The Significance of Senders

I didn’t realize Michael was listening (though he’s always listening) when a few moms were talking about jobs at the park today. All of a sudden he chimed in with, “my mommy is a missionary – and I’m a missionary too!”

He likes to tell Luke he’s a missionary, usually followed by, “so that means I need to come to work with you.”

We’ve talked a lot about how Jesus calls all of us to be missionaries, and to tell people about him. We also talk about how Daddy’s job is to train new missionaries how to tell people all over the world about Jesus.

Staying here to train those who go.

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” – Romans 10:14-15

How are they to preach unless they are sent? It’s pretty huge. They can’t go if we’re not sending. And we absolutely 100 percent feel that this is right where God wants us right now. We have such a passion about our work walking new missionaries through the process of going, and a peace that this is our calling for now. Yet sometimes it feels so insignificant. Especially when we try to communicate our role here to our financial partners.

As a writer, I love to tell stories. And for four years, we were able to share some pretty incredible stories of God's goodness and power. We experienced firsthand pretty incredible stories of God at work. Now I sit to write our newsletters and don’t know where to start.

But lately I’ve started thinking about the stories that aren’t ours directly, but because of the training and wisdom and support we were able to provide, are happening all over the world. Stories of changed hearts from discipleship, breakthroughs in communities through sports ministry, hope and healing brought through medical care. Stories where our missionaries have experienced God in new ways as they’ve been stretched by cultural learning and adjustment.

Sometimes we hear these stories through their blogs and facebook and newsletters. Sometimes it’s a 6 a.m. Skype call to Japan or Senegal or an email asking for advice or prayer. It’s the praises in chapel for people getting on their first plane or when the visas for East Asia are finally granted.

Through their stories, we are reassured that our roles are significant. That we are part of the sending. So how do we communicate that to you, our support team and prayer warriors? It’s certainly not as romantic as heading off to Zambia to work with orphans and vulnerable children. And this is where I’ve struggled in communicating our needs since we returned from Zambia. Raising support is honestly one of the hardest and most humbling parts about being a missionary – and one of the hardest things we’ve ever had to do. Raising support here in the US is especially difficult, because the stories look different and life looks different.

But if I downplay our importance in the process – as senders – I feel like I’m also downplaying the importance of your role in the process – sending us. Your support and prayers are significant; because by standing with us, you are helping these folks take the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world. And my friend, that is something in which Jesus has called us all to play a part.

So thank you, for those of you who have supported us and prayed for us. We especially thank those of you who have continued to see the significance of this work even though our location and ministry have changed. Thank you to those who have started supporting us in the last two years. You have helped us see the significance in the work God has called us to here in the US. And thank you to those who are considering joining our financial team even now.

As we come up on the end of SIM’s fiscal year this month, we are sitting at about 82 percent of the support we need to sustain our ministry of training and equipping new missionaries. One-time gifts this month would be a huge help in making up that deficit. Of great need right now, though, is several friends to commit to new monthly giving to support our work here.

Please pray that the Lord would raise up new members to our financial team. Please prayerfully consider whether God might be leading you to join that team yourself. If not for us, we can direct you to other missionaries in various ministries who need financial support.

And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. – Luke 10:2

We are helping train laborers for the harvest. What an awesome opportunity – and you can be a part of it! Let’s be senders.

Let me know today if you want to join our team, or click here to sign up for regular giving (or to make a one-time gift).

We appreciate you. Your role as a sender is significant. Your prayers are incredibly significant. Thank you.

We've enjoyed working with this sweet family - who leave this week for Ethiopia!

 "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now" - Philippians 1:3-4

Before the Board...

It's been a long time coming.

After two weeks at SIMCO, SIM USA's missionary candidate orientation program, we finally reached the final Monday. For long-term candidates, this day sat at the forefront of our minds from the moment we arrived on campus, at moments, dreading it; at other moments, eagerly anticipating its arrival.

Why?

The final Monday brings the time for the interview before the few, the powerful, the intimidating...

US Board.

