Aaron and Nina Engelhardt have returned to Guam recently to serve at Harvest Baptist Bible College. Pastor Walton speaks with them today about that ministry.
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Episode Transcript:
Chris Harper: Welcome to Harvest Time. My name is Chris Harper, and our host on this program is Pastor Gary Walton, the lead pastor of Harvest Baptist Church. Every week, we spend these twenty five minutes together telling you the stories of our church by interviewing our members and other friends of the ministry. We’re back to two services this week, 08:45AM and 10:45AM Sunday at the church. We have Japanese and Korean translation during that 10:45AM service, and that’s the service we livestream at hbcguam.org. hbcguam.org. This week, again, back to two services at harvest. Let’s begin today’s Harvest Time by welcoming Pastor Gary Walton. Hi, pastor.
Gary Walton: Hey, hafa adai, Chris. It is an exciting season of the year at Harvest when we got a lot of transitions happening. We launch the Academy and the Bible College and a number of fall ministries right in this time. In fact, we do all staff orientation and a week of just kind of gathering our hearts together. We’re in the middle of that right now.
And then a number of things come along, including what you talked about, going back to two services this Sunday. During the summer months, we’ve got some people traveling, and the main part of it is our Bible college students are not here, at least a good portion of them are not here, and so that gives us a little bit more space that we’re able to get everybody in one service. It’s been kind of fun. I mean, the auditorium’s been packed out. In fact, Sunday, standing room only and overflow happening.
But, everything’s back in gear and so we’ll be doing two services and just looking forward to a great fall of ministry together and worshiping God together. We’d love to have you come. We have a seat for you, we have space for you, and I am confident that you’ll feel warmly welcomed. We’re going to do the same thing we do every week. We’re going to sing songs that will put our focus on God then we’re going to open up the Scriptures and just let God’s Word speak to us.
And so we’d like to invite you to come and experience that time together and hear from God. If we can help you, send us an email. You can call numbers on our website if we can help you get connected as you come this Sunday, but we’d love to have you join us. I just mentioned that we’re kind of starting into new ministry and, we have on Harvest Time, we get a welcome back, new staff that were actually previous staff. So welcome back to Aaron and Nina Engelhardt.
Really glad to have you back on campus and back on Guam.
Aaron Engelhardt: Thanks Pastor. It’s great to be back.
Gary Walton: Aaron and Nina, I’ll ask them a little about their story, but they served on our pastoral team from 2015 to 2020. Then God called them away for a few years and just this year, in fact, starting right now, they’re beginning as the new administrator, new director for Harvest Baptist Bible College. And Nina’s kind of the main admin assistant, taking care of so many of the oversight and details of that ministry. We just it’s amazing to me the way that God has directed it. It’s just the perfect fit.
So we’re really happy to welcome you back and your family. Aaron, last few years, tell us about the last few years before coming back.
Aaron Engelhardt: Yeah, we went back after leaving here to Oregon, and we’re working with the youth there at a church I grew up in, Open Door Baptist Church, and then moved over to Hawaii for a couple years teaching at a really small Christian school, with a great team of teachers and, just using the gifts that God’s given us and opportunity to, help, grow the school and teach the Bible, evangelize. So yeah, was a great, great season.
Gary Walton: You guys have had opportunities to minister across this part of the world, even before your Harvest Time. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Aaron Engelhardt: Yeah, when we first got married, the plan was to go to China. We got married, had our oldest child Lydia, and when she was just a baby, we moved over to China. And from there, we taught and we’re trying to use that as a platform to be able to share the gospel. But we had heard about a ministry that was working with Chinese students over in Saipan. And so we contacted Pastor Pong and sure enough, the next year we went over and we’re in Saipan for three years.
Then from there, we had some back again, our church in Oregon had been doing some work in The Philippines and asked if we would be able to oversee a Christian camp over there. And so we ended up going from Saipan to The Philippines for a couple of years and then after being there for a couple of years, we knew it was time to move on and that’s when we came to Guam.
Gary Walton: Well, to me it just feels like all of those experiences, the variety of them, are part of God’s training for you for this spot in particular. And I know you guys love this ministry. I’ll ask you about it a little bit. Nina, tell us about your family. Your kids, you said, were born kind of as you’re going to China, but now they’re older.
Nina Engelhardt: Yeah. That’s right. We, would always go back and have our kids, but they’ve grown up overseas, I guess. So we have a senior this year, a junior, Ellie, and then our youngest is Judah. He’s gonna be a freshman. He’s our son.
