Southern California pastor is moving to Kurdistan
Dave Gonzales, senior of pastor of Calvary Chapel Cerritos, California, is about to make the move of his life. He is about to move, with his wife and son, to Kurdistan, also known as “The Other Iraq” because of its safety record amid the violence in the rest of the country, to start a Calvary Chapel there.
Dave Gonzales teaching at Heath’s church fellowship in Dohuk
Gonzales says the move is due to take place no later than January, 2011.
The Southern California pastor, who has made numerous trips to Kurdistan, says he has fallen in love with the people of the region and now feels “God’s Call to move there and establish the Calvary Chapel Dohuk, the first Calvary Chapel in Northern Iraq.
Gonzales, in an exclusive interview with the ASSIST News Service, spoke about his first experience with Kurdistan when he was contacted by Bill Agius, co-director with David LeCompte of a group called Mission International — www.missionintl.org — in the Spring of 2008, asking him if I would be interested in going to Iraq to teach on 1st and 2nd Timothy at a small church in the northern city of Erbil.
First Team to Kurdistan 10-08 – Left To Right – Bill Agius – Dave Gonzales – Jeff Fadness – David LeCompte
“I realized that it would be the first venture into Iraq by Calvary Chapel with a teaching mission as its main focus,” he said. “After meeting at the Mission International (MI) headquarters in Colorado Springs, CO, for a planning weekend,the team was assembled and was made up of myself, one other senior pastor, Jeff Fadness of Calvary Chapel Pocatello, Idaho and finally, David LeCompte, the other director of MI.
“Following the terrible events of 9/11, my heart, up to this time, was not at all ‘sympathetic’ to the people of the Middle East. However, that was all changed in an instant when I stepped out of a taxi in Amman, Jordan, on our first day stop over en-route to Iraq. God instantly washed away the animosity, actually, the hatred I felt toward the people of that area of the world. My love for the people of the Middle East grows daily now.”
Gonzales went on to say, “Since that first mission trip, I have been back to teach three times and the fourth time I was able to sit with a house full of Kurdish aunts and uncles of my son Andrew’s special friend, Karlen, as he asked her to marry him.
“The aunts and uncles were there to approve of the proposal which fortunately for Andrew, they all did. That was one of the most wonderful of all my experiences there in Kurdistan. I can also recall that, during our first mission there, a prominent local pastor approached Pastor Jeff and myself while we were guests at a prayer conference where 700 Iraqi believers had gathered to pray and celebrate their salvation and to praise and honor Jesus Christ as their Savior.
“This pastor, who was from a large city asked us what it was we did. We shared with him how we teach our churches the scriptures verse by verse, book by book. And by us doing that with our churches, God, I told him, ‘is able to raise up leaders, instruct on prayer, inspire proper worship and guide church operations and government.’
“And as with the ‘Macedonian Call’, he looked at us and said, “Come and help us”. Three months later we were flying back to Iraq to hold the first Calvary Chapel Bible Conference during March 2009 in the city of Dohuk.
“Each time I have traveled to Iraq, my love and concern for the Body of Christ there had grown to the point where, on my last mission there, I believed God wanted me to go there and bring His Word — His whole Word — there to spread across that nation.
Miss Noha Andrios translating for Pastor Joe Marquez of Calvary Chapel San Antonio – March CC Bible Conference – Dohuk
“God has even raised up a dear little sister who was our translator during this past March Conference and is now translating Pastor Chuck Smith’s ‘Through The Bible’ studies from English into Arabic transcript which is read and recorded in audio form to be distributed throughout the Middle East. She is presently translating Chuck’s study through the Gospel of Mark. Her name is Noha Andrios.”
Dave Gonzales added, “There have been many profound experiences, one of which was on the last mission there, when I was able to have three young Muslim men read the Gospel of John to me as I told them, ‘It’s about Jesus; He love you; He is God’. The simplicity of knowing God as ‘Father’ and as the One who dearly loves them, was a heart melting moment for them.”
Last year, when I had the privilege of visiting Kurdistan, I had quite a surprise when I met an African-American Christian in Duhok. I spotted the towering figure of Heath F. Carelock, then 28, who was born in Washington, D.C., in 1981, as he was standing at the back of the lecture theater of the University of Duhok. Intrigued to see him there, I decided to find out more about this unusual man who had taught in several countries and was currently teaching as an English instructor at University of Dohuk Training and Development Center.
So it was a surprise for me when Dave Gonzales told me of his deep friendship with this man who looks like an NBA basketball player
Gonzales aid, “During my first mission in October 2008, I made an overnight trip to teach at a church in Dohuk. Keep in mind, the little church was comprised of all Iraq believers and the language was Arabic. Towards the end of my study on the importance of God’s Word, I noticed a very tall young black man sitting at the back of the church. It was a shock to see him there and I asked him, ‘What in the world are you doing here?’ We became close and dear friends during the short time we spoke with each other.
Heath and Nicole’s wedding vows in Houston Texas – 12-09
“After I returned to the United States, my new friend and son in the faith and I remained in touch through e-mail and phone calls. He called me to tell me that he was getting married and would I consider doing the ceremony for his wedding which would be held in December of 2009. Of course it was an honor to do so and that December, my wife Jenny and I flew to Houston, Texas to do his wedding. Heath and I remain close to this day, and I consider him a son as much as he considers me a Dad in the faith. I am very proud of Heath and love his new wife Nicole dearly. Our common passion to share the love of Jesus Christ is what unites us as friends.”
I then asked Gonzales how the Lord called him, his wife, Jenny, and his son, Andrew to plan the first Calvary Chapel in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq.
“As I mentioned before, the Lord’s showing me a need for His Word, His love for the Christians of the Middle East and His desire to set Muslims free from Islam into eternal life and truth, found a home in my heart,” he said. “I have close friends and brothers in Iraq and have been asked many times to come there and start a ministry to the churches in the North. To plant a Calvary Chapel in another country, and it being the first there is so exciting and is really a life long dream of mine in the Lord.
“To plant the seeds of what could develop across Iraq as a solid and scriptural work there is something I know God wants to do there. If we can even start a foundation there, it would be wonderful! My wife Jenny is still a bit numb and says she feels like Sarah, ‘going to a strange land’ where she doesn’t know the language, the culture or anything! Although she has been there twice with me, she is still a bit stunned to be going there. She does say that she ‘knows God has called her husband there, so she will follow’.
“My son Andrew is excited to be moving there with us. His beautiful fiancé Karlen is waiting for him and wedding plans are already being made and he is working and saving to pay for the wedding. He was ordained this Sunday (September 12, 2010) as my assistant there in Dohuk. Our new Certificates of Ordination read, ‘Calvary Chapel of Dohuk’. Cool huh?!”
Tagged in: Christianity and Middle East, Dohuk, human rights, Iraqi Kurdistan and Christians, religious freedom, Southern California and Kurdistan
