
Then, they put their faith in Christ. Dad, who had dropped out of school in 8th grade, and later would get his “General Education Degree” (G.E.D. – a High School diploma for those who had dropped out of school and needed to get a high school degree), decided that he wanted to know more about the faith to which he and mom had just committed. They left Ohio and he enrolled in Bible College. He did not feel called to ministry, but wanted to learn more about his faith. They were also involved in ministry such as leading a traveling youth choir. Mom would sing and play piano. Dad always joked that he was just the driver and the manager.
The first year was in Clearwater, Florida. The second year he changed schools and went to Pineville, Kentucky. It was here that I overheard my dad and mom talking to another couple, Mr. and Mrs. Ball. It was our last night there as we had packed the moving trailer and were ready to head back to Ohio. I have always been a curious person, so I was “eavesdropping” on their conversation. As I listed to them talk about their faith in Jesus, and that commitment to follow him, I realized I had never done this. I still have the distinct memory of going outside by myself, sitting on the bumper of that moving trailer, and praying to ask Jesus to be my Savior and my Lord! It was a moment that changed my life for eternity.
We attended the Baptist church when I grew up. There, I learned a great appreciation for the Word of God, memorizing Scripture, and a love for music. My sisters and I sang in church together when we were younger. (I have two sisters who are younger than me and are identical twins). I would sing all four parts in the hymnal as a personal challenge during the song service.
This was my church experience until Junior High School. My family went to an Assembly of God church. I became very involved in the Youth Group. It was also here that I experienced a distinct sense of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Our Sunday night services, and times around the altar, were especially full of God’s presence. The church was pastored by John Bunney. He and his wife had been missionaries. His stories of the work of the Holy Spirit, and frequent emphasis on missions left an indelible mark upon my soul.
Baptized in the Holy Spirit, and Called into Ministry
However, I was a quiet, shy, extremely introverted, socially-awkward teenager. I didn’t look people in the eye, and would avoid social situations. One Sunday night around the altar, I was seeking the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. I began to pray, but was silent. The pastor began to encourage us to pray out loud, and to praise out loud, and let the Holy Spirit do his work! I was doing this, and had my hands partly lifted, when the Holy Spirit spoke to me very clearly! He said, “Lift your hands.” You see, another problem I had was that I would sweat very easily! I didn’t want to lift my hands because I would be embarrassed by the sweat under my arm pits. (It is a hereditary trait – my mom even had her sweat glands removed when she was young). At that moment, I clearly heard the Holy Spirit say again, “LIFT YOUR HANDS!” As I did, and began to worship, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues! As I worshipped in the spirit, the Holy Spirit then clearly told me that He wanted me to give my life to serving in ministry. I thought I would be sitting in a back room writing Sunday School curriculum, but I told the Lord, “Wherever, Whenever, Whatever!” The Lord truly has done this in my life!
I was led to go to North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was a long way from my home near Cleveland, Ohio (1200 Kilometers), but when our Youth Pastor, Jerry Hunt, took me and a few others from the church, I instantly knew, even before we got out of the car, that this is where the Lord was calling me to go.
At North Central Bible College I sang in the choir. It is a long story as to how another student by the name of “Rich” became my roommate. He was dealing with an interesting situation, and so I would talk with his sister during choir. That is where Paula and I met. More on that later.
Paula’s Story
Paula’s story also begins 3 generations prior to her. Her Great-grandfather, Oliver Weidman, was saved. He was then asked to sell cigarettes on the train, but was convicted and would not do that. So, he lost that job. They moved to Cleveland, Ohio and he became a street-preacher and shared the gospel with many. That continued in his children. His daughter Ruth would go to China as a missionary, where she met and married missionary Victor Plymire. Their son David Plymire would continue that ministry in China. Oliver and Minnie’s other daughter, Elizabeth would also go to China. She married missionary George Roy Wood.
Their son also went into ministry, and George O. Wood would become the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God.
Paula’s grandfather was Paul Weidman, Oliver and Minnie’s son. He married Virginia Lindsay. Virginia’s Aunt, Lydia Lindsay was already a missionary. Lydia was serving in Sendai, Japan as a missionary teacher at Miyagi Gakuin school for women. She served from 1907 until World War II. After World War II ended she returned to Sendai until 1952 and in 1951 was awarded the “Honor of the Fourth Order of the Sacred Treasure” by Emperor Showa of Japan for her contribution to society and the education of Japanese women.
