Gerald Mitchum DVM

Over the years, fishing has been one of our favorite pastimes. My wife, Frances, and I have waded the clear, cold waters of Montana and Wyoming to cast a bit of hair and feathers to those wily trout. Hour after hour we tried to entice sleek rainbows and browns until the surface of the river exploded and our line drew taut.

However, God touched Frances and me on the shoulder and said, “Come and follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” So, we left the US and moved to Mongolia in search of men and women to reel in for the Savior.

But even as we “fished for men,” God gave us the desires of our heart. The Mongolian streams teemed with Siberian salmon and we were in the midst of some of the greatest fishing in the world. Tiamin, the size of a man, lurked beneath the surface of shimmering rivers.

“I got one,” Frances would scream as my pole also bent double. We stopped counting after 50 fish that day and caught and released fish after fish—although we did keep a few for the frying pan to break the monotony of our countryside diet.

Sometimes following God does not lead to deprivation. We may just be blessed with super abundance along the way.

Dr. Mitchum graduated from the University of Georgia, School of Veterinary Medicine and received a Master’s degree in veterinary science from Massey University School of Veterinary Medicine in New Zealand. He has held teaching positions at both Kansas State University and Massey University and has owned veterinary practices in Montana, Virginia, and North Carolina.

Gerald and Frances have been married for 54 years and have two sons, Kelly and Kevin, and six grandchildren.