Right: JJ Archuleta of New Mexico, at the Tomb of Jesus in Israel.
And [Jesus] told them a parable, saying, “The land of a certain rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ Luke 12:16-21 (NASB)
JJ Archuleta grew up without his father’s presence in his life. Where his father’s love should have been was a deep hatred.
As he grew older the hatred of his father grew larger and JJ began to feel the draw of the less reputable elements that existed in the streets. It would have been easy for him to follow these poor examples into manhood and he might have too if several men hadn’t intervened in his life. His mother’s brothers spent time with him, teaching and guiding him. So did the local mercantile owner, who gladly shared wisdom and time with JJ whenever he stopped by the store. While these men each played a role in JJ’s life it was the intentional time of John Cook, the father of one of his JR High School friends, which meant the most. Mr. Cook stands out in JJ’s mind as a jovial businessman who never swore, was a man of his word and always made it a point to include JJ when he took his sons hunting and fishing. This man of integrity gave freely of his time and attention to a boy who needed a man to lead him. That intentional time changed JJ’s life forever.
With the number of fatherless boys across the country at more than 12 million, JJ’s story is becoming more common. Fatherless boys look at their lives and wonder what they could have done wrong to cause their father to leave and who will lead them into manhood. Unfortunately many of these boys have no man who will step into their lives to matter greatly. They share JJ’s anger towards their father for abandoning them, but have no man to share this anger with. No man to help them overcome this anger and find the grace of God in Christ.
When Fathers in the Field helps equip the church to respond to the fatherless situation in their community in an intentional way, we know that we are giving back more to that boy than a father figure. We are giving the boy an earthly example of our Heavenly Father, a man who will lead the boy with integrity and will make it a point to include this boy in his life.
When JJ was introduced to Mike McNeill, the Rocky Mountain regional missionary for Fathers in the Field, he knew that God was revealing a ministry he could get behind. Mike’s visit came at a time when JJ had been reading a lot about the effects of fatherlessness on society and on the boys themselves.As a successful businessman JJ employs enough people to see firsthand the consequences of a society that turns a blind eye on its children, especially those without a father to protect and guide them. They grow up with poor work ethics, lack of personal value and a sense of entitlement. Mike’s description of Fathers in the Field revealed a ministry that works at healing the heart of fatherless boys and at the same time putting a man in their lives to guide them. It reminded him of the value of his relationship to Mr. Cook and the desire to help these boys have a Mr. Cook of their own.
JJ’s success in business has allowed him to hunt all over the world and see the needs of people across the globe. He recognizes the vast number of “ministry needs all over the world” but he wants to give to a ministry here in the United States that brings the Gospel to people and changes lives at the same time.
By giving a Legacy gift from his estate to Fathers in the Field JJ is able to take his passion for the Gospel and his love of hunting and see them come together to help a dire need in the country he loves. This gift stems from his recognition of the great blessings God has poured out on him. It is his conviction that all of his possessions belong to God and that it is his privilege to give them back to the service of the Gospel and transformation of lives to the glory of God. This gift will help raise up Mentor Fathers who will invest in the lives of fatherless boys in so many vital ways. Fathers in the Field is “not about just giving back to society or teaching boys to fish and hunt, but about teaching boys to give back to those in need. They serve widows and seniors who need help, learn the value of attending church and most importantly come to know their Heavenly Father.”
When reflecting back on the blessings of his life, it is JJ’s desire to yield to the command of God in the Scripture to be as wise of a steward at his death as he was in life. This gift will help raise future Mentor Fathers and mend the abandonment wounds of fatherless boys across the country.His message to others who are considering a Legacy Gift to Fathers in the Field is: “Yield to a Christian perspective by recognizing that everything you have belongs to God and ask you self, do I want to leave a better world than the one I inherited? Do I want a world in which there is a tremendous degradation of conduct? A world where the fatherless are defenseless and exploited?What do I want to leave in the way of a legacy?
Look at the truth of the Scripture and let go of what is here, so that it will not take away from your Christian witness. We are called to set an example, to lead the way for what needs to be done when we are gone; to insure that the Word goes out to the honor of God in Christ. We have an obligation to continue the work with our resources both now and when we are in the arms of Jesus.”
Have you considered what your Legacy will be?Please consider including Fathers in the Field in your will as an endowment gift, however small. This life changing ministry exists to bring healing to the lives of fatherless boys across the country, but because of limited resources, we are just skimming the surface of the problem.Your generous donations will be used to help raise missionaries, like Mike McNeill, who will help churches begin this life changing ministry. Currently there are only four full-time missionaries covering all fifty states.
Is God calling you to help support Fathers in the Field to reach more fatherless boys with the life changing Gospel, through Godly Christian men as Mentor Fathers? Please consider today how you can matter greatly in the lives of fatherless boys across America.