That's right. Today was the day that the long-term candidates sat in turn before the board, and it is the board that gets to decide our future with the organization. They follow Scripture, as their "yes" is definitely a "yes", and their "no" sends us packing and reevaluating God's plans for our lives.

So we spent the whole day nervously anticipating our short but determinative half-hour before this dreaded body of pastors, professors, business owners, and other missionaries. We didn't know what to expect, but we knew that God had brought us here for a reason. So we waited.

When our time finally came, we walked into the room and saw a bunch of faces that we recognized.

You see, Tiffany and I went out to Black Mountain, NC, this past weekend to get away. We stayed in a nice bed and breakfast called the Red Rocker Inn, Tiffany showed me around Montreat, the place where she first trusted Christ, and we ate dinner at a nice little pizza place called My Father's Pizza. And it was as we walked onto the patio at this restaurant that we saw a few faces from SIM that we knew, and a few that we didn't. These few were board members, most of whom ended up doing our interview. And as awkward as it was meeting them by chance at a small pizza place 2 hours from Charlotte, it turned into a great blessing as it provided a sense of peace.

Seeing people you recognize can sometimes do that for ya.

So we were set at ease. And we talked. And talked. And talked. Not that that should surprise anybody...

And after we finished talking, we left the room and stood outside the door, waiting for what seemed like forever. Finally we were brought back in to the applause of the board, and we were informed that we have been accepted as missionaries with SIM.

So now we prepare. We prepare to go out and build relationships. We prepare to go out and build a support team. We prepare to go out and build people's awareness of missions.

We prepare to go out and bring the love of Christ to the nations.

And all because God has chosen to love us and use us for His purposes.

It's so exciting.

it's really real

In just four days Luke and I will pack up the car and drive to Charlotte for three weeks of missions training with SIM. We'll get our official placement, figure out the finances and logistics, and prepare our materials to start our RDM (resource development ministry - i.e. support raising).

Oh my goodness - it's really happening. The past four years have pointed this direction, and now it's no longer a distant horizon but the next exit! So exciting, yet so unbelievable. And right now - so overwhelming. Just 3 1/2 months ago we were returning to Dallas from our trip to Zambia, and within two days I lost my job and our world was kind of turned upside down. Two months later, we had a loaded moving truck, a lot of sad good-byes with friends and our brothers and sisters at church, and a new apartment in Peoria. Our summer has consisted of lifeguarding, lifeguarding, lifeguarding and sleep when possible (plus a few shifts on the beverage cart for me). Not to mention, I just spent a week in Dallas for Kappa Phi followed by two days in Chicago for a wedding. And now, in just a few days, we're once again driving across the country for a new adventure.

Please pray for us in this time. Pray for clear direction and vision. Pray for good health and energy. Pray that we will not rush through the process but truly do what we need to do to prepare for long-term service. Pray for safe travels. Pray that we remember to breathe. :)

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Countdown to Zambia!

Again, I've been a complete slacker when it comes to updating this blog. You would think the "writer" of the family would "write" more, but when you work at a computer 40 hours a week - writing - getting back on and putting thought into something when not at work takes serious convincing. That said, here I am, but just briefly. We are less than seven weeks away from our trip to Zambia, and yet I feel we're still recovering from our whirlwind Christmas trip and our recent weekend in North Carolina with SIM (read a bit more about that in the letter - and I'm sure we'll both write more as time goes on... basically, God is awesome and we are learning to trust in His timing as we look at long-term missions - and also know we have a TON of preparation to do before we go...)

As I said, this will be brief, but I wanted to let everyone know that our most recent letter has been put in the mail, and many have also received it by e-mail, but in case you weren't one of the lucky ones, click the image below. Also, if you want to be added to the list - send us either your address or e-mail address (whichever way you prefer to receive the newsletter). May God Bless you and yours so that you may in turn be a blessing to His people everywhere!

Now, off to attack some of the reading, studying, preparing and such that is necessary before moving across the world!

My Resume - what is it worth?

So part of the process of applying for full-time missions with SIM is filling out a doctrinal assessment (I'll get to that in a minute) and a training evaluation. