Get to Know the Lough Family

Ministry Description

Learn more about the ministry in the United States.

About Justin

I was saved at the age of four after a conversation with my mom, placing my trust in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone to save me. Growing up around the Word of Life ministry in Schroon Lake, NY, I always had a desire to eventually do full-time overseas missions in some capacity. For a while, the plan was to become a US diplomat and then leverage that occupation for ministry to foreign leaders. After 2 years at the Word of Life Bible Institute in New York and 3 more at Cedarville University in Ohio, I earned a degree in International Studies and another in Biblical Studies. I had been accepted to three different European universities to study for a graduate degree in International Relations. However, the summer after graduating from Cedarville, everything changed. Instead of driving boats for the summer on Schroon Lake, which was my original plan, I became the Coordinator over all of the counselors at the Word of Life Island. It became a summer of teaching, discipleship, leading a core team, and evangelism, not to mention meeting and working with the godly woman who would eventually become my wife, Julia. By the end of the summer, I was sure that I wanted to do full-time ministry and that graduate studies in Europe was not my next step. With no plan, I worked construction for a company building log cabins for half a year before being hired by Word of Life to oversea and manage the Bible Institute's accreditation in January of 2020. While not the sort of ministry I was anticipating getting into, this was a 5-year season of learning and growing, with various opportunities to preach, teach, and disciple, including as the WOLBI men's soccer team head coach. After 5 years managing WOLBI's accreditation and coaching the soccer team, I was recently appointed as the Dean of Ministries at WOLBI in NY, overseeing all of the student ministry that goes on throughout a school year. On top of this, I also serve as an Assistant Director at the Word of Life Island and still serve as the head coach of the men's soccer team.

My passion is to see young people come to know Christ, live for him, and become emboldened to make him known. God has burdened me with the need for unsaved people to hear the Gospel and for those who are already saved to become sold out followers and ambassadors of Christ. My wife, Julia, and I love serving the students at WOLBI in New York with our young and growing family of four: Eloise (3 years) and Kieran (6 months).

About Julia

I was born and raised in a Christian home. I believe I made a decision to trust Christ when I was a child, however I do not remember the exact moment. As a young teen I struggled with doubts of my salvation and much anxiety and fear. I was always greatly comforted by John 10:27, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me and I give them eternal life..."
When I turned 14 yrs old, I got my ears pierced and to me it was a testimony of the fact that I was going to choose to trust Christ, regardless of my feelings. I based this on Exo. 21:5,6 when the servant who wanted to stay with his master forever would have his ears pierced through.
Not too much changed after that as far as growth. It wasn't until I was 16 and starting to get involved in ministry that things started to become more real in my life. I continued to grow, but slowly.
My last yr at the BI was when I realized that a person could actually desire to be in the Word. I've started to understand the idea that as a Christian, my life no longer has to be controlled by sin, or emotions, but by the truth in the Word.

Contact Information

jplough@wordoflife.edu

Address:
Justin Lough
Word of Life United States
PO Box 600
Schroon Lake, NY 12870