Q&A WITH AN SIM LEADER: LUKE LUNDSTEDT REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA
Q&A with an SIM EDITORIAL leader
Tell us a little about your background. I grew up in a Christian family. When I was two years old, my family served with SIM in Ghana, planting churches in the rural north. Some of my earliest memories are of playing in dry riverbeds and riding on the back of my dad’s motorcycle to visit villages. I remember doing homeschool, attending a local village school, and eventually going to boarding school in Côte d’Ivoire. After serving in Ghana for seven years and in Kenya for four years, my family transitioned back to the US. During the initial years there, I developed a deep relationship with Jesus and decided to serve him with my life. After high school, I studied child psychology at the University of Minnesota. Soon after, I moved to Lima, Peru, to work with Food for the Hungry.
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Tell us a little about your family. My wife Priscilla is from Sydney, Australia. We have two beautiful children: Eliya was born in Sydney, and is in second grade. Gabriel was born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and is in kindergarten. We worked with SIM in Bolivia for eight years and have now been serving in Chile for the last three years. How did God lead you to SIM? I was recruited back into SIM by my wife. Priscilla initially joined SIM as a single, short-term missionary to Peru. She had just returned to Peru as a long-term worker when we first met. After getting married in Lima, I rejoined SIM and we moved to Bolivia to work in university student ministry. What key things do you hope to achieve in your role with SIM? Throughout my life God has brought me key people who challenged me to grow in my relationship with God and develop the gifts and abilities he has given me. What drew me to SIM was the opportunity to be part of that same discipleship process in others. I am also passionate about seeing teams and
organisations use their abilities and resources to make disciples effectively. I have no illusions about achieving something of my own in SIM; rather, my hope is to help others develop their God-given potential and to see SIM fulfill its mission. What inspires you when life gets difficult? I know that it is in the difficult times when I grow the most. I’m learning to look for how God is trying to grow me when my path takes me through low valleys. My family is also a huge source of encouragement for me. “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:2-3). What do you do when you’re not working? We do lots of things together as a family. We have been in and out of quarantine, so our options have been limited. We like to play games, cook, laugh, go for walks and ride bikes. Before the pandemic, we did a lot more hiking and travelling. I also enjoy woodworking. What is your favourite Bible verse? There are many; however, one particular favourite is Psalms 4:8: “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, oh Lord, make me dwell in safety.” What piece of technology could you do without/ never do without? I like to keep technology at arm’s length. I would have a hard time going without my laptop. However, one of my favourite features is that it can be turned off, closed down and put away. As such, there is nothing attractive to me about a smartwatch that stays with you all day, every day. No thanks, I’ll pass. How can we pray for you? Pray that as a family we will thrive in life and ministry, even amid frequent quarantines, border closures, and hybrid or virtual schooling for the children. WWW.SIM.ORG
