Jeff and Emi Bobo sat down with Pastor Walton this week to discuss growing up in the Marshall Islands, joining the Navy, and serving God with their lives.
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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 have two services at Harvest every week. The first is at 08:45AM, the second at 10:45AM.
We have Japanese and Korean translation during that 10:45 service on Sunday. That’s when we livestream as well at hbcguam.org. Hbcguam.org. This week, the wonder of the invitation from Luke 2:10-11. Let’s begin today’s Harvest Time by welcoming Pastor Gary Walton.
Hi, pastor.
Gary Walton: Hey, hafa adai, Chris. We’re gonna be in Luke the Sunday before, Christmas, which is very appropriate. And, we have kind of a special Christmas service. We’ll do some singing of of carols, a little bit of a reminder of the Christmas story. It’ll be a sweet time together.
We want to invite you to come for that. And then this is actually the third message in a very short Christmas series that we began a couple weeks ago. The overall title is The Wonder of It All. And, we talked about, the wonder of the promise from the book of Isaiah. We talked about the wonder of the incarnation this last week from John chapter one, and then this week we’re going to talk about the wonder of the invitation and God’s message that He gives to us through the angels in Luke chapter two.
And so it’ll be a sweet time together. We want to invite you to come and join us, Chris mentioned, at 08:45 and 10:45. Well, I’m really glad to have Jeff and Emi Bobo with us here on Harvest Time. Really, excited, for you to meet them and hear a little bit of their story. Jeff and Emmy have been part of Harvest for a couple of years and both baptized recently.
Jeff, I think about a year ago, maybe a little over a year ago, Jeff, and then Emi in May down at Jones Beach. And God’s just been doing a good work in their life, and I’m excited to introduce them. First of all, welcome to Harvest Time.
Jeff Bobo: Thanks, Pastor. Thanks for Thank having us you.
Emi Bobo: Thank you for having us.
Gary Walton: You guys have some kids, right? Your family. Jeff, tell us about your three children, names, ages. Or maybe Emmy should help with this, I’m not sure.
Emi Bobo: We have a 12 year old, Rosmina, then Joshua, six year old, and then Emiko, two going on three at the end of the month. And then there’s a one do in the fourth one do in
Gary Walton: Due soon
Emi Bobo: less than a month from now.
Gary Walton: Less than a month. Yeah. If you’ve been on Harvest Campus, you know that, the radio is up on the 3rd Floor. And we were thankful, Emi, for the elevator today.
Emi Bobo: Oh yes.
Gary Walton: Well, I really do appreciate you guys being willing to come in and just share your story. Jeff, tell us about your background. You grew up, both of you did, in the Marshalls, and then God’s moved you around a little bit, in the Navy. Just tell us about all of that.
Jeff Bobo: Yeah, pastor. So, yeah, we are both from Marshall Islands, different Islands. I personally was born and raised on Eby Island, and I grew up in a large extended family household and a very community centric environment. And along with that, the church was always central to it. So always been part of church functions and really been part of the community growing up.
And then I basically lived there until I was about 18, went to college. After that, went back home, worked for about two and a half years before I I joined the Navy, and, I’ll be in the Navy for about I hit my 12 mark in the Navy in a couple months.
Gary Walton: Yeah. That’s great. We were just talking about that before we started recording here. I’ll ask Emi about her background, but just why the Navy? It was an interesting little story that you told me.
Jeff Bobo: So I chose the profession a bit, basically being in construction. I’m a civil engineer by trade. I chose to do that, one, because I enjoy it, but secondly, I just saw that as a need and something that I could serve in. And then when I graduated from college and I started working, I essentially started working in more of a management position instead of being out in the field. And I just saw an opportunity to not do this profession, but also do it more globally.
And so joining the Navy, the Civil Engineer course specifically, was what I wanted to pursue. And so in addition to career aspirations, I also saw it as a good fit for the direction that I wanted to grow our family.
Gary Walton: Yeah, it was really interesting, Jeff. I mean, you you’d said that you guys could have been very comfortable there. Good job, good direction, and yet it felt like, you know, you chose to kinda stretch yourself. Maybe that’s the right word. Stretch yourself, explore, your career multiple ways, and, twelve years into it, is that a good decision?
Jeff Bobo: Yes. Yeah. I mean, it’s ups and downs. Sure. But I don’t yeah.
We don’t regret it.
Gary Walton: Yeah. Yeah. Emi, where so well, well, let’s back up. Your story, grew up in Marshall’s different island, though. Right?
Emi Bobo: Yes. Born in the capital city, which is Majuro Atoll, but mostly grew up in the outer island, one of the other island, which Jaluit Atoll, with my grandparents. So my parents are in Majuro with my younger sister, and then I was raised most of my childhood up until 18, by my grandparents.
