An Incredible Journey!
The Lord has brought me on an amazing journey in the past year and a half! I joyfully give thanks to Him. All I have needed, His hand has provided. Great is His faithfulness. In mid-July, as I packed up my life in Colorado and headed out for my missionary assignment, which will take me around the world I reflected on the goodness of God and on you, my faithful partners in ministry. I am humbled by your partnership and I thank God for each of you.
When I first started, raising prayer support and a ministry budget, a year and a half ago – it felt like a daunting task. During this season of fundraising and learning to trust God more, He confirmed His call on my life again and again. Already, incredible doors for ministry are opening.
Stepping out in faith and following God in obedience is never easy, but as we obey – God uses our lives to minister and build His kingdom here on earth. The work of the ministry happens in partnership. Partnership is amazing. As we partner with God on His mission, we do what we can do, and He does what only He can do. Some of us are called to go, while others are called to pray and to give. As we all do our part by praying, giving, and going – we are all partnering with God on His mission. Thank you for stepping out in faith with me, and allowing God to use you to minister to missionaries and their kids around the world, with me.
Before I get into what is currently happening my life, I want to share a brief faith building moment with you that happened a little while back. I was traveling through the Denver airport when an individual who I had never met before, approached me. I was sitting at random gate where there were minimal people, to enjoy my Chick-Fil-A. After sitting there a few minutes, a man who I have never met or seen in my life walked up to me. He began to talk to me. I was reluctant at first, as I was trying to finish my meal. But the man was persistent, and began to share of how he had been involved in youth ministry earlier in his life. As he talked, I felt more comfortable opening up to him about the ministry God was calling me to do with missionary kids. By the end of our conversation, he shared a bit more and said he felt impressed to give me all the cash he had on hand ($40). The man then expressed a desire to support my ministry to missionary kids. I was so taken off guard. It was hard to believe this was actually happening.
The man explained…As he and his wife were walking past Chick-Fil-A, they saw me. The man said the Holy Spirit spoke to him and told him that He wanted him to talk to me that day. The man explained his hesitation and said, “I couldn’t just walk up to you while you were standing in the Chick-Fil-A line…” The man said he committed to the Holy Spirit that if he and his wife saw me again – then he would know the Holy Spirit was indeed leading him to talk with me. Sure enough, I walked a ways down the terminal, and sat down at the same (though I thought it was random) gate, in the row of chairs right behind the man and his family. The man said when he saw me walking by – he knew in that moment that the Lord had ordained our meeting to take place. With that assurance from the Lord, he approached me to talk.
The Lord works in mysterious ways and desires to confirm His presence in our lives continually. God will provide for our every need, at any time, in any place, and in ways that will remind us that HE is in control of all things and all situations.
The obedience and sensitivity of the man in the airport exponentially grew and strengthened my faith at a time when I needed it most. The man and his wife now faithfully minister to MKs with me, as prayer and financial partners – all because one person listened and responded when the Holy Spirit spoke. How amazing is that?
The most incredible part is that the Lord has given me so many moments like this during my journey. As partners in ministry to missionary kids, we get to take part in some amazing things the Lord is doing in the lives of kids and families. Because they are able to stay on the field – working in hard places around the world, lost people are coming to know Jesus and disciples are being made.
I want to say THANK YOU so much for trusting me with YOUR support.
Recent Work With Missionary Kids (ISMK)
Recently, I traveled to work with missionary kids at a national meeting in Orlando, Florida.
Missionaries from every corner of the globe came to the meeting, and brought their families. During that time, I was able to minister to missionary kids who are serving in the Northern Pacific Rim and in Northern Asia.
Many missionary kids whose parents work in this part of the world face intense loneliness, living day in and day out without like minded peers, or consistent Christian influences. The Northern Pacific Rim is primarily made up of polytheistic cultures, where spiritually lost people believe in many gods. This belief system creates intense spiritual heaviness and darkness. These missionary kids, do not have a church youth group, or a local youth pastor to disciple them. In most cases, they do not have a Christian peer group to notice when they’re struggling. What these missionary kids do have, is the ministry of the International Society of Missionary Kids (ISMK). We work to fill in the gaps and disciple missionary kids uplifting and strengthening them as they strive to walk for God in spiritually dark places.
After ministering to youth living in the Northern Pacific Rim, I ministered to young children and spent time investing in the lives of tiny but mighty little MKs whose parents live and work in Northern Asia – a place that is openly hostile and intolerant of any witness of the Gospel.
While attending the meetings, I connected with many missionaries and spoke with them about how their children are doing and ways that we, can come alongside them and strengthen them as a family on their missionary journey.
Missionary parents love their children, and desire God’s best for them. I was able to encourage parents and encourage them as they follow the call of God on their lives. Parents who have enough faith in God to take their children to live in difficult places for the sake of the Gospel, need to hear hope-filled, faith-filled confidence that God will hold their children fast, wherever they live – and whatever they may face. It is my joy to be able toencourage missionary parents as the Lord gives opportunity.
Upcoming News
In a few weeks I will travel to the Arab World to work with several families involved with Live Dead ministries. Due to the very sensitive nature of this work, I cannot disclose the specific locations. However, I can share about the incredible work that we will get to take part in.
While in the Arab World, we meet with families, assess the needs of their children, help them through their adjustment process and adaptation to life on the field. We will work directly with each individual missionary kid to see how they are doing with the realities of life on the field, and help them identify strategies to ensure each child’s needs are recognized and met. We will then collaborate with the parents to find ways our ministry can best meet the needs of their children.
As you can imagine, many of these missionary kids are facing very difficult times as they live in countries where Islam has almost complete control over their way of life.
Together, we will work to help missionary families. What a privilege and joy to walk alongside them, to help them be as successful as possible on the mission field they live in. If we can assist our families so they are healthier on the mission field, then we can help them have a longer life span on the field and be effective as missionaries in what God has called them to do. I am so excited for this opportunity and all the Lord is going to do.
Prayer Needs:
- Peace and grace for MKs around the world so that no matter what they face – their faith in Him would be strong.
- Baptism in the Holy Spirit so that MKs are empowered to be His witnesses and to live out the calling the Lord has placed on their lives.
- Awareness for MKs to recognize the power and authority that comes from walking closely with Christ.
- Protection and guidance in our travels to and from the Arab World.
- Effectiveness in ministering to missionary kids and their families around the world.