Finding God’s Calling

Daniel grew up on Long Beach Island in a strong Christian home, but he gave little thought to his own relationship with the Lord. “I thought I was spiritually covered just being in that household,” he says.

As an adult, he invested himself in his father’s awning installation company. When his father sold the business, Daniel and his brothers started their own company and enjoyed great success. His main focus was the comfort and security of a good job.

But at the age of 30, Daniel reconnected with the Lord, and his motivation began to change. “God finally chased me down and said, ‘you have to come back to the fold. Let’s start thinking about a path in ministry instead of secular work.’”

Daniel was hesitant; he had watched his father give up his successful business to go into fulltime ministry, and he wasn’t sure he could handle the same chaos. He felt secure in his current job – but at the same time he knew it conflicted with what God wanted him to do.

“You have to trust me,” he felt the Lord telling him.

“I asked Him what He wanted me to do and I heard ‘Asbury.’ But I didn’t know anything about [the Mission].”

Two weeks later, his dad, the Program Director at our Mission location in Morristown, spoke in one of our chapel services. Daniel came along, witnessing firsthand the healing and hope men find at the Mission.

He was uncomfortable at first, but when he heard of a part time cashier position at our Thrift Store, he knew it was where God was calling him to be. After a while of working at the store, Daniel came to realize he could make an impact by building community here: “I know that’s a gift God has given me.”

Daniel is now our Store Manager, working to instill a good work ethic in our program guests and build relationships between the Mission and the community around us.

His efforts are paying off, as evidenced by the many phone calls he receives from customers of our Thrift Store, Car Lot, and donation pickups. “They say these men are wonderful to be around,” he says. “The values here rub off.”

Daniel is dedicated to continuing God’s call on his life to invest in the lives of the men in our program.

And he’s grateful to friends like you for your continuing support of the Mission: “Our donors are the reason why what we do here is amazing.”

To read our Summer 2019 issue of The Lifeline, click here.