Episode 127: Experiencing God as the Provider and Protector with Jon Gleason

Welcome back to The Stories Collective! It is such a privilege to have Jon Gleason share with us today! We hope his story encourages you that God is the provider and protector. Jon first shares with Sarah that he loves to travel with his wife in their RV. As you listen to his story, you will find that traveling is a prominent theme throughout his life. Jon grew up in a Christian family, and his parents were actually missionaries in the Navajo reservation up North. This allowed him to grow up in an environment that loved God. Even so, there were difficulties since he was an outsider to the Navajo culture and basically lived in the middle of nowhere.  He was saved when he was 9 years old. After high school at age 17, Jon joined the Air Force and worked as a jet aircraft maintenance worker for 23 years, with some off time in between. Because of this, he frequently moved around the country and the world. Jon shared story after story of how he faced several near-death experiences, even starting from the time he graduated from high school. One day when he was home working with his parents’ missionary team and a missionary group that came from Southern California, he was asked to drive to King’s Canyon to pick up the wife of someone who was working with them. Jon took her husband, Jon’s brother, and a couple of people from the California team–one of whom happened to be his future wife! On the way there, it had been raining and unfortunately, they hit a mud slick causing their car to roll, and it came within 10 feet of falling off a 200-foot cliff. Meaning that they almost rolled over a very tall cliff and were literally inches away from possible death! But God–don’t you just love those words? God protected him and everyone in the car and they were all safe. Jon witnessed God’s protection over and over again. Also, God really does bring beauty from chaos because that day allowed Jon to get to know Janet, the woman from the California team that he took with him who would later be his wife! Then when Jon first enlisted in the military, he was stationed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. These scary experiences both in Vietnam and in the U.S. allowed Jon to grow his faith and trust in the Lord. As Jon went through so many life changes, transitions, and hardships, he pushed through each obstacle and continued to follow God’s plan for him and his family with a grateful mindset. He also was intentional in creating community in each location. After moving across the world several times from being in the Air Force and retiring, he moved back to Arizona in the 1990s and started going to the original building of our church, Desert Springs! After a few more job changes Arizona finally became Jon’s home in 2019 and has stayed plugged in our ministries ever since! Jon shared so many other stories of God’s faithfulness, you’ll have to listen for yourself!

For information on Sew + Serve at DSCC email Ginny Lewis at ginnylewis64@gmail.com

For information on the 50+ Ministry at DSCC email Don Greenfield at don@dscchurch.com

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