By Doug Jackson
Continued from Missionary to Marine
My two months in the Philippines were just the beginning with God. Since then, He’s led me to all parts of the world where I’ve met an equally diverse mix of people as well. My time in missions has solidified His calling in my life.
There’s no doubt that He’s called me to live alongside the down-trodden and the broken… to travel to faraway lands where few are willing to go, and be His hands and feet on this earth.
To be a lighthouse beacon shining brightly and pointing towards our Creator and Savior, this is my mission.
His guidance has led me to where I am now, a recent OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) veteran in the USMC.
The Marine Corps is a field that needs much tilling and planting. It’s difficult to maintain one’s identity and stay true to who He’s called me to be, much less be a strong witness to my fellow Marines.
But I saw change during my seven months in Iraq, change for the better, change that provided hope in my heart that one day peace may be realized.
It seems that peace in the hearts of the people may be all we can hope for at times, though. There is much progress to be made.
Overall, I write this as a testimony to how good He is. Food tastes “good,” fresh laundry smells “good,” but I’m not referring to that sort of good. God is good, because he cannot deny himself, he answers those who call to Him, and He is faithful in keeping His promises.
In the five years since I graduated high school, he’s taken me more places than I ever imagined I’d go in such a short timespan. And He’s grown a servant’s heart in me to serve Him by loving His people. Missionary to Marine, quite a contrast?
But even as a Marine, I’m a carrier of the Message and bear testimony of His power to transform and use the lowly. All that I am and all that I have I give credit to the One who saved me.
Watch the following video Doug made in Iraq:
Douglas is currently serving as infantry Marine at Camp Lejeune North Carolina between his deployments to Iraq. Although a proud a Marine, Doug longs to enjoy the freedoms of a civilian once again and travel the globe uninhibited.