FRED’S IT JOB IS HIS MISSION FIELD

Fred was 17 when he immigrated to the US. He became a Christian in his mid-30s and felt called to return to his home country as a tentmaker. In 2005, he was part of an IT team that GLS placed overseas. Being bilingual and bi-cultural, Fred’s role in client services and project management, liaising between American clients and local engineers, was a perfect fit.

The city where Fred worked was on track to become the Silicon Valley in its region. Young engineers from around the country flocked there for a piece of the action. Single and far from home, they would spend long hours at work rather than go home to an empty apartment.

Fred and a few others sent by GLS started a Friday club and invited their colleagues. After dinner, they would sing songs, study the Bible, and hang out together. Fred was humorous, laid back, and well liked. Soon, conversations would go deeper. The city was full of migrant workers from educated professionals like these engineers to blue collar workers at restaurants and construction sites. People worked hard but felt lost and lonely. Over time, some colleagues came to faith. By the time Fred left the company, he had trained up local leaders to continue the ministry.

Fred’s new job was with a training department. He convinced his boss to add soft skills training for all the staff. This gave him access to many more people throughout the company. His weekly sessions would cover time management, teamwork, work-life balance, personal values, and the meaning and purpose of life. Those who showed spiritual interest, Fred would invite to study the Word with him.

Soon, Christians with other companies in the IT park heard what Fred was doing and invited him to show them how to start clubs in their offices too.

By 2015, Fred had been away from the U.S. for ten years. When his father fell very ill, he returned to the U.S. He was the only son and his parents were not believers. Back home, Fred was quickly hired because his international experience in IT was coveted by the company with its ethnically diverse team.

Back in California’s Silicon Valley, Fred did not skip a beat: his work among engineers continues to be his mission field. He is a tentmaker everywhere and anywhere. He remains open to God’s next deployment, wherever his career would take Him.