Troy’s Story

Worship On Wheels (W.O.W.) takes Vacation Bible School and other Bible-based children’s, youth, and adult programs to people who may feel they are too poor, too lonely, too sinful, too dirty, or too ashamed to walk through the doors of a Bible-based church.

Once upon a time, in a small Illinois farm town, Troy Beaver was born. Big deal—I grew up like everyone else. The reason I’m writing this is to let you know where Worship On Wheels came from. So get ready, because this is a pretty amazing story. At least I think so, but I suppose I’m slightly biased.

Besides the normal “marriage” and “kids being born” life-changing experiences, I have had two others. I’m not saying they were better or worse, but they were very different.

First, I’ll tell you how I met my wife, Thai. (I assure you that we are the same age, even though she looks 20 years younger than me!) She is from the Philippines and was living there when I met her. We connected on a Christian dating site called BigChurch.com, and yes—she is an Internet bride. We chatted for eight months before deciding to meet in Hong Kong to make sure we were both who we thought we were. At the time, I was a single father to Katie.

On February 20, 2005, we were married. Don’t worry about remembering that date. It won’t be on the test.

The First WOW Moment

It was the summer of 2008. Katie and I were traveling to the Philippines with Thai and our newest addition, Elijah, to meet our extended family for the first time. This is where my first WOW moment happened.

Thai and I were eating at a Wendy’s in Metro Manila. (Yes, a foreign land and I eat at Wendy’s—how adventurous of me!) We were sitting in the back of the restaurant when a little girl, no older than five years old, walked up to our table.

Her dress was disheveled, and she probably hadn’t had a bath or clean clothes in several days. She held out her hand to me, motioning that she was hungry.

And I did the worst thing imaginable.

Nothing.

I simply looked back at her without taking any action. Within a few seconds, an employee came and shooed her away, while the rest of the diners looked at—or through—me.

That is one moment in my life that still haunts me to this day.

People from the Philippines have told me that it is normal for children to ask Americans for money, but that didn’t make me feel any better. I had so much, and she had so little.

That moment challenged me to examine my Christianity—or my lack of it.

Soon afterward, I decided that God had put that little girl in my path to make sure I never became too comfortable in my life of luxury. Thai and I made a decision: when we retired, we would become missionaries to the children of the Philippines. We would share whatever wealth God had given us instead of simply sitting in the back and consuming it ourselves.

Time passed, and we returned to the United States.

The Second WOW Moment

I was studying for a promotional exam at the fire department when Thai’s parents came to visit us in mid-October of 2009. I was scheduled to take my test in January, and if I were promoted, I would receive a significant pay raise.

A nicer car. A bigger house.

Those weren’t the things I was supposed to be thinking about—but I was.

Then came November 24, 2009.

We were on our annual Thanksgiving trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to spend the holiday with my Aunt Ann and Uncle E.L. We were traveling on the Indian Nation Turnpike when the second life-changing experience happened.

We had just filled our tank with gas and our bellies with French fries. About three miles down the road, we saw a plume of black smoke and noticed what appeared to be a car fire ahead, with traffic stopped.

We were the last vehicle in line, about one car length behind a large truck and trailer.

I was telling Thai to get our camera so we could take a few pictures of the firefighters in action when traffic began moving again.

Then I heard a screech.

As I looked in the rearview mirror, we were hit from behind at somewhere between 70 and 80 mph. Our van was catapulted 16 feet into the truck and trailer in front of us.

The airbags deployed, and I heard Katie say that her brother was hurt.

Let me toughen up a little here.

This part tears me up every time I tell it.

I got out and opened the back door next to Elijah. He had a large laceration—fireman talk for a big, deep cut—on his forehead and above and below his right eye. I could see part of his skull as blood flowed from the wounds. He was also bleeding from his ear and nose and coughing up blood.

As I was unbuckling him, I noticed that Thai’s parents were not moving in the seat behind him. The impact had been so great that it pushed the rear seat upward, leaving their heads against the roof of the van. They appeared to be dead or unconscious.

I placed Elijah on my forearm, face down, to keep the blood draining from his mouth and to help prevent movement of his spine. Katie gave me a towel to hold against his face to help stop the bleeding.

I told the people at the scene to call for a medical helicopter immediately.

At that time, I had been an emergency medic for about 20 years, since I was 18, and I knew that my son’s injuries were devastating and more than likely life-threatening.

