Chaplain William Key serves as Gulf Coast Regional Director.

I became a born-again Christian after being a lost church member for 11 years.  I felt the calling of God to preach the Gospel and entered into a Bible College for a year.  I took one year off to work and then planned on going back to college.  However, the plan changed and I was in the Army for 8 years (where my job was heavy transportation) and then Air Force for 3 years and obtained the rank of Staff Sergeant.  After coming out of the military, I drove a truck long distance and then locally.

Even though I did not enter the ministry full-time, I continued to work in my local church serving the Lord in the bus ministry, singing in the choir, and teaching.  It was at this time when I met my wife, Doris, at our church.  She sat two pews ahead of me for a year before I asked her out.  We were married 6 months later.  Doris has been a blessing to me in the family as well as in the ministry.  She is my assistant with Truckstop Ministries.

I started a men’s class in approximately 2000.  By this time, it had been 25 years since I had been in Bible College.  So my wife and I signed up for a correspondence course and we became graduates of Biblical Studies in July of 2001.

            One evening I was driving from Georgia to Tampa, Florida, and I stopped in Baldwin, Florida at the truck stop to have dinner.  I had seen the outside Chapel for some time, as that was a frequent trip for me.  Something came over me to go check it out.  But there was a controversy within me—I didn’t really want to.  I gave in and walked around the Chapel.  Something was saying “go in.”  Something else was saying, “it’s late, you need to get home for church in the morning.”  So I headed home.  I know now this was when the Lord started dealing with me to be part of Truckstop Ministries.  About six months later, I was in my office at home putting some presentations together.  I took my material and went to the T/A in Tampa and had lunch.  I went into the TV lounge and was studying because I was tired of sitting at home in the office.  I looked up and saw a pulpit and a sign.  It was the same logo that I had seen in Baldwin.  I picked up a flyer, went home and called Truckstop Ministries’ office.  They said someone local would contact me.  I figured I would never hear from them again.  About 2 hours later, the Team Leader in Tampa called me.  We met the next day, he interviewed me for about an hour and a half, and then asked me if I felt the Lord was calling me into this ministry.  About a month later, I was serving as a Chaplain.  Then my Team Leader wanted to step down and he trained me for Team Leader.  After a time away from Truckstop Ministries, the Lord led me back, and today I work with the Team Leaders in training, to encourage and to be a help to them in any way I can.  I also meet with the individual teams on a yearly basis.  My desire is to serve Truckstop Ministries in any way the Lord leads.

David Owen serves as President of Truckstop Ministries, Inc.

As a child, my mother would take me to church when she was provided the opportunity. You see, like many homes today in America, I was part of a broken family. My parents divorced when I was 8 years old. But, my mother wanted me to know about God’s love. 

I recall one particular Sunday morning when, at the end of the service, my mother left the pew. I thought she was going home so I followed her. Instead of leaving she took an unexpected turn and went to the altar. With tears in her eyes, she accepted Christ. I didn’t know why she was crying so I, too, started crying. The next thing I knew, there were several Deacons asking me questions. Being somewhat intimidated and confused I just agreed with them. That night my mother and I were baptized. I lived the next 15+ years thinking I was saved; after all, I had been baptized, right?
As a Chaplain for TMI I see a lot of people who think, as I did, that they have done everything required to justify or deserve Salvation. However, if we take a closer look we see that they are only going through the motions; they go to church, put money into the offering plate, they may have even been baptized as I was. But, unbeknownst to them, they are still hopelessly lost in sin. I have a burden to see the lost come to the saving grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus.

My wife, Donna, and I started dating in our mid-twenties. After about 6 months we were married. She and I thought we were equally yoked; after all, I had been baptized, right? However, one night God revealed Himself to me through a dream.

In the dream Christ had returned to claim His church. I remember that Donna and I were walking hand-in-hand down a narrow dirt road when suddenly, without warning, the glory of the Lord appeared. I remember that there was no question as to what had happened or who had returned. Even the cattle in the field knew the King of Kings. Without hesitation Donna left my side and proceeded toward the splendidness of His presence. She glanced back at me only once for a brief second as if to say goodbye. The love I had for her paled in comparison to God’s love for her. There I stood, left behind and alone on that lonely stretch of road.
I could have died right there with a sin-debt that I couldn’t pay for, I could have died in a car wreck, I could have died of a drug overdose, I could be serving life in prison, and I could have lost my family. But, praise God, He had His hand on me. I didn’t even know Him and He was watching over me; I wasn’t serving Him but He protected me; I didn’t deserve His grace but He sent His Son to deliver me. He had a plan for me. I did nothing but get in His way, slow Him down, and mess things up, but — praise God — He was watching over me!