Gary Walton: And then how did you guys meet? You and Jeff meet, And did you know each other from way back?
Jeff Bobo: No. We we didn’t meet until we were both going to college in The United States. We went to different schools and, would have never met each other, but we had, mutual friends and her sister that were, that knew each other and that they knew us and just basically thought we would get along with each other.
Gary Walton: And lo and behold, you did. Yeah.
Emi Bobo: Yeah. So Jeff was in a different state. I was in Hawaii, but I was able to, blessed to go to another college as an exchange student Okay. In Missouri State. And so that got got us closer in this tent and also the with the time difference.
So we got to know each other more better that way.
Gary Walton: Yeah. Yeah.
Emi Bobo: And then, you know, spend time.
Jeff Bobo: Mhmm.
Emi Bobo: Yeah. See.
Gary Walton: Emmy, let me ask you about this. I mean, when you started talking about, the Navy and, you know, that’s a whole different lifestyle for your family, you both had said you’re pretty comfortable there. Mhmm. Were you deciding that together? Was it Jeff’s idea?
And then what did you think about it?
Emi Bobo: So we were we were done with school, with our bachelor’s, actually, then back to back to Marshall Island to work and serve there. And then we got married. A year later, Jeff brought up the idea of, you know, extending wanting to, learn more, I guess, with his fill his field, civil engineering and work experience. And so he brought up the idea of Navy Navy, CBs and civil civil engineering corps. So he was trying to convince me because I was settled and then I wanted to, like, stay and just work there.
But, so he had all these pros and cons.
Gary Walton: That’s a good that’s a good band, Jeff.
Emi Bobo: He was presenting his, pros and cons of the that life of Navy and all that. So, yeah, I just thought about it and we both made the decision.
Gary Walton: Yeah. Yeah. Well, you’d mentioned earlier, I’m really interested in exploring this some more, the impact that that decision, of course, has had on your family, you know, just your whole lives. But Jeff, you mentioned just spiritually. Tell us, you mentioned you grew up going to church.
Tell me about your spiritual journey.
Jeff Bobo: I basically grew up in the church, but it was mostly because my family did, and, it’s what everybody else did. So I didn’t really think about it deeply. I think it was something that I assumed that was part of who I was.
Gary Walton: Kind of part of our family, our culture, background. My family culture. Yeah.
Jeff Bobo: But I think I didn’t really start to really make the personal decision and convictions that I had until one was when I went to college and then after that was coming back, and then eventually going to the Navy. But I think consistent to that was being in situations where they’re difficult, but they also take you out of your normal environment. And you start to question the values or the opinions you had, and one of them was faith. I am very blessed, though, that I did have family members that, though they didn’t really explain to me the doctrine of Christianity, they just instilled that happen to me that when you struggle to turn to your faith. And so that was kind of my natural reaction.
Whether it was college or being in different duty stations or being on deployments, I think as I was consistently put in those situations and I would turn to my faith, I would meet chaplains or and other people that would just mentor me and guide me, and I I would not have challenged myself and not really thought about, you know, what what what Christianity means had I not encountered those those those difficulties and questioned them.
Gary Walton: Tell me about your baptism, Jeff. You were baptized about a year ago, came to Guam, you know, with the Navy. You you guys have been around. Tell me some of your stations, previous stations.
Jeff Bobo: So our first duty station was Port Hueneme, California, and then Washington DC, followed back to Port Hueneme, and then we were in Yokosuka, Japan for about three years before we got here. And then when I got here, I think by the time I got here, was ready to be baptized. And I really didn’t know much about Harvest. I was just kind of, we led here. And you know, I I think it was the work that, those chaplains, and those other spiritual mentors had had invested in me.
Mhmm. So when I got here, I wasn’t I was just ready I was ready to commit myself Yeah. And lead my family.
Gary Walton: Yeah. No. That’s awesome. Emi, what about you?
Tell us kind of back us up a little bit, your spiritual story growing up and led to here all the way through, you know, last year when you were baptized.
Emi Bobo: So growing up, I always go to church every Sunday, but I never really think about it, you know, too much
Gary Walton: Yeah.
Emi Bobo: Up until I was, I guess, in college because then I was out of my comfort zone. I was away. Mhmm. And so it made me really have deeper questions, like, why are we here? And, you know, like and so I feel like God has been just guiding me throughout, you know, my childhood up until then.
And then that’s when I really wanted to have God because I was alone. Yeah. And so, so I started then, you know started to really kind of curiosity get to me wanting to know more and learn more about God. And then, you know, fast forward, married with Jeff, have kids. I wanted to even get into the, you know, like the deeper relationship with God because I felt like he was guiding me and he was there with me the whole time.
