Basement Beginnings - 1

Part 1 – Omaha, Nebraska
(Basement)

The birthing of big dreams conceived in the heart of man oftentimes takes place in the most obscure locations. Two famous examples are Bill Gates’ Microsoft and Steve Jobs’ Pixar Studios; both men began by building computers in a garage. Many scientists, inventors and artists have utilized garages, basements, and other such rooms relegated for nothing more than storage as a maternity ward in which visions that have only existed in their imagination come forth through the pangs of trial and error. If you think about it, even our Lord, King Jesus, was born in nothing more than a poor stable.

The beginning of Christ Nation Ministries is no exception. Upon graduating from high school DaRonn Washington was passionate about God; and he was homeless. His mother decided that it was time for him to get out on his own. The transition months were spent in a room in his pastor’s basement in Omaha, Nebraska. Amongst the college applications, job applications and scholarship applications he found time for applying himself to time with the Lord receiving strategies and dreaming about ministry.

His best friend at the time was none other than yours truly. He asked me to pray about what part I should take in the commencement of this newly named operation. It seemed that it was all that we talked about. He was especially convinced about the urgency of doing something multi-faceted on a grand scale. I felt that my part was to be his “right hand man”. I didn’t know that meant filing, spell checking, and running to the copy center all from the make shift office of that damp basement. Actually, I didn’t know a frazzling thing what it meant. I was just happy to be around such energy and decidedness.

During Thanksgiving break of his sophomore year at U.N.O. (the University of Nebraska at Omaha) we were married and moved all ministry operations to the confines of a tiny corner in our home: an 800 square foot apartment with walls that seemed to be made of cardboard and plumbing that was always backed up. The fundraising efforts for our first trip overseas together with Teen Mania to Costa Rica were realized during our first months of marriage at our wobbly kitchen table. Returning from that trip with the anticipation of our first child we moved to a slightly larger place on the third floor of an old apartment building. The place had character and there was even a little area that we turned into a study. DaRonn was working full time and going to school full time. I was a mommy.

Life was good, fun, and new. By this time we knew that we needed to prepare to be missionaries. The big question was: where? Our walls were papered with maps. Russia? India? China? Africa? While sitting in a geology class DaRonn’s teacher showed a video about Bolivia. When the faces of the people flashed on the screen a burning sensation burst in my husband’s heart and he felt that these words impressed on him, “That is where you start.” Infused with a sure direction we began to take steps towards this mysterious land. And then the phone call came, “Ang’ they just fired me.”

(to be continued…)