Bulloch County resident and Southeast Bulloch High School graduate Bryan Piet admits that he was a rebellious and defiant teen and often disrespected authority. But that was before he felt a nudge from God and chose to be obedient to the voice he heard shortly after his graduation.
Even though his lifestyle reflected a partier and, as he said, he was “living for the world,” Piet maintained some of his connections at Emit Grove Baptist Church, his home church, and a friend talked him into attending a World Changers event during the summer of 2015, just a couple of months after he’d received his high school diploma.
Piet attended church as a youngster and walked forward to accept Jesus, but he said it wasn’t real at the time.
“I did it because somebody else was doing it,” Piet said. “I never lived for Christ.”
“A speaker at the event asked this question: ‘How can you love someone you don’t know?’” Piet said. “I started wrestling with grace. I realized I didn’t deserve grace. None of us deserve grace. It’s a gift from God that we don’t deserve.”
Piet cried out to God, “God, which way do I go?”
Piet said he heard a voice, clear as day, with an answer. “This is the way, Bryan, follow me.”
With a simple response of “OK,” Piet returned from the event with a passion for the Lord and a hunger for scripture.
“I’d never read the Bible this way before in my life. The Holy Spirit started working on me through the scriptures. When I got to Acts in the New Testament, I read the story of Peter healing the lame beggar. I’d never read that story before, and I immediately felt the call to be a missionary.”
Piet felt an obvious nudge from God and was willing to be obedient, but he didn’t quite know what that would look like in his life. He continued to pray and read scripture, and it was through a friend of his grandfather’s that he found out about Guido Bible College in Metter.
“My original plan included attending ABAC,” said Piet. “I came home and told my mom, ‘I’m not going to ABAC; I’m going to be a missionary.’”
Going to Guido Bible College
Piet said his mom was more receptive of the idea than he’d expected.
“I canceled my enrollment at ABAC and signed up for classes at Guido.
“You never know what you don’t know,” said Piet about his time of study at Guido. “I learned so much at Guido, so much biblical knowledge and interpretation. Guido really put things in perspective.”
When Piet first felt a clear sign from God to go to Uganda to serve as a missionary, Piet resisted, thinking, “Lots of people go to Africa to be a missionary.”
Piet said he ignored that direction and looked into other options as a missionary.
Through an on-the-job accident where he was on the receiving end of a machete blow, Piet’s work with the land surveyor halted for a time. That time away from work not only gave him the opportunity to complete his associate's segree at Guido, but it offered a time of reflection on his obedience to God.
Piet finally said, “Alright, God, if you want me to go to Uganda, I’ll go to Uganda.”
Almost immediately, Piet felt a peace. “You never have peace in your soul when you say ‘no’ to God.”
Preparing for Uganda
Yellow fever vaccinations, visa paperwork and lots of prayers later, Piet almost has all of the details of the obedience to God’s call in order.
“God told me, ‘Go. And have faith.’ It’s all for his glory. It’s all about Jesus Christ.”
By early December if all continues to go as planned, Piet plans to be sharing the gospel on the streets of Uganda. “I’m just an unworthy servant, doing what I’m commanded because I love Jesus Christ, because he first loved me.”
Piet is considered an “independent missionary,” which means he is not specifically sponsored by a church or an organization. “This is the way I feel the Lord shepherding me,” explained Piet.
Piet’s calling in his life is taking him to Uganda, after leading him through classes at Guido Bible College in preparation for the ministry. However, Piet is quick to point out that God wants everyone to share the gospel.
“We are all accountable. Every person is called to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. We live in a lost world, a world that needs to hear the gospel.”
Piet was one of those lost and rebellious individuals just a couple of years ago, a teenager who didn’t respect authority. However, after definitive direction from God, the young man will soon be in another part of the world, sharing a life devoted to Jesus with everyone he meets.