Meet Will Travis, FMC Business Director

Will works at FMC’s home base in Abbeville, Louisiana. Get to know a little more about him and his calling.

How did you first encounter FMC? What drew you to the organization?

WT: I first heard of FMC through a priest at a prayer meeting in the late 90s. Honestly, I gave the mention very little thought, and no bells were going off. The first time I encountered FMC directly through its missionaries was a few years later. We were at our usual prayer meeting at Bishop Sam Jacobs’s house when some missionaries who were fleeing a hurricane showed up. I can’t, for the life of me, remember their names. I do, however, remember how moving their testimony was, and how their love for Jesus and the poor was palpable. This is when the Lord planted a seed in my heart that would lead my family and me to go on many mission trips over the years following. Ultimately, that seed brought me on staff almost 20 years later.

Tell us about your experience of serving on a mission trip. What impact did that have on you and your family?

WT: I began feeling the call to take my family on a mission trip several years before we actually went. I procrastinated for a few years trying to get my family to actually want to go (instead of the beach on vacation). The struggle was real, lol. Years later, it got to the point, that I felt like I was being disobedient to what the Lord had asked of me. So I called FMC and signed up. At this time, my children were a senior, a sophomore, and an eighth grader. We were added to a Life Teen trip in January 2011, coincidentally with Erik Martin and Bridget Kohring (now Martin) leading for LT. For them, it was a trip of their full-time missionaries to General Cepeda for a week or so. I was unsure of going on a trip with “a bunch of college kids” and was hoping more for a group of families. God knows what He is about! Looking back, my expectations were underwhelming. My honest hopes for the trip could be summarized as, “I hope my privileged kids see and interact with the poor and are more thankful going forward, and take less for granted.”

That did happen; however, God had so much more in store. First, the Life Teen missionaries were able to provide a witness of young adults being faithful to Jesus and following Him in a radical way. This is something that a mom and dad can’t do. The rest of the shortlist is my son (the senior) had a major conversion and became a NET missionary after high school for two years. My oldest daughter (the sophomore) was given a missionary heart. She went on several short-term trips, served as a summer missionary with Life Teen for three years during college, and spent one summer in Haiti. Finally, my youngest daughter, during desert day, encountered Jesus in a brand new way and knew that God spoke to her.

As far as Shelly and I, well, to say the least, our priorities were rearranged. God really moved on Team Travis! But here’s the other awesome part: God used the witness of my family to reach a lot of the Life Teeners, many of whom were from broken homes, or had broken relationships with their parents. Seeing and being around a healthy family was healing for some. The trip changed everything. This started a trajectory that led us to many short-term trips, and we brought many people to serve with us over the years.

How did you go from being a mission trip participant to a full-time staff member? How did you know God was calling you to this?

WT: Joseph, who was FMC’s executive director, would call me from time to time and let me know about positions that were available. My businesses were always in the way. But the last time, things had changed, and I had time. Also, we had decided to move to Lafayette to be closer to my daughters who were at school at University of Louisiana Lafayette. Everything lined up, so I applied. I knew God was inviting me to do this mainly because it coupled my passion for evangelization and the Great Commission with my business experience. Who knew that was even a thing? Thank you, Jesus!

What is your role on the FMC staff? What are some of the tasks you take care of day to day?

WT: I serve on the leadership team as business director, and as the name implies, I oversee the business-y side of the non-profit. Things like insurance, accounting, contracts, etc. Important side note: I couldn’t do any of it without my teams!

How does your role contribute to the overall mission of FMC?

WT: My role was created at a time of exponential growth at FMC. The company was growing fast and normal business processes hadn’t caught up. My role, along with the rest of the leadership team has helped to build a foundation that will be able to sustain a much larger group of missionaries in the future.

What excites you most about FMC’s mission?

WT: Having personally encountered the love and mercy of God, what most excites me is bringing others into friendship with Jesus, especially the poor, the unreached, and the marginalized.

What is the best part about working for FMC?

WT: I tell people this all the time: I get to work with people who love Jesus and want to be (and are) great saints. What a blessing!