How God’s 5 fingerprints guided a retired Army Colonel

Ask Andy MacLean how he got here, and his short answer would be, “Via the Army.”

But give him longer to share his testimony, and the retired Army Colonel would tell you how the hand of God smoothed out his paths and left what he calls five fingerprints that directed him to where he is today and strengthened his faith along the way.

For the Latin America Coordinator at the Association for Christian Conferences, Teaching and Services (ACCTS), such a retrospection of his own Christian walk also serves as a charge to others about being good stewards of what God has entrusted to them while thinking strategically about where God has placed them.

Andy’s story of missionary kid to military officer started in France, where he was born to missionary parents who served abroad for over 50 years.

He recalled some of the unique challenges of being an MK, from spending so much time at church that it started to feel like a playground to living off donations and rarely having anything new.

And then there was the heavy emphasis on behavior.

“An MK grows up carrying a burden that they could jeopardize God’s ministry when they misbehave,” Andy said. “Unfortunately for my parents, God gifted them with kids with a strong rebellious streak.”

“It’s also a huge gift to grow up in such a setting,” he said, adding that he always knew who God was and that He loved him. “I grew up with a Bible commentary and concordance as a father and all my Biblical questions were immediately answered.”

First Fingerprint: A Path to West Point

An unexpected letter from West Point would mark the first of the five fingerprints of God on his life.

Citing an interest in the military throughout his life, along with a love of military movies, stories, and books, Andy applied to West Point. But as high school graduation drew near, his plans would seemingly go unfulfilled.

“As people who have applied to service academies know, you need a congressional nomination, and there was really no way for me to get a congressional nomination [because I was living overseas],” he said.

Having already been accepted to Georgia Tech to study engineering and with no answer from West Point, Andy said he accepted that the military wasn’t a realistic path and that he mentally had decided to move on. However, God’s hand soon intervened in a way that would set the course for the rest of his life.

Just two weeks before summer training started at West Point, he received a letter from there with these instructions: Call this number within 72 hours of receiving this letter if you want to attend West Point.

Without hesitation, Andy accepted.

“I graduated high school on a Friday and reported to West Point on Monday,” he said, adding that everything happened so quickly that they didn’t have enough time to print his name on any of his uniforms.

“God made straight a path where I saw only obstacles,” Andy said, reflecting on this unexpected opportunity. “It’s like Proverbs 3:5-6 says, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.’”

Second Fingerprint: A Career-Shifting Opportunity

During his time at West Point, he quickly discovered that he was far from being a stellar cadet. “I did mention the family rebellious streak,” Andy quipped.

Despite feeling disillusioned with West Point, Andy decided that five years in the Army in exchange for an engineering degree was doable, especially if he got to “jump out of planes and do some fun things.” Little did he know then, God had much bigger plans.

As Andy’s five-year service obligation ended, he was called into his brigade commander’s office.

“As a cadet, I only had audiences with senior Army officers when I was in trouble,” Andy joked.

But this time was different. The colonel didn’t call him in to reprimand him; instead, he asked Andy to compete for an aide-de-camp job at the U.S. Southern Command.

“I was accepted without an interview,” Andy said. “God opened a door that exposed me to a part of the military I didn’t even know existed.”

This role took him across Latin America, working alongside ambassadors, meeting with senior military officials, and engaging in a side of the military that was entirely new to him. “It was kind of an education that you can’t really pay for, you know?”

It was during this time that Andy began to sense that God wanted him in the Army longer than he had originally planned.

Third Fingerprint: Protection in Combat

In 2003, Andy found himself in the thick of combat during the invasion of Iraq, part of the “shock and awe” campaign that would lead to the capture of Baghdad.

As the fire support officer for an armor task force, Andy rode in the battalion commander’s vehicle—the seventh in line, positioned with the lead platoon. His vehicle became known as the “commander’s decoy vehicle” as RPGs and bullets whizzed past, bouncing off the road in front and behind them.

Reflecting on that time, Andy shared, “We prayed Psalm 91 over us every day. Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come. The Lord has brought me safe thus far, and I can count on Him to lead me home.”

The experience gave Andy a new perspective on war. “War tends to beget more war,” he said. “Going to war takes the romance out of it.”

Fourth Fingerprint: A Scholarship Despite the Odds

Before his unexpected deployment to Iraq, Andy had applied for the prestigious Olmsted Scholarship, a program that selects a few officers from each service branch to study abroad in a foreign language for two years.

A key part of the selection process was an in-person interview in Washington, D.C. But once Andy deployed to the Middle East, he knew he wouldn’t be able to make it back for the interview.

“I remember thinking to myself at some point on the journey to Baghdad, ‘I guess I won’t be getting that scholarship,’ but it was only a fleeting thought. I had bigger things to be concerned about—like whether I’d even make it back home alive or with all my body parts,” Andy said.

However, on the day of his scheduled interview, the selection board called Andy’s wife, Grace, and informed her that they had decided to award him the scholarship anyway—the first time, as far as they could remember, that someone had received it without an interview. Andy only found out weeks later, after finally getting a chance to communicate with Grace, that they were headed to Mexico.

“Once again,” Andy said, “when I saw only closed doors or no path forward, God opened something else for me.”

In this case, it was an opportunity to learn a foreign language and become an expert in foreign culture.

“That also led me to becoming a foreign area officer where I could then just kind of keep working on those skills that would eventually translate into what I’m doing now in my work at ACCTS.”

Fifth Fingerprint: Staying in Uniform Beyond His Plans

After returning from Mexico, Andy’s career took another unexpected turn. As he approached the point of retirement, his family was ready to settle down in Colorado Springs to support his aging father-in-law.

Despite having made peace with the idea of leaving the Army, Andy was unexpectedly promoted to colonel and offered a position that allowed him to stay in one place without making additional moves.

“My bosses said they didn’t like anyone else they had interviewed, and they would rather I take the job,” Andy said. “It was almost like, ‘Twist my arm, I’ll do it for my country.’”

This promotion not only extended his time in the military but also provided the financial stability needed for his next chapter. “God kept me in uniform three more years and one more promotion past my expiration date. God’s hand kept me in uniform when I was looking for the exit doors,” Andy said.

A Journey of Faith and Service

Looking back, he sees how God orchestrated these steps to prepare him for the work he’s now doing with ACCTS—even when he was unaware of it at the time.

“There’s no shortcut I could have taken to get here, and I’m grateful for His leading,” he said. “But I want young people to know that I was oblivious to all of this while I was trudging through the dirt in my Army boots—black boots at the time.”

“The frustrations and joys of Army life always kept me wondering if I was doing what God wanted me to do or just paying the U.S. government back for a university degree,” he said. “Although looking back, things appear well orchestrated, it’s not possible to understand what the Master Sculptor is doing when He is just beginning His work on us.”

Now at ACCTS, Andy continues to serve by encouraging Christian leaders in military communities around the world. His story is a reminder that God is always at work, even when we can’t see the full picture.

Andy poses two questions to challenge others on their own journeys: “Are we being good stewards of what God has entrusted us with to date? And are we thinking strategically about where God has placed us?”

After all, as good soldiers of the Kingdom, “we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).