A Father's Point of View

A Father's Point of View
By Bill Tracy, SIBI and AIM Instructor

"I am one of the instructors in the Adventures In Missions program, and for the past four years I have witnessed this flurry of activity from afar, knowing that I will see the AIMers in a less chaotic state the following week in class. I love this time of year for what happens on the corner of 34th and Memphis in Lubbock, Texas. Each year in August, parents from literally around the world drop off their kids to enter the AIM program. This year has been radically different for me from the previous years. This year I was one of the parents dropping off a son for the AIM program. The organized chaos in the AIM room took on a completely new perspective for me. I went from a passive spectator to an active participant.

"What is it like having a child in the AIM program? First, I am extremely proud! I am proud that my son made a decision to immerse himself in missions! In less than a year, he will be on a plane somewhere around the world to engage in the greatest venture and battle of life -- world missions -- the battle to save souls for the Lord. I know that someday, someone whom I will probably never meet here on earth will stand before our loving Father and hear the words, 'Well done thy good and faithful servant' because my son and others like him have decided to enter the AIM program. Second, I am thrilled about the intensive Bible instruction and practical ministry experience he is receiving while here at Sunset. I am thrilled at the fact that he is now surrounded with 58 other students whose soul passion is to serve God and engage in missions; bonds formed in AIM will literally last an eternity. Finally, there is a feeling of security because I know the men and women who run the AIM program. Their passion for God, their zeal for world missions, and their love for every AIMer who steps through the door is a priority to them. The AIM staff has my son's best spiritual and physical interests at heart without a doubt.

"Writing this article and being an instructor hasn't exempted me from the experience of having our first child leave home. There have been many tears and the usual parental fears, but I am ecstatic where he is and how God will use him in His Kingdom."