Gary Walton: Some transition for them. How are they doing with all that?
Nina Engelhardt: You know, God’s been working in their hearts a lot, even from the beginning, that we discussed this move with them. Doesn’t mean they necessarily wanted it, but we just see God working in them so much. So that is really encouraging, and it’s just confirmation that this is where God has us. So we’re thankful.
Gary Walton: Yeah. We’re so glad that they’re here. Great kids and, know that God’s gonna use them here and hopefully this will be just a place for thriving for them in every way. Aaron, back us up all the way. You said you’re from Oregon. Are you both from Oregon?
Aaron Engelhardt: Nina’s from Washington State.
Gary Walton: Okay. Let’s start with you. Tell us your background and maybe a little bit of your spiritual story.
Aaron Engelhardt: Okay. I grew up in a home both my parents had met there at the church that I grew up in. So they had met as college students. And so early on I had a great opportunity to be able to hear God’s Word in the home and went to a school where I was hearing God’s Word. Great church.
And so it was all around me and I was familiar with the Bible. But even though I had kind of grown up in that, I didn’t really make it my own until about seventh grade. I had kind of flounder. I was really living pretty selfishly, getting into a lot of trouble. And looking back, was really dumb and self centered.
But God got ahold of my heart. And at seventh grade, He definitely helped me to recognize my need for him. And it was from that point on that he began to point me and not necessarily I didn’t know what I wanted to do for the future, but I did know that I wanted Him to use me and He gave me a burden for the friends that I had at that time that didn’t know the Lord. And then when I got to my senior year of high school, I still didn’t really know the specific direction, but I had been advised to go to a Bible college at least for a year just to try to get my feet under me, get some direction. And it was there that God really gave me a heart for ministry and for reaching other people for Christ.
Gary Walton: Ah, it’s fantastic. I love the ways that God directs us, you know, step by step through life. Nina, you said Washington State. Tell me about that.
Nina Engelhardt: That’s right. Yeah. I grew up with a big family, lots of fun, six sisters and one brother. So good times.
Gary Walton: That’s a lot of girls in one household. Your brother, younger or older?
Nina Engelhardt: He’s the oldest. So he did fine.
Gary Walton: Oh, okay. He did fine.
Nina Engelhardt: The girls make up a volleyball team, so it worked out okay,
plus one. So it was good. But no ah, I kinda went through homeschool and then into public school, so kind of a mix of both worlds. Headed off to Bob Jones after high school and had such a good experience there. That’s where my spiritual life and my relationship with God really became my own.
And so, I think college is a time where you decide a lot of things, a lot of directions, and, I guess that plays into here. We’re here with the college students, and we really hope to give them the opportunity to make a relationship with God their own. So I sorry. I was saved at a really young age, but really committed myself more not until college.
Gary Walton: Mhmm.
Nina Engelhardt: And I’m still working through that process.
Gary Walton: Yeah. Yeah. God’s always working in us and with us. Let’s, let’s start with that airplane moment. Alright.
You first landed here. In fact, let’s go back to 2015. First landed here in Guam. You’ve had some experiences kind of across Asia, Southeast Asia, so that’s not unfamiliar. You know, what was kinda if you can put yourself back in that scene, what was going on as you, you know, stepped into a place filled with island culture and all For that’s going on
Aaron Engelhardt: me, I was a little bit overwhelmed walking around campus. I mean, it just seemed like such a big place and we were used to just a small town, small school setting. So seeing people everywhere, especially between classes as kids are going from one place to another, I was like, Oh man, I’m going to get lost in this crowd. But then as we started to meet people, in fact, probably some of the HBBC students were some of the first that we met and just felt very down to earth, very friendly, and just felt really at ease with them especially. And so many of the staff were welcoming.
It just felt very much like home. We were grateful to be part of something that we knew. There was an energy about the campus. I think we knew that this was a place where we could thrive.
Gary Walton: Nina, you mentioned just the significance of that college experience in your life, that college season. And I know in our conversation together over the last six months or whatever that it’s a big part of what God used to draw you both back here. Micronesian students, they bring so much heart, community, I think some students with spiritual hunger. You know, what do you know or what have you learned through them? How is working with, you know, particularly our students, HBBC students, how’s that, you know, kind of changed, your perspectives from just kind of serving among them and with them?
Nina Engelhardt: They they’re not afraid to talk about the Lord and really put it all out there. I think we really hold back a lot of the time, and they they just seem open about it. And that’s something that I wanna get better at. And they can definitely teach me that. But they kind of do that with everything they do.
