Local fireman Lieutenant Shane Westphal to become full-time missionary

STEVENS POINT- After 14 years of service to the local community, former Lieutenant Shane Westphal of the Stevens Point Fire Department is moving on to become a full-time missionary in Latin America.

Hired at the Stevens Point Fire Department in 2011, Westphal was a fifth-generation volunteer firefighter and the first in his family to become a full-time career firefighter. “My grandfather, two uncles, and dad were all volunteer firefighters at the Fontana Fire Department, and I had a great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather who worked at a neighboring department,” said Westphal.

Westphal’s interest in firefighting was instilled in him from a young age. “I went on my first fire call when I was four years old with my grandfather, and I was angry that I had to sit in the truck the entire time,” said Westphal. “I remember going down to the station with my uncles and washing the fire trucks as a kid, and seeing my family members leave at a moment’s notice with their pagers on.”

Now, after working in the fire service since he was 23 years old, he is grateful for his rewarding career. “One of my assistant chiefs always said, ‘There are very few jobs out there where you can leave work every single day knowing that you made a difference in somebody’s life,’” said Westphal. “It could be as simple as helping an older person up off the floor or rescuing a duck from a tree, or as complicated as a major trauma call or helping to save a life.”

Some of Westphal’s accomplishments with the fire service include being awarded the First Responder of the Year Award in October 2023 and starting the Explorer Post for students aged 14-21 to meet once a month and learn about fire and EMS skills, helping to mentor the next generation of firefighters.

“For me, one of the best parts of working in emergency services was being able to be around people,” said Westphal. “It might be on their worst day, but being able to turn that day around for them, learn from them, and get to know them, that was one of the best parts of the job.”

Westphal is glad that his new career will allow him to continue serving the community, just as he enjoyed doing as a firefighter. Now that he is no longer working with the fire service, he will be working full-time as a Global Outreach Coach for Inca Link, a ministry that serves Latin American countries. “There are a lot of things I did at the fire department that prepared me for what I’ll be doing at Inca Link,” said Westphal. “As a Global Outreach Coach, I’ll be leading teams of people, and as a Lieutenant, I led teams of people. In Bolivia and Peru, I even had the chance to teach first aid, fire safety, and hands-only CPR.”

This career change is something that Westphal and his wife, Rebecca, always knew they wanted to do, but didn’t expect to happen at this time. “Many missionaries either go when they’re without kids or have very young kids, or they go after they retire—but my wife and I are going right in the middle of our careers,” said Westphal. “Making the decision to leave halfway through a career was not an easy one, especially leaving behind the fire service. But while we were praying and discerning about it, God confirmed that the time was now.”

Westphal is confident that moving into full-time missionary work and involving his kids will be rewarding for everyone. “Our kids were with us while we were in Bolivia on a mission trip in 2024,” said Westphal. “Seeing how they interacted with the locals and joined in on the mission was a confirmation that this was a good thing for our entire family.”

Inca Link has ministry sites in nine different countries: Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, the U.S., and Spain. As Global Outreach Coaches, Westphal and his wife’s role will be to take teams from churches, universities, and even family groups to different ministry sites. They will prepare the teams ahead of time, go along with them on the trip, and follow up with them afterwards to ensure that the trip can have a lasting effect on the team members’ lives.

“Inca Link’s mission is to reach the 300 million youth of Latin America with Christ’s irresistible love,” said Westphal. “The focus is on helping youth, but of course, the parents and guardians receive help as well.” Inca Link helps supply families with food, get their kids registered for school, and provides tutoring. Teams also host Vacation Bible School events for kids and create after-school programs.

To learn more about the Westphal family’s mission work or to donate, please visit www.incalink.org/westphal