I continued to hold him for what seemed like an hour—waiting, wondering, and making promises to God.

“If You let me keep him, God, I will do whatever You put in my path without question.”

Later, I thought, I wonder if He will hold me to this. Will He understand that I made this promise under such dire circumstances and that I may not be able to pay up?

Time would tell.

The helicopter arrived and took Elijah, but there was no room for anyone else. The medics began taking care of the rest of us.

As Elijah flew away, my skull began to ache, and I could no longer walk. Katie had been holding pressure on a laceration on my head the entire time I was holding Elijah.

Firefighters were working to extricate Rogelio and Thaisa from the back of the van. I still didn’t know anything about their condition, so I continued praying for God’s protection—and for the strength to understand if they weren’t alive.

I clearly remember, before the ambulances began taking the rest of us away, Oklahoma State Trooper Crabtree opened the door and said:

“God is good.”

I remember replying, “All the time,” as I lay strapped to a backboard, unable to move my body or head.

Those words brought me tremendous comfort.

God Had a Different Plan

Elijah was treated by the best doctors in the world (again, my biased opinion) and, thankfully, has no lasting physical injuries—only the battle scars of a brave little boy and some anxiety when riding in a car.

Thai’s father suffered a broken back and a broken foot. Thai and her mother were badly battered and bruised as well.

My legs, neck, and back had taken tremendous force in the collision, and things seemed to be getting worse. We had been struck with such force that our backs and necks broke the upright portions of the two front seats.

I was off work for a month after the accident. I was taking medication, bills were piling up, and eventually I returned to work after some therapy—ready or not.

The aftermath of the accident had taken away valuable study time. I took my promotional exam and missed the position by two points.

I was devastated.

I thought the crash had ruined my opportunity and my family’s future.

But God had a different plan.

After a few more months, I was experiencing intense pain and having difficulty performing the extremely physical duties of a firefighter. Once again, I took time off work and went through physical therapy.

After six weeks of painful therapy, I tried working again. For several months, I continued to work, but I was only getting by with prescription pain medication. My condition wasn’t improving, and for nearly two years I had been living in a “fog” of pills and their side effects.

This was not the life God had planned for me.

I loved my job and wanted to remain positive, so I attempted physical therapy one more time. It helped—until I went back to work and the pain returned.

That final round of therapy made me realize that I could get off my medications and clear my head, but I could not do it while working as a firefighter.

Being a firefighter was my identity.

I was a superhero to my children and to my community.

What use am I if I’m not a brave, strong, handsome fireman?

Well, I was a broken-down, humbled, 39-year-old guy (now almost 42) whom God could still use.

The Birth of W.O.W.

This is when it all came together.

God was in control of my retirement plans to become a missionary—not me.

I was reminded of my promise to be faithful to whatever calling God placed before me. God had led our family through all of this for a reason, and that reason is now very clear to me.

The Beavers were needed for the children of the Philippines—not when we were 55, but now.

I will tell you that W.O.W. was my idea.

But it really wasn’t.

Remember, I wanted a bigger house and a Corvette.

I don’t know exactly when or how God switched my plan off and His plan on in my mind. One day, I woke up and we were planning to move 8,000 miles away for an “experimental mission.”

The idea for a mobile ministry came from my head, but it was obviously placed there by God’s hand.

Vacation Bible Schools and youth programs we had experienced at University Baptist Church and Clear Lake Baptist Church also inspired our mission. The programs our children had been part of were so incredible and life-changing that we felt compelled to take them to children who had never experienced them.

And so, Worship On Wheels was born.

This mobile ministry was created to take VBS, youth programs, Bible teaching, and praise and worship to children and communities that may never have the opportunity to experience them otherwise.

What started as a dream has become a calling.

What began with a tragedy has become a testimony.

And what seemed like the end of one chapter became the beginning of God’s mission for our family.

Join Us

We invite you to join us through prayer and financial partnership as we serve in the mission field.

If God leads you to financially support W.O.W., your tax-deductible gift can help make this ministry possible. Visit our W.O.W. Partner’s Page for more information.

You can also contact us at worshiponwheels@yahoo.com for giving information.

We want you to know the difference your partnership makes. Through email and video updates, we’ll share the activities and stories that your prayers and generosity help make possible.

With the prayers and support of God’s people, we will take the love of Jesus to them… by the truckload.

God Bless, and Glory to His Name!

Troy & Thai