When he was a child, Cameron's mother had one single prayer for her son's life; all she wanted was for him to follow God's will. It was a simple prayer, but it was that simple prayer that is now taking him to North Africa.
Preaching the gospel to an unreached people group in a foreign land was the farthest thing from his mind when Cameron walked into The Austin Stone Community Church for the first time. The look in his eyes and the confidence in his voice tell the story of a changed heart.
Before coming to Austin, Cameron was not walking with God. "I began to realize what a hypocrite I was, but I met a group of people here who really had a relationship with Jesus, who really knew him and loved him."
This spoke to Cameron deeply and the change in his life began with simple, small steps. "I began to do the only thing I knew to do," he said. "I began reading the Bible and telling God, 'I want to know you more.'"
During his last summer as a college student, Cameron took advantage of a last-minute opportunity to spend his summer teaching English in the Czech Republic. His time among the Czech people confirmed a growing awareness that God was calling him to go and serve the nations. "God just opened this door and I jumped through it," Cameron said. "But by the end of the summer, I knew I could do this for the rest of my life."
On his way back to the United States, he made a stop in North Africa to stay with a friend. In hindsight, Cameron realized it was during this visit that his eyes were opened to see a truly unreached group of people in a place where the gospel is rarely preached. "In the five days I spent in North Africa, my heart was really drawn to that area," he explained.
On the plane ride home, Cameron filled out an application to serve on the international missions team at the Austin Stone. A few weeks later, he had been selected and was starting his internship. While serving as an intern, Cameron met the leaders of a group that was preparing to go to North Africa and decided joined their team.
In the midst of his final preparations, he knows that this call to go to the nations is not the end of a journey but, rather, the beginning of something much greater. "My time in the Czech Republic was a huge time of sanctification and growth in my faith. It's not like [God] grew and sanctified me and then sent me out. It's that I didn't know what I was doing. He sent me out and then used that to produce fruit in others and in my own life."
Cameron's first two years with his team in North Africa will be focused on learning the language and building relationships within the local community. He and his teammates are eager to fully immerse themselves in the culture of their new homeland. "Thirty years down the road, if we spent the first two years learning the language – and learning it well – it will be much more fruitful than if we did not." After this intense time of language acquisition, the team will begin working to planting churches in one of the toughest areas of the region.
It was the words of Jesus in Scripture that helped Cameron say yes to God's call, as well as to help calm any fears that may arise as he looks to the future.
"Behold, I will be with you always to the end of the age."
It is with a distinct boldness Cameron claims, "When I read that, the Holy Spirit pierced my heart. It led me to a place of saying, 'I want to be in a place where this is true for my life. Wherever that is, that's where I want to be.'"
