As a child in Honduras, Esther saw many missionaries come to her neighborhood. They talked with the kids and held medical ministries, but the message they brought was not the true gospel. Although Esther grew up in a loving, Christian family, it wasn’t until she studied biblical counseling in the US that she finally understood the gospel, that salvation is not earned by works—it’s a gift, as Ephesians 2:8-9 declares. Armed with the truths she was learning, she took mission trips to Spain and two Creative Access Nations. Yet her greatest longing was to return to Honduras to tell others the Bible’s true message.

For Theron, challenges at his home church as a child moved him to dive deeply into the Bible. As he discovered greater depths of God’s Word, his love and gratitude for his Savior reached new heights. He committed his life to do the good works God prepared for him, as Ephesians 2:10 describes. 

Studying pastoral leadership, Theron developed a heartbeat for his college’s emphasis on reaching a multiethnic, urban world for Christ. He took mission trips to Haiti and the Philippines, thinking, I could see myself in missions. 

When Theron and Esther met, they were drawn by a mutual calling toward missions. They married in 2021, and they now plan to serve in Esther’s home country of Honduras. Each of them has seen its enormous need for the true gospel and for intensive discipleship. Their goal is to strengthen local churches through biblical counseling and ministry leadership training, supporting church planting efforts.

The St. Johns’ training and experience has prepared them well. To supplement his pastoral degrees and experience, Theron is pursuing a doctorate in biblical counseling. He and Esther currently work at a biblical counseling center. Theron formerly served at his Bible college as a professor and in administration. Because healthy churches require healthy leaders, Theron’s long-term goal is to establish a Bible institute/college. God’s Word transformed Theron and Esther’s lives, and they are eager to see it transform other lives in Honduras.

This article first appeared in Baptist Mid-Missions’ Advance Magazine.