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An early calling and a foundation of service 

From the moment he stood up at an altar call and gave his life to Jesus, Ross sensed a call to missions. That was in 1971. It would be 12 years before he’d leave Australia and head to his first overseas posting. During these years, he got connected into a local church, grew in his relationship with God and served wherever he could.  

“I was a Sunday school teacher, bus driver and deacon. I’d visit people in hospital and help with the youth group,” Ross says. “I was the first one there and the last to leave.” 

“It was all about preparation and service because I figured, if you’re too big to serve, you’re too small to lead.”  

Ross eventually took on a staff role at his church and later went to Bible college. Throughout this time, he felt God reminding him that this was the call He’d placed on Ross’s life and that He would equip him to do it. “I came to realise, missionaries are just very ordinary people doing extraordinary things for God,” Ross says. 

The first door opens  

Despite having China on his heart, the door to Thailand opened first, with the superintendent of the Thailand Assemblies of God appealing for Australian missionaries to come. Ross reflects that unlike most missionaries today, he and his first wife Bronwyn moved to Thailand with little knowledge of the country or its people, having never visited before. But they went willingly, knowing that this was the door God was opening.  

“We had never been to Thailand, didn’t know anyone in Thailand, didn’t speak the language. We had never met a Thai person, never even eaten Thai food… But we just felt this call of God,” Ross says. 

The couple were in Thailand 11 years, where they raised a family and led a team of Thai nationals who travelled throughout the country’s southern provinces for ministry. They also planted several churches and served in the AOG Bible College in Bangkok. 

They eventually returned to Australia to help their eldest son settle into university but couldn’t get visas to return to Thailand. During the years that followed, which included a brief stint in the Philippines, Bronwyn was diagnosed with cancer and sadly passed away. 

The China years 

Sometime later, while living in Australia, Ross met Donna – an American missionary who’d been working in China. They married and began ministering into various parts of the world from their home base of Australia. Eventually, they made the move to the country that had long been on Ross’s heart. During their 20 years in China, they trained missionaries and underground church leaders, organised large concerts with Australian worship bands and ran a community centre.  

As with every season of his life, Ross looked for opportunities to reach ‘the one’ as well as the many. He recalls one day striking up a friendship with a man named Ben over their shared love of motorcycles. “We just started building a friendship… we’d have coffee, and we’d go for a ride together – not taking about the gospel. But at some point, he said, ‘Ross, what are you actually doing in China?’” That opened the door for Ross to share about Jesus and it wasn’t long before Ben was saved, baptised and leading Christian meetings himself. 

“I said to Ben one day, ‘You know, we’ve been here 20 years. If the only thing that I’ve accomplished here is see you come to Christ and grow as a leader, that’s enough for me’,” Ross recalls. 

Back to Thailand 

After they felt God calling their time in China to a close, Ross and Donna relocated to Thailand where they’re now training and equipping existing and emerging leaders in the Thai churches. Their leadership development ministry has expanded to working with Hmong, Karen and Lahu leaders. They also provide practical assistance to Karen people in Thailand and across the border in Myanmar who have been affected by Myanmar’s civil war.  

Ross says when they first realised the scale of this crisis, they felt unprepared and ill-equipped to do anything that would make a difference, but decided, “We have to do something”.  

So, along with their team, they started by loading up a boat with supplies (items like clothing, tarpaulins, rice, dried foods and water filtration devices) and took it across the river – straight into a war zone – to help those most in need. This work has continued and their team now also takes in Bibles. 

“We don’t want to just give them the things they need to survive,” Ross explains. “We want to help them spiritually. So, we’ve printed Karen language Bibles that we take in. We pray for them and encourage them, so they know they are not in this struggle alone.” 

Ross’s learnings from 40 years of serving God on the mission field 

After more than 40 years in the field, Ross knows a thing or two about cross-cultural ministry and following the call of God, but he says he’s still always learning. And that is key.  

Here are the other things God has taught him along the way: 

1. “God is always faithful in every season.”  
2. “God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness. And that’s a good thing!” 
3. “Sometimes opportunity comes dressed up as interruptions. He can open doors that are not in our script.”   

And finally: 

“There’s no use by date on the call of God; no expiry date. As long as I’m breathing, I’m going to serve God. A job is what you’re paid for, a calling is what you’re made for.”