Word from the Woods

Darrell's Bio

I am a third-generation Assemblies of God minister, beginning with my grandmother, Gladys Cutler. Raised in Asia since I was 5 years old, I find it tricky to answer when people ask me what kind of accent I have. As a child of 8, I felt God calling me to be a preacher. When I was 11, my parents became missionaries to Indonesia, and ever after, Indonesia has seemed more like home to me.

While attending Northwest U, I took a summer missions trip to Alaska that changed my life forever... I met Dianne! God had already called her to be a missionary, and two years later we were married.

After graduating from college with a BTh, I returned to Alaska with Dianne to pastor in a little Tlingit Indian village in Southeast Alaska. It would take a book to describe our experiences there. The friendships we made, and the work that God miraculously did, left lasting impressions . We were even adopted into the Tlingit tribe, an amazing honor for outsiders. Just don't ask me to spell my Tlingit name!

But the call to Indonesia was always there, and finally, 11 years after leaving Indonesia to attend Bible college, I returned, my wife and three little children beside me. For more information on our previous work in Indonesia, click here.

But then the sudden "catastrophe" when we had to leave Indonesia (see below) really made me seek God's face. It took a while before the message I had taught for 20 years came back to settle into my own heart: "I am not called to a place ... I am called to a Person, Jesus Christ. And He can 'place' me wherever He likes!"

One of the benefits of the interim time in the States while awaiting God's direction is that I was (finally) able to complete my MA degree at AGTS.

The journey hasn't always been the one I planned, or the route I'd have taken. But God's goodness has never let me down. And because of that, I face the future with confidence in His faithfulness. I might fail, but Him? Never!

Dianne's Bio

In contrast to Darrell, I am not from any ministry background whatsoever. Which made it all the more amazing to me... others, as well!... that God should want me to become one of his missionaries. But I learned that background is not the most important criteria... a willing heart is.

Actually, my first response to God's "promptings" was, "Uh, I'm sorry, but I think You have the wrong number... I'm not 'missionary' material." Whatever that is. I think we get a strange idea of what God is looking for. But in answer to all my insecurities, I felt God reassuring me that, if He called me to be a missionary, He would make me into a missionary.

Three months after saying "yes" to God, I met Darrell. And I've always maintained that it was fortunate for him that God called me before Darrell did, because I can't blame Darrell for any of it! Having said that, both of them have taken me to some ver-r-r-ry interesting places.

We married two years into my college career at Northwest U, and two years later we headed for ministry in Southeast Alaska. That was truly the "making" process for me, some of the most difficult, challenging... and wonderfully rewarding... years of my life.

But overseas missions was always there in our hearts, and eventually we arrived in Indonesia. We'll tell you more out that part of our lives in Our Ministry.

Thank God for the years of preparation in Alaska, because it was even more challenging than I could have imagined. And more exciting. Of course, missionaries use words like "challenging," "interesting," and "exciting"..; as in, the ministry is "challenging"; the food is "interesting"; and the roads (planes, boats, riots, etc.) are "exciting!"

Now we're in Europe, and I finally managed to finish my MTh at Continental Theological Seminary while teaching at the BA level. And yes, the excitement... along with the challenges... just keeps coming!

Intro into our lives 

Our married life together began on June 27, 1970 while attending North-west College (now Northwest University). After graduation, we pastored for six years in Alaska before becoming missionaries for almost twenty years in Indonesia.

However, abruptly in 1997 our visa for Indonesia was revoked and we had to leave the country... that day. Unable to return to Indonesia, we spent some time in the States, seeking God's direction in the middle (muddle?) of chaotic emotions.

Then God opened an incredible door for ministry in Europe, and in 2000 we moved to Belgium. Thinking that all ministry to Indonesians had evaporated, we concentrated on education ministry in Europe. Click here to learn more.

But God is so much more creative than our imagination! By an incredible series of circumstances, we were connected with Indonesians in Europe. To learn more about these amazing opportunities for Indonesian ministry, as well as our fascinating life among international students at CTS, go to Our Ministry.