I started putting out applications, and my prayer was: ‘Lord, I don’t want options. I want you to either open the door wide or slam it shut.’ Steve Lanier, at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Jackson, said ‘Steve, I’ve got the job for you. You need to work for Palmer Home for Children in Columbus.’

Steven Scott has dedicated his life to working with children. Now, the Whitehaven, Tenn., native has chosen to make Columbus his home, taking over as director of the local branch of Palmer Home for Children as former Executive Director Jeff Miller transfers to the organization’s Hernando campus.

Scott’s first day on the job was Aug. 23, and though he is still settling in, the self-described “visionary” has a lot of ideas about where he’s been and what he hopes to bring to the children of Columbus.

What were you doing before this?
(My wife) and I were kind of homeless. We had left (Mississippi) in January 2005 and moved to Manila, in the Philippines. Our daughter lives in Brandon, so we’ve been staying with her until we could relocate.

How did you end up in the Philippines?
I was working as an admission counselor for Belhaven College in Jackson. I worked there 10 years before going into the missions field … I was one of Belhaven’s top recruiters at the time, but (my wife and I) felt the Lord calling us. Our daughter, a student at Belhaven, had gone on an internship to Manila in 2002, and she came back telling us all the stories and showing us pictures, and our hearts were just tugging. I got excited about it and said, ‘Lord, if this is what you really want me to do, you pave the way.’

So you headed to the Philippines in 2005?
We left Jan. 29, 2001. Had to wait until deer season was over. I love hunting, fishing and riding motorcycles.

What did you do in the Philippines?
It was a street kids ministry. The poverty over there is just extreme. Mission to the World built three homes over there, and we housed 30 children per home, with five staff members per home and a director. The other half of the ministry was our church planting movement, which involved 10-15 pastors and the director. I was team leader over the Philippines.

Did you have to learn a new language?
I had to learn Tagalog, a very difficult language. I could communicate, not fluently though. In the Philippines, English is a second language. For a person to be able to pump gas at a gas station, they have to know English, because there’s a strong American influence in the Philippines.

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