They’re all in, whether it’s something funny or something serious. So, I think I think I can definitely learn and take away from that, and we hope our kids learn from that too.
Gary Walton: Yeah. I mean, it really is a full family ministry. I know you guys as part of, I think the attraction to, your family together, serving in that way. Aaron, what’s your prayer? What’s your passion for this next generation of, what we hope would be island leaders?
Aaron Engelhardt: Yeah, I mean it really is pretty simple. It sticks to what we have as our purpose. We want them to glorify God. We want our lives to glorify God. And we want them to really grow in a relationship with Him.
I mean, that’s what God wants for all of us. And so I’m excited to I mean, this is really a discipleship opportunity. That’s how I see it. A chance to encourage growth, to correct and instruct and to use God’s Word to, you know, I believe there’s power in it to change lives. So I’m excited and I hope that our ministry with them becomes even further reaching, that as they take the message wherever God leads them afterwards, that they’re able to share boldly.
And I hope just even beyond Micronesia that we’re able to reach many with the Gospel.
Gary Walton: I know when you guys were just considering God’s will and direction for this, was there a moment when you kind of knew, it might have been different for both, but God’s calling us to this place, this work. You know, behind every ministry move, there’s usually a story. Anything specific that was a moment or was it just kind of a growing burden? How would you describe that?
Aaron Engelhardt: Yeah, I think for me, initially I thought when we left, I thought that was goodbye forever. And then when we connected, was like a spark that was lighting something inside me. I think just the initial mention of coming back here for me was exciting, but I thought, No, it won’t happen. And then the more that I thought about it, the more excited I got. Was like, This could really be a great fit for us, not just for Nina and myself, but for our family.
This would be a way we can minister as a team and in a way teach our kids to serve together and disciple them in that way as they’re getting involved. So yeah, remember a couple of times just being in prayer and praying about this and just getting excited about it. So, yeah, I can’t think of any one No.
Gary Walton: It’s good. No. Actually, that’s helpful. Nina, what about for you? Growing burden or, you know, how did God work in your life for this?
Nina Engelhardt: I think it started years ago when I had the thought of, boy, maybe we shouldn’t have left Harvest and and thinking about all the great opportunities here and the people and, and how we were surrounded by, Christian influence all the time and how that would be great for our kids. So I feel like it was probably years before we even got that that message from you. And so it almost was like when that message came, it was like, okay.
Gary Walton: Well, we were neighbors.
Aaron Engelhardt: Mhmm. That’s right.
Gary Walton: Before, we talked about your kids were a lot littler, but, I was talking with them about I think we took a hike down to Sella Bay or something together and Yeah. So, yeah, there was good, strong, you know, connections of, I think, God and really hard for us as you guys left and so encouraging as God, you know, as God’s, called you back here.
Aaron Engelhardt: Yeah. We have some great memories of here that we carried with us and, you know, with your family. We’re grateful for the encouragement, and not just from the pulpit, but just personally, the connection we have and grateful for the friendship.
Gary Walton: Yeah. I’m thankful for that too. Aaron, what do you think are the big lessons that God’s taught you to prepare for this role?
Aaron Engelhardt: I think, probably all of us in life, learn flexibility is a big key to growth and really trusting the Lord in his timing. And I believe that with the students that we have on our campus, just encouraging them to trust the Lord and to seek His will before their own. A lot of times I’ve tried to do things my way and tried to, yeah, just go the direction I felt I wanted to go and it didn’t work out. God would close the door or I would fall on my face. And God had to teach me through that.
And so I really want to encourage our students to seek Him first. I’ve learned also that God is a loving God, that He really cares about our lives. He’s involved in just the minute things that we don’t even recognize sometimes. But then when you look back, you see, Wow, he did that for a reason. So, yeah, learning to just trust God and to recognize his work has been really good.
Gary Walton: As we’re recording this,
it’s the same week that it’ll air this weekend, but we just came from the first sessions of the new student body, maybe should have led with this. We’ve got 75 students. Give us a little overview of just the Bible College, Aaron. What’s if somebody’s listening to this and they’re like, hey, you’ve been talking about this HBBC thing, what’s that all about?
Aaron Engelhardt: Yeah. So we have a Bible college that is filled with students from various islands around Micronesia. And we’ve got 25 freshmen, incoming freshmen this year and just spent some time with them. Some of them have that deer in the headlights look. It’ll be a little time to adjust and we want to make them feel welcome and at home.
