Role Models have been where you want to go， but they aren’t usually as close to you as mentors. Usually you watch them from afar， study their moves， read their books， and follow their careers as models for your own. Often these are celebrated figures in your field， people whose success has made them famous and respected. One of my long-term role models whom I‘ve always wanted to meet is the Reverend Billy Graham. He has lived the words from Mark 16：15 that also are my inspiration： “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.”
There has to be a place somewhere between mentors and role models for folks like Vic and Elsie Schlatter， whom I’ve visited at least once a year nearly every year of my life. They always inspire me to be a better Christian and a better person. They live in Australia， but they have planted more than sixty-five churches and missions in far-flung corners of the South Pacific. They are my models for making a difference as missionaries. They work quietly， without a lot of publicity， and they never puff themselves up， but they‘ve made a world of difference for many， many souls.
As a teen Elsie had a vision of Jesus standing before her instructing her to “go.” Elsie took that to mean that God wanted her to do missionary work one day. Vic worked for General Electric at a nuclear plant after they got married， but he and Elsie also started a church and began planning their first mission—to Papua New Guinea， a small tribal nation in the South Pacific that had very little exposure to Christianity. Small though the nation was， its three million people were dauntingly diverse， speaking more than seven hundred dialects.
Vic and Elsie fell in love with that part of the world， and they now live on the north coast of Australia. From that base they conduct mission work around the South Pacific. In addition to writing several books of his own on religion， Vic has translated the Scriptures into pidgeon English and other dialects for the indigenous tribes he and Elsie serve.
Identifying a Fellow Traveler is a bit tough for me because my life has followed a rather unconventional path. Fellow travelers are usually peers， co-workers， and others with similar goals to yours， who are walking on a parallel road. They might even be rivals， but friendly rivals. You encourage and support each other by practicing an abundance mentality rather than a scarcity mentality.
When you believe in abundance， you believe there are enough of God’s blessings—enough fulfillment， enough opportunity， enough happiness， and enough love—out there for everyone. I encourage you to take that point of view because it opens you up to other people. If you tend to think of the world as a place of scarce resources and limited opportunities， then you‘ll see fellow travelers as threats who’ll take what is out there and leave nothing for you. Competition can be healthy because it motivates you， and you will always find others who want what you want. With an abundance mentality， you believe there are rewards enough for everyone， so competition is more about striving to do your best and encouraging others to do the same.
An abundance mentality allows you to walk alongside your fellow travelers with feelings of camaraderie and mutual support. I learned that in my friendship with Joni Eareckson Tada， who has traveled a similar path to mine. As I described earlier， Joni was a role model for me long before I knew her； she became a mentor， helping me get established in the United States； and now she is a fellow traveler， offering wise counsel and a sympathetic ear.
Another person who has been there for me in all sorts of ways is Jackie Davison， who lived around the corner from my family when I was a teenager. She was married with young children， but Jackie always found time to listen to me as I spilled my guts about whatever was on my mind， good or bad. She was close enough in age that she was more of a wise friend than a judgmental adult. I have such love for her family， and I became an unofficial big brother to her kids， helping them with their homework or just hanging out.
Back in 2002 I was having a rough time in my university studies and in my personal life， and it was distracting and disorienting. I‘d broken up with a longtime girlfriend and was very emotional. So I went to Jackie and asked her to help me understand what had happened. I poured out my heart， but she sat there with her hands clasped， patiently listening without responding. Suddenly it hit me that as I was unloading all this emotional baggage on her， she wasn’t reacting. Finally I stopped and said， “What should I do？ Tell me！” She smiled and her eyes sparkled as she said simply， “Praise God.”
Confused and frustrated， I said， “Praise God for what？”
“Just praise God， Nick.”