I have lived in four countries and have experience in more than 70 others on six continents. I am bilingual (Spanish and English) and have formal studies in five other languages. My wife and I raised our two daughters in two civil wars in Central America and over the course of my life I’ve worked with people in areas of risk and danger in various interesting places, so I know a bit more than “tourist” culture. For years I was pastor of a church in San Salvador, El Salvador that was one of the first to blend people of all social levels into the same congregation. For 33 years I was the lead pastor of a church in Kansas City, Missouri (Graceway) and oversaw a transition to become one of the most culturally diversified churches in the United States, a minority-majority church with no majority ethnic group. Helping people understand, communicate and navigate in different cultures is a huge part of what I am and what I do.

For over 30 years I have taken literally hundreds of people on this cultural immersion and discovery trip in Europe. I continue to do this because of the many amazing stories of how this experience transformed cultural perspective and worldview and how this new knowledge and skills have been applied to personal life, family, faith, vocation and community.

I regularly watch tourists struggle to figure out how to get to where they want to go and what to do when they get there. I’ve heard so many sad stories from people who have gone to other cultures for business or vacation and had bad experiences that are often from a lack of cultural understanding. I can show you everything most people want to see in Paris and Amsterdam in half the time, leaving you time to branch out to explore more personal interests and I’ll quickly give you the confidence to do so.