Now, back to Paul and Virginia Weidman, Paula’s grandparents. They were pioneer missionaries to West Africa for 22 years, and then later would spend some time serving in Tokyo, Japan. They had a son, John Weidman, who would become a missionary in Africa with his wife Betty, and a daughter — Faith Weidman.
Faith is Paula’s mother. She and her father Ed Ferguson met in Bible School. They had 2 sons and their daughter Paula.
When Paula was 2 years old, the family boarded a ship to serve as missionaries in Africa. In their first term their son became very sick. This was a great concern, especially since Faith had lost a brother who had died in Africa due to disease. Paula’s brother Rich would later find out that he was allergic to the Anti-Malaria medication. The doctor told Paula’s parents that if they took him back to Africa, he would die. So, they went to the Netherlands and served as missionaries there during Paula’s child and teen years.
The Call To Japan
Paula’s father had also told the Lord, and Assemblies of God World Missions, that he was willing to go wherever they needed to send him. “How about Okinawa?” they asked? Where? They did not even know where Okinawa was. But they said, “Yes!” to that invitation. As they were preparing to come, they needed a Youth Pastor. Since it is highly frowned upon for missionaries to steal Youth Pastors from churches they visit to raise support, Ed and Faith wondered where they would find someone. They talked to their son Rich. He said, “I think Dan is looking to go somewhere.”
It’s true. I had been faithfully serving as an Associate Pastor in a church in Minnesota. But the Lord had started releasing me and letting me know I would be leaving. I was actually on the phone with my mother sharing how one church I had interviewed at really liked me, but every one of the board members had a check in their spirit about bringing me to that church further north in Minnesota. I told my mom that it felt like it was an Abraham and Isaac moment – that God was preparing me to be willing to go further from home! That phone call was interrupted by “call waiting.” It was Ed Ferguson, Paula’s dad, inviting me to come serve with them in Okinawa. I knew immediately that this is what the Lord desired! It also meant that “Wherever, Whenever, Whatever” was about to become a greater reality.
Now, back to the story of Dan and Paula. I didn’t know it, but Paula had also felt that the Lord wanted her to leave her career in the travel industry and serve with her parents for a year in Okinawa. Please understand, when we were in college, I was always her brother’s annoying friend, and she was my friend’s annoying sister! So, when we arrived, Ed sat us down and said we needed to get along. Well, we did. I arrived in November 1991, Paula arrived in January 1992, we were dating by March, engaged in April, and married in July of 1992! We had known each other for a long time, and so we knew quickly that this was part of God’s plan for our lives. We enjoyed ministry in Okinawa where we served as Associate Pastor ministering in youth, young adults, worship, and other areas. We then became the Lead Pastor of the church.
It was here that we began to see God working in the Japanese community. Neighborhood Church in Okinawa had been a ministry to US Military members for many years. However, Ed and Faith, Paula and I, felt that we could reach the Okinawan/Japanese community around us. As we prayed, the Lord gave us the vision to do translation of our services to Japanese. On a trip to Tokyo, we went to Akihabara, bought an FM transmitter and a bunch of FM radios and headsets. We set up our own translation system. Soon we were seeing many Japanese people coming to the service and choosing to follow Jesus. We wondered how we would disciple them. The Lord sent us a couple, Milt and Carol Ahola, who had been missionaries in Japan 30 years prior to that time. Milt was now a civilian engineer attached to the US military. They were fluent in Japanese and ministered faithfully! It was confirmation that where God leads, He provides.
The Unexpected Transition
We thought we would be in Okinawa forever. We loved the ministry as we served as Lead Pastor of Neighborhood Church, we enjoyed the island and the people, and we were making wonderful memories as both of our children were born there. They were miracles as the fertility treatments available through the Japanese Health Insurance and the Adventist Medical Center were available to us. In the USA, this would have been cost-prohibitive. We will always be grateful that being in Japan gave us our children. Danielle is our oldest, and Christian is the younger brother.
But then, the Lord began to speak clearly to us. I argued with God for 9 months. I did not want to leave. However, it was clear, He was calling us to go back to the USA and pastor.