That night I accepted Christ. I was washed in the Blood of the Lamb, forgiven of my sins, cleansed of all unrighteousness, and given a new beginning in Christ. The memories that once haunted me now remain as motivational tools to witness and disciple others in become fully functioning Christians building the Kingdom of Christ.

Now, Donna is the bookkeeper for Truckstop Ministries, Inc. and we have been serving Christ together for 25 years. During that time God has blessed us with 2 wonderful children, a wonderful church family, and an opportunity to be part of an awesome ministry for Truckers. We are members of Macedonia Baptist Church of Jackson, GA. I teach an adult Sunday School class, I’m a Chaplain, and the Director of Missionary Drivers for Truckstop Ministries, Inc.

We are committed to furthering God’s kingdom by reaching the lost and teaching the reached. We have an urgency to bring people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and to share the love of Christ with everyone we come in contact with.

May God Bless You.

Chaplain David Owen 

Chaplain Jerry Lusher serves as a Recruiter with TMI

Shortly after Jewel and I were married, we knew God was calling us into something more far-reaching than involvement in our local church. I was a trucker for 18 years and had a burden to see truckers saved. I built a ¾-scale cabover truck with full bunk to attract truckers and talk to them about Jesus. We decided to get on the internet and see if there were any ministries to truckers. We saw several, and wrote them letters. Very quickly, we got a call back from Joe and Jan Hunter, the founders of Truckstop Ministries, Inc. They were the only ones to respond to our letter. We went to Georgia to meet them, and started in ministry at the Ocala Petro truck stop just a few weeks later.
After 5 years ministering at the truck stop we went full time Feb 23, 2006. While we were at the Ocala Petro we saw salvations, rededications, strongholds broken, and many other blessings too numerous to mention here.

In my role as a Recruiter I focus mainly on informing churches about TMI, recruiting Chaplains, and training. We usually present the TMI mission opportunity during a gospel concert at a church, giving a call for Chaplains. I also present the TMI mission opportunity to pastors and at men’s meetings. We have been blessed to have held Southern Gospel concerts in several states. We have ministered in churches, coffee houses, truck stop lobbies and restaurants, homeless missions, and outdoor concerts. We are seeing the fruits of our labor with the recruiting of many new chaplains from our last trip but there is a lot of country left to cover and much work yet to be done.
Our mission hasn’t changed since the day God birthed it in our hearts several years ago: to follow behind Joe and Jan working with TMI—starting first in Florida—making sure all the truck stops are fully staffed with Chaplains and music teams. We also sing at Driver Appreciation Days and encourage Truck Stops to host these opportunities to say “Thank You” to the drivers as we travel the nation for TMI.

We are now living full time in the second bus the Lord has given to us that allows us to do the work to which HE has called us. What a blessing—to share and encourage believers, telling them of God’s provision and faithfulness as we “go out to the highways and hedges and compel them to come in” to His house!
We are trusting God to meet all our needs, so any support, whether financial or through prayer, will be greatly appreciated. We will pray God’s richest blessings on all who stand and participate with us, keeping us in full-time ministry for our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Chaplain Dennis De Glopper serves as Regional Director in the South Mid-West Region

Vicki and I were married in 1978 and have three beautiful daughters, Karen (1982), Elizabeth (1987) and Denise (1990). We became Christians in 1986 after a series of family crises. It took quite a lot for God to get our attention. We started attending church regularly and soon became active in Sunday School and I taught Bible Classes for church training. Later, we both took on the responsibility of leading children’s church. In 1995 I felt that God was calling me into the ministry, but I was not sure where or when. Later that year He opened the door for me to become a lay minister in the pastoral care department at Wilford Hall Air Force Hospital. This has been a very rewarding ministry and in many ways prepared me for the truckstop ministry. I was licensed into the ministry in 1996 at Harmony Hills Baptist Church. One of the high points of my life occurred in 1997 when I was blessed with the opportunity to participate in the Billy Graham Crusade as a counselor/supervisor and then as a Bible teacher in the follow-up campaign.

In June, 2005 I was endorsed by the North American Mission board as a North American Missionary. We got involved in Truckstop Ministries due to the efforts of one of our church members who is in the trucking industry and has a great desire to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ spread to truckers across the country. In the years we have served at the truck stop we have seen many truckers find real peace and joy through accepting Jesus as their personal savior. We see a field white unto harvest and have answered God’s call upon our lives to serve Him full time with Truckstop Ministries, Inc. Please pray about supporting this location and this ministry.