My name is Andrew Gommesen. I was saved when I was almost 5. Unfortunately, I spent much of the next 9 years arguing with God. I kept telling him that if he had given me a healthy body instead of the crippled one I got, then I could serve Him. My friends, let me just say that when you argue with God, you lose even before you get started. Moses's argument with God in Ex. 4 shows where I was.

"And Moses said unto the LORD, O my LORD, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? (vs. 10-11)

God used that story along with a bible conference session on the 10 unchangables of life (which included my physical body) to wake me up. To backtrack a little, I reached an all-time low when my healthy, happy, 3-month old baby brother John-Michael died in his sleep. I remember sobbing in my mothers arms and asking things like..."WHY HIM! WHY NOT ME, I'M SO USELESS!"  I am so glad I was too much of a coward, or (in my case) too physically unable to kill myself, because I might have. God is so good!

Anyway that day at the bible conference to show me that I didn't need to change on the outside to be used, I needed to be changed inside. From that point forward, I committed to being God's mouthpiece wherever I go. I'm not always faithful...but HE IS!!!

He has given me many opportunities to serve Him, but to be honest over the last two years I have felt many of the same doubts that characterized my youth. I think God is testing me so that I will know that I believe the message I have been preaching for the last 14 years...He already knows all that..:)

I want to go wherever God opens a door for me to... preach Christ crucified (I Cor. 1:23) My main desire is to encourage the Saints to walk in such a way as to ensure "That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thess. 1:12)   I will gladly go through whatever doors God opens.

As I embark upon this ministry, please lift up the following requests on my behalf.
"Tent making" opportunity.  I am willing to minister full-time if that is what the Lord desires. However, I want to be able to say as Paul once did "For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God." (I Thess. 2:9)  
"A godly wife.  I believe God wants to bless me in this way and I ask that you pray for and with me that I will prepare adequately, and that God will provide wisdom in this area.  "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.  For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."(Ecc. 4:9-10)
"Speaking opportunities.  Just pray that I will be faithful in the opportunities God gives me to share his word and that he will expand my ministry.  "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much." (Luke 16:10)
 

Striving together for the Faith of the Gospel,

Andrew