In our USA system we send out resumés to apply for pastoral positions with a “pastoral search committee” for different churches. We had several very good offers with healthy larger churches, but the Lord clearly told us to say, “no” to these churches. Finally, the Lord led us to a church of 20 people in Ohio that had been through 2 church splits in the last six months, and the district was ready to close the church. God said, “That’s where I want you to go.” Wherever, Whenever, Whatever…
Our Time of Training
We thought that if we just prayed, taught the Word, and loved the people that the church would become healthy and grow. So, we did! We loved the people, cared for them, preached, taught, and sought to cultivate the presence of the Holy Spirit. But the church was still not healthy, and it did not grow. Then, at one of our district meetings, we heard about a one-year intensive Master’s Degree program being offered at Southeastern University in Florida. It seemed like it would not be possible since it would involve travel to Florida once a month for a week, hotel, car rental, and of course the tuition. But, the Lord persisted, and so one week before the classes began, I enrolled. I bought a laptop computer, a plane ticket, and was on the flight to Florida not knowing where I would stay that night. During the flight the Lord opened up a place to stay, which then led to another place where a retired minister and his wife allowed me to stay in their home each month when I flew down. Where God guides, He provides!
It was there that I learned principles that are very similar to what is used in the “Acts 2 Journey.” These principles and processes became a key part of what we did at the church in Ohio as we formed a vision team and walked through the process together. The church became healthy. The church grew. The church began to reach people in the community!
During this year my mother also struggled with Lung Cancer and had a lung removed. She was healed of the cancer, but in another surgery the hospital gave her staph infection and it got into her heart. She went home to be with Jesus just a couple months before my graduation from the Master’s program. As we reflect on that time in Ohio, we are grateful for those 5 years that we had with my family in Ohio, and that my mother was able to spend that time with her grandchildren while she was alive. God certainly knows the sense of timing that was needed when He took us back to Ohio.
From there, God led us to a church in Florida. This church had experienced internal turmoil before we came to pastor. Then, the year we arrived the real estate market collapsed and the economic situation became severe in the entire community. The church was no longer able to hire the 8 staff members that had been in place before their internal and external challenges before our arrival. We put into practice what we had learned, but also learned the value of investing in the next generation. I personally mentored 4 young adults who led our key ministries, and those areas of ministry were able to thrive. The “priesthood of the believers” was important as so many stepped up into areas of ministry. The Lord was faithful and we saw God working in powerful ways as we simply said, “YES” to His call.
The Return to Missions, and to Japan!
Then, the Lord began to lead us back into missions. As we prayed, we knew that we would be pastoring an International Church. Praying about which area of the world to go to, it would have been easy to go to Europe where Paula had spent her teenage years. We also had been previously invited to go to teach in a Bible School in Africa. Where should we go? As we prayed, our spirits were drawn again to Japan. We knew it was not just an emotional connection to Okinawa because we felt led to come to mainland Japan.
As we prayed, the Lord brought to mind Yokota Church. We had been here on a couple visits to the Tokyo area during our time in Japan. I had even preached there. We asked about the church and found out that the previous pastor and his wife had been looking for replacements so that they could return home to the USA to children and grandchildren. They had also served faithfully for 8 years even though they had originally agreed to a 2-year Missionary Associate term. When we asked about the church, our Regional Director told us this information, and we knew this is where the Lord was leading.
Our process of raising support involves going to churches so that they and individuals can support us monthly as we serve here. We were re-appointed as missionaries in 2019 and began that process of itineration. Then Covid hit. We were unable to visit churches for a couple of months, but even then God caused our monthly commitments to increase by 10% of what was needed! He was confirming His will! We raised full support and were ready to come to Japan in 2021, but Covid restrictions in Japan would not allow us to attain our visa.
So, we began to “Tele-Pastor” the church by being live online in the USA on Saturday nights so that we could preach and minister to the Yokota Church family via online services. We did this for one year. Finally, in May 2022 we arrived in Japan! We rejoiced that God had brought us back to this land of our calling!
