In Loving Memory of a Faithful Shepherd & Missionary

Joshua Stephen Wesson

May 1, 1974 – August 7, 2015

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 (KJV)
Missionary to the Dominican Republic (2000–2015) • Founder of Iglesia Bautista El Faro, Santo Domingo North
Official Obituary (Johnson Funeral Home) ↗ Explore Our Family & Ministries →

Johnson Funeral Home • Lake Charles & Sulphur, Louisiana

Official Obituary & Life of Service

Published August 2015

Joshua Stephen Wesson (Age 41)

Johnson Funeral Home Record ↗

Joshua Stephen Wesson, age 41, of Dominican Republic, drowned in the Dominican Republic on August 7, 2015, while attempting to save three teenage boys.

Joshua was born on May 1, 1974 in Ottawa, Illinois. He was son to Dr. Karen Wesson and Dr. and Mrs. Joel Wesson (Gwen). He graduated from Windsor Hills Baptist School in 1992 and later Oklahoma Baptist College in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in Missions. He married the love of his life, Joy Herndon on December 21, 1996 in Sulphur, Louisiana.

Joshua’s passion in life was serving God and serving others. He had many talents which include singing, preaching and evangelizing and he used those talents in serving the Lord. He and Joy and their four children spent 15 years in the Dominican Republic as missionaries and had a great impact in this country.

“Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13
True to his passion in life, Josh’s last act of love on this earth was to save two lives and give his in attempting to save one more.

Joshua is survived by his wife, Joy, and their children, Kimberly, Stephen, Ashlyn, and Katlyn; his parents; his siblings, Wendy Green (Marcus) of Oklahoma City, Jennifer Post (Dan) of Quebec, Canada, and Jeff Wesson (Annette) of Oklahoma City.

Service for Josh was held on Friday, August 14, 2015 at 2:00 PM at Grace Baptist Church in Sulphur, LA, with burial following at Big Woods Cemetery in Edgerly, LA. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations were designated to Joy Wesson c/o Grace Baptist Church, 2516 Riley Street, Sulphur, LA 70663, and through Baptist International Missions, Inc.

Joy Wesson with her children Kimberly, Stephen, Ashlyn, and Katlyn
Joy Wesson with Kimberly, Stephen, Ashlyn, and Katlyn.

Press Reports & Eyewitness Accounts

“The Good Shepherd Lays Down His Life for His Flock”

Following the events of Friday, August 7, 2015, news outlets in both Southwest Louisiana (Lake Charles / Sulphur) and the Dominican Republic (including Listín Diario and Dominican Today) reported on Pastor Wesson’s heroic rescue of the teenagers from his congregation and the outpouring of grief and gratitude from both communities.

Dominican Republic Press Report • Santo Domingo / Montecristi • August 11, 2015

US Pastor Dies While Rescuing 5 in Dominican Republic

SANTO DOMINGO. — American pastor Joshua Stephen Wesson fulfilled the scripture “The good shepherd lays down his life for his flock” on Friday, August 7, 2015, when he drowned, but not before rescuing five teens who were swept away by a sudden riptide at Punta del Muerto beach, Villa Vásquez, Montecristi province (northwest).

The pastor, of El Faro Baptist Church (Iglesia Bautista El Faro), located in the Máximo Gómez subdivision in Santo Domingo North, was remembered on Sunday, August 9, in a memorial service by the congregation which he founded.

Wesson, who settled in the country with his wife and four children, was rendered an emotional farewell in which his family, church members and residents of the community were present. His remains were transferred to the United States for burial.

The pastor had led a group of 12 teens aged between 12 and 16 and nine adults taking part in a summer Bible class, which included handicrafts and recreational games. That year’s camp was dubbed “Journey to the Unexplored” (“Viaje a lo Inexplorado”). More than 20 people took part in the five-day summer camp organized by the church when around noon they decided to enjoy a swim at the beach.

Source: Reported by Listín Diario and Dominican Today (August 11, 2015) and archived by SharperIron News.

Southwest Louisiana • Sulphur & Lake Charles Community Tribute • August 2015

Honoring a Heroic Missionary in Southwest Louisiana

In Southwest Louisiana—where Josh and Joy Herndon Wesson were married on December 21, 1996, and where Joy’s home church family at Grace Baptist Church in Sulphur (just west of Lake Charles) had supported their ministry for a decade and a half—news of Josh’s selfless sacrifice deeply moved the entire region.

When the sudden riptide caught several young people from the church youth camp in Montecristi, Josh immediately entered the water, pulling teenagers to safety one after another before being overcome by exhaustion and the current while attempting to reach one more youth. Hundreds of friends, pastors, supporting churches, and family members gathered at Grace Baptist Church on Riley Street in Sulphur on August 14, 2015, and at Big Woods Cemetery in Edgerly, Louisiana, to celebrate a life defined by John 15:13.

Both in Louisiana and in Oklahoma City (where Josh graduated from Windsor Hills Baptist School and Oklahoma Baptist College, and was sent out by Higher Plain / Windsor Hills Baptist Church), churches rallied around Joy and their four children as they committed to carrying forward the torch of the Gospel in the Dominican Republic.

John 12:24 • Fruit That Remains

How Josh’s Legacy Continues

Joy Wesson and children Kimberly, Stephen, Ashlyn, and Katlyn
Joy Wesson and children Kimberly, Stephen, Ashlyn, and Katlyn — continuing the work in the Dominican Republic.

Sharing Christ in the Dominican Republic

The story of the Wesson family in the Dominican Republic did not end on August 7, 2015. Following Josh’s homegoing, Joy and the children returned to their beloved Dominican people, where the testimony of a pastor who gave his life for Dominican youth opened countless doors to share the even greater love of Jesus Christ, who laid down His life on the cross for sinners.

  • A Thriving Deaf Ministry & Annual Camp: Joy leads a growing deaf ministry in Santo Domingo, training deaf workers, leading souls like Felix to Christ, and hosting the annual summer church camp.
  • Next-Generation Dominican Missionaries: Young men and women impacted by the Wessons’ ministry—such as Francisco and Megan Mendez, who faithfully served alongside the family in the years after Josh’s passing—are serving the Lord and planting churches in the Dominican Republic.
  • Everyday Gospel Witness: Even in grocery stores and pharmacies across Santo Domingo, residents remember the pastor who gave his life for Dominican teenagers, creating open hearts for gospel tracts, prayer cards, and salvation.
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