But then we also, spent the earlier part of this week with our leaders, our room leaders and our dorm leaders. I feel really confident in their abilities. I believe God’s prepared them, to lead well. And I’m excited to see them, in action. And I think our students are going to have a great year.
I’m excited to be able to get to know them. I’m still learning names, but I’m excited to see God’s work in their lives.
Gary Walton: Discipleship is such a big burden. Nina, I know that you have some background in some counseling. How do you think God’s prepared you for this role of discipling? I mean, so many of these young girls coming from all kinds of different perspectives and family situations.
Nina Engelhardt: Well, it’s humbling to think about, counseling some someone. But I think God has met me wherever I’m at, and he’s he’s humbled me. And, no matter what I’ve done, he has forgiven me. And we always go back to the Bible. So I guess it starts when you’re a kid.
And my dad was a pastor, and you you know the Bible well. And then it’s your relationship with the lord and what he’s done for me, and I know I know he’s faithful, and I know all these things. I’m confident in him. I have a I have a degree, I guess, in psychology and Christian counseling, but, I feel like the relationship with the Lord is trumps that for sure. And those books help with some situations that I haven’t been in.
So I’m glad I have, that as a resource. But first of all, the Bible, and I’m thankful for my Christian upbringing and and knowing it pretty well.
Gary Walton: Yeah. Well, you know, to be able to equip those kids for whatever God sends them out to do with this understanding the Bible really is enough, that’s really sufficient for us is is a powerful thing. We’re looking forward to seeing that happen. You’re talking earlier, Aaron, about, just the students that you were with, for the dorm leaders, you know, the earlier days. And I was thinking about, I think every year I feel this a little bit.
We graduate a group of kids and they’re always fantastic. And we saw that fifth year group go, Every year I feel the same, is, Ah, how do we replace that? How do we replace that leadership? And then as the new year rolls around, and I didn’t get as much time, with them as you did, but even I was able to be in a couple sessions with those leaders, those room leaders, and, just seeing again, God’s got this. He’s prepared them for this next year, and they’re gonna lead well, and God’s gonna use their personalities and how they’re shaped for that.
And I I think that’s always really encouraging encouraging for me. Rapid fire. Either from before or now. What’s one island dish that you guys love?
Aaron Engelhardt: Pancit.
Nina Engelhardt: Tinaktak.
Gary Walton: Nice. Any Micronesian phrases you’ve learned?
Nina Engelhardt: No. I don’t remember.
Aaron Engelhardt: Not that I’m on the spot. No. Yeah. Those will come. I know I have.
Nina Engelhardt: Yeah. Hafa adai.
Gary Walton: Yeah. Is an island phrase. Yeah. Yeah. Anything that students do already that’s like just makes you laugh?
Nina Engelhardt: It’s like when they don’t know something and they just laugh together. I don’t know. I think it’s funny. It’s always funny.
Aaron Engelhardt: That’s me too. I always laugh when they’re laughing because it just cracks me up.
Nina Engelhardt: They are always laughing.
Gary Walton: Yeah. They are.
Nina Engelhardt: They refer to laughing. Yeah.
Gary Walton: They are always laughing. And, always I’m always intrigued by how quickly they can go from, not solemn, but just very quiet to just uproarious laughter and joy. And we talk about this a lot, our students just fill our campus with so much joy and passion. They’re at different stages in their spiritual development, but we have this you know, we get to see them for five years. We watch them mature and see them grow in their faith.
And, man, it’s just so thrilling. And I’m so happy that you guys listened to God’s voice and said yes, to his call. I’m confident that God’s prepared you. He’s gonna use you. We look forward to serving together.
And we’re praying that that this year would be a great year for HBBC, for your family as you transition, and, you know, God’s name would be lifted up in the island. So thanks for coming. Thanks for being on Harvest Time.
Aaron Engelhardt: Thank you, pastor.
Nina Engelhardt: Yeah. Thank you. And we’re we’re just so thankful for the families who, brought us food and welcomed us so much. We really felt the love from from especially the pastoral staff and administration. So I just wanna say thank you for that.
Gary Walton: That’s awesome. We’re glad that you’re here.
Chris Harper: Well, thank you for listening to Harvest Time. Of course, at this point in the program, we always wanna personally invite you again to services at Harvest Baptist Church. We have two services, again, this Sunday, 08:45AM, 10:45AM Sunday morning. We also have Japanese and Korean translation during the 10:45AM service, and that service is broadcast live here on 88.1 FM and khmg.org. We hope to see you this Sunday.
Thanks again for listening to Harvest Time.