Not only did Paula and I return, but our daughter Danielle had graduated from Evangel University in 2020. The Lord told her that he wanted her to come and serve with us for one year (she ended up serving for almost 3 years here). This is interesting because a line that began with Paula’s Great Aunt Lydia, continuing through her Grandparents who served for a time in Tokyo, her parents in Okinawa (and starting the church in Iwakuni), and continued with Paula and me in Japan, was now continuing with our daughter Danielle in Japan. So, beginning in 1907 there have been 5 generations of Paula’s family serving as missionaries in Japan.
During our time in the USA, I was also blessed to be trained as a facilitator for the “Acts 2 Journey” (A2J) ministry for Church Health. While speaking with Alton Garrison about our coming to Japan, he told us that the Japan Assemblies of God had been asking for A2J to come to Japan for a number of years. In that moment I told Pastor Garrison, “For the first time in 20 years my life makes sense.” We had never wanted to leave Japan, and leaving just didn’t make sense.
But we realized what God had been teaching us for the 20 years we had pastored in the USA. He was preparing us by learning what we would need to know in order to effectively understand the struggles of pastors, the challenges of ministry, and the hope that is found in a Spirit-empowered process like the “Acts 2 Journey” which equips pastors, their vision teams, and churches to be healthy, grow, and fulfill their mission in their communities!
We are so thankful to Pastor Sanga, the JAG A2J Project Team, and the pastors and churches who have participated in these last 2 years. We look forward to more churches being empowered as we enter the third year of A2J in Japan! We know what it is like to be that faithful but weary pastor doing all you can do, working as hard as you can, and yet feeling the futility of a church that is struggling. We also know the joy of seeing a church come alive with hope, expectation, and effective ministry! We are so thankful that the Lord has brought us here to be a part of what God is doing in the churches of the Japan Assemblies of God!
We desire to partner with our fellow JAG pastors as much as we can. We have enjoyed some shared ministry with a couple of our fellow JAG pastors and churches, and it has been an honor to preach in several of these churches! As we do so, and as we hear the stories of what God is doing in the JAG churches around this nation, we are filled with hope and faith as we look forward to the power of the Holy Spirit at work to shine the life, light, and love of Jesus to the nation of Japan!
Our primary responsibility is pastoring Yokota Church. We have been so blessed to see the church grow in all three communities that we serve: The US Military community, the International community, and of course the Japanese community. Our services are in English, but we translate them via headphones into Japanese. We also have a Japanese Life Group, as well as individualized discipleship for new believers. We are using the JAG “Start! Christian Life” 「スタート！クリスチャンライフ」 books for this discipleship.
We see Yokota Church as a “catalyst” church. We are praying that Japanese people who are not yet believers will come because they are curious, want to be around English-speakers, are comfortable in an international setting, are invited by friends (English or Japanese speaking), or are being drawn in by the Holy Spirit. We pray that this “catalyst” effect of an International church will bring them to a place where they receive salvation and New Life from Jesus! We are praying that the Holy Spirit will reveal Jesus to them as they are among us, and that they will sense the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
We also are grateful for what we call our “Bridge People.” These are bilingual people who help to bridge the gap of language so that the Gospel can be shared, relationships can be built, and disciples will be made. We are praying for a mighty move of the Holy Spirit to sweep across Japan and bring many to Jesus, and we are honored to be a part of what God is doing.
On a personal note, we have two children. Danielle left Japan and is now an officer in the United States Air Force. She is also a Licensed minister with the Assemblies of God. We are thankful that she continues to let Jesus shine through her life in the military community.
Our son Christian is married to Addison, and they gave birth to our first grandchild in April. Our granddaughter “Trinity” is the cutest baby in the world! Yes, we are biased, but we are so thankful for her!
Christian also received his Master’s degree from Southeastern University, and is pursuing a military-related career path, and we are thankful that he and Addison, who met in Chi Alpha, are strong, Spirit-filled believers as well. It is challenging being miles apart, but we are thankful for God’s grace, technology that connects us, and the knowledge that the Lord will bless and keep us all as we are faithful to His call!
Thank you for allowing us to share our testimony, and for the warmth and love we feel from so many pastors in this Japan Assemblies of God family. We are honored to be here. We are so grateful that the response of the Lord to our desire to go “Wherever”, “Whenever,” and do “Whatever” He desires has placed us in a wonderful Yokota Church family, and that we have the privilege of sharing life and ministry with this beautiful family of faithful servants of the Lord called the Japan Assemblies of God!
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