I just never really, really take my time and focus and really learn. And but now I’m here. I just feel like I’m blessed that he’s been there with me the whole time. I just never really pay attention or take my time.
Gary Walton: Yeah. No. That’s good. I love a lot of that, Jeff. I love hearing you say, I wanna lead my family, you know, spiritually, and that’s the foundation.
Right? Mhmm. You know, Emi, to be able to say God’s been this part of my life and he deserves Yeah. Full Mhmm. My full attention, my full allegiance.
Emi Bobo: Mhmm.
Gary Walton: Yeah. And and I can see it’s been fun watching you guys together, but just your faith grow. In fact, maybe I could ask you about that. Jeff, what would you say about what’s it mean that to have your faith grow, and and how’s that happening right now?
Jeff Bobo: I think to have your faith grow is when you start to it becomes natural for you to trust what you’ve learned and what the Bible says. And for me, can see it in my life because can, though I can’t really pinpoint when these transitions have happened in different aspects of my life, I can starkly contrast them to how I was before compared to now. A very concrete example is forgiveness. I can’t explain really how, but basically God has worked in my heart, where I used to not want to forgive people. And now I just, I just, I feel like compelled to.
Yeah, so I think that’s a very concrete example of it. But I’ve seen changes in my life that I can’t explain that I couldn’t have done on my own.
Gary Walton: Yeah. That’s fantastic. I mean, those two pieces, you know, bible talks about these evidences of faith in our lives, and, you know, the bible’s very clear that for all of us, there’s a moment in time when we pass from death to life, when the spiritual birth takes place. But I would say not everybody’s able to pinpoint that, but they are definitely able to pinpoint this is what was before and this changed, you know, and it wasn’t something I did. It wasn’t like I figured out how to do that.
God began this work. So that transformation of my life, what happened before versus who I am. And then just the presence of the Holy Spirit. Right? That’s the thing that every, everyone should know.
I I think it’s in the end of John three where Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, and the first five or six verses are very familiar to us. And then and then there’s a verse at the end. Don’t remember. It’s, like, six, seven, eight. But it says, the wind, blows where it wishes, and we can’t see it, but we feel it.
I mean, that’s that’s a broad paraphrase. And he says that’s what the Holy Spirit’s talking about, the Holy Spirit in our lives. So in the same way the wind, you can’t see it, but you know its presence. That’s exactly what happens with the wind, and that’s what happens with the Holy Spirit. We know he’s changing us.
He’s impacting us. And, you know, John says, if you have the spirit, you’re a child of God. If you don’t have the spirit, you’re not a child of God. And so those are good, important pieces that, you know, are these evidences, biblical evidences of God’s regeneration work in our lives. Yeah.
What about you, Emi? Tell me anything that you’d identified just as some changes in your life or what faith means as you’ve grown in your faith?
Emi Bobo: It just means, like, I’ve been more into like, you know, I have that feeling of intimacy Mhmm. Like, growing
Gary Walton: Yeah.
Emi Bobo: With my walk with God. And I’ve seen myself, you know, wanting to read more of the bible, you know, each day. That was not me back then. That was, you know, me, I would only just come in, look at the verses, that’s it. But more like really getting to really know more him, you know, just starting starting, like, my the whole bible reading, you know, like this year. You know?
Like, it’s Great. It’s just been a really, so it’s like my faith has been growing since then because I’ve been committing more of myself and, you know, wanting to have that relationship, deeper relationship with him than before. So it’s it’s it’s so beautiful.
Gary Walton: I love it. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you guys for sharing that.
Jeff Bobo: Hey, pastor. The I’d I’d like to to add the I think the other evidence for me of of spiritual growth is I used to compartmentalize Sunday and being Christian. One of the changes I’ve seen is that I basically, it’s my lens now. And when I say compartmentalization, if I was thinking, How do I treat somebody else? Maybe I would think in terms of, How would Jesus do it?
But if I was thinking more practically, like, Okay, how do I make decisions about my money? I wasn’t thinking through the lens of being a Christian. But I can say now that basically everything in my life and part of the reason that it was hard for me to do that because I didn’t understand the connection. But as I’ve become more mature, I’ve just seen how that applies. And so I think, for me, I think one of the switching moments for me was when I could see the application in my life.
And I think that was it. That was one of my moments. I used to not be able to I could read Scripture and not understand how it applied in my life, but now I can read Scripture and it just now I can see how it applies in every aspect of my life.
Gary Walton: Great. Great. And that’s another indication of the of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. So, he illumines. That’s one of the words.
He illumines the word. So, it’s not just facts. It’s not just, you know, generic reading. God it’s the Holy Spirit who’s the one who takes the word and applies it to our lives. It’s another really clear indication of his presence, his indwelling in our lives.
No, that’s great. It’s really encouraging, exciting. It was fun talking with you guys earlier. We had just this brief conversation just before we started recording, but I don’t know what the future is. You guys don’t know either.
But it was interesting talking to you about, you you got some more time in the Navy, but the idea that, you know, eventually you both use similar words, maybe back in the marshals, maybe partly here, but but serving. I mean, you you both talked about that, serving your communities. Tell me what that means for you. And and then if you tie that into the the transformation kind of spiritually, that foundation that’s growing in your lives. Either one of you want to start with that?
Jeff Bobo: I think in our culture, community is very central. And then you add the Church also being part of that. So we don’t really think about it. It’s just being part of community. And I think it was when I got older that I was able to put a word on it that’s called service.
So it’s always ingrained in me, so it comes naturally to me as I’ve applied to what it means to be a Christian and then serving in the military. Those concepts of being a servant leader, sacrifice, I think those taken on deeper meaning for me and allowed me to alter what I wanted to do in my life. I think maybe like most people, when you’re starting out, you really just think about material things. I want to get a good job so can have a big house, can have etcetera, etcetera. But as I’ve expanded what service is to me, is more than just being part of a community, but now it’s like being part of the Church, God’s family.
Then when I it makes it wider. Know, I think when I used to think of service, I really just thought about, okay, how am I gonna serve my local community? Yeah. But now I can see that when you look through the lens of how can I serve the Church, how can I serve in God’s Kingdom, now it just widens the aperture for, wow, I could do so much? I used to limit myself for what I could do, and now I’m thinking about, if I can do that and I can do that almost anywhere where God leads me, it’s exciting, and it opens up new ways of opportunities of how I could live my life and what what it means for my family.
Because I think I used to have a a narrower, and then when I understand that now I’m part of God’s kingdom, then whatever talents and skills that he gives me, it just widens the opportunities for me. Yeah. And it’s it’s both exciting, but it’s also reassuring that it’s basically, you have the confidence that wherever I go, it doesn’t matter. As long as I’m serving in God’s kingdom, I can mean anywhere. Yeah.
So that’s what it means to me.
Gary Walton: There’s a purposefulness to it. Right? It’s not just cultural, you know, family community. That’s great too, but there’s this purposeful, bigger than just me, bigger than just us that I love hearing that, you know, because I do know, I do understand the cultural part that is ingrained in you, but then when it’s not just that, when it’s the spiritual component that gets added to it, it just takes on so much more significance. And the truth is, I mean, we talk about this a lot around here, but the truth is that God has given you guys some talents.
One talent, three talent, five talents, and, in all kinds of different things. And he’s saying, what are you gonna do with the gifts that I gave you in order that, you know, you would impact eternity impact the, you know, the kingdom. And, yeah, it’s it’s a it’s a you you use the lens word, but it’s a perspective shift of, fulfilling some of the natural desires that I have, but now in the bigger purpose of God’s kingdom. So that’s really fun to hear, Jeff. You’re you’re a smart guy.
You’re a good thinker, but it’s cool hearing God’s shape, you know, all of that together. And it’s awesome hearing about it together, you know, you guys, your family, all of that. Emi, anything to add to that and sort of, you know, the way that God’s building this foundation for you and your family?
Emi Bobo: Yes. Just go along with Jeff what Jeff was saying, in regards to, you know, you know, even if we’re, you know, in a smaller community or anywhere, it’s just applying what we’ve you know, what God has been teaching us or, like, just helping us along the way and guiding us with and just instill in us, you know, via just reading the Bible or listening to, you know, sermons and just, you know, applying that faith and that, belief and then just share it and just be there for somebody or for the community. Yeah. It just it it’s just like it’s more than just us and it’s it’s our purpose
Gary Walton: Yeah.
Emi Bobo: That, you know, we take wherever we go. And it’s just it’s, something that we are really, really, happy about.
Gary Walton: God is building you guys up to be a foundational piece of his church. I see it. The things that he’s in in putting in your life now and in the future continue to grow so that you would be a resource for other people. And, I’m thrilled. I’m thrilled by that.
I got a whole list of other questions and we ran out of time. Oh, But, thank you guys. Thank you for being willing to share and we’re praying that God continues to grow you and can’t wait to see your impact on Micronesia, you know, as, as God continues to use your life. So thank you.
Emi Bobo: Thank you.
Jeff Bobo: Thank you Pastor.
Emi Bobo: Thank You for letting us share. Thank you.
Chris Harper: And thank you for listening to this edition of Harvest Time. Of course, at this point in the program, we just wanna personally invite you again to services at Harvest Baptist Church. There are two on Sunday, 08:45AM, 10:45AM. We have Japanese and Korean translation during the 10:45AM service. We also bring you that service live here on 88.1 FM and khmg.org.
We hope to see you this Sunday. Thanks again for listening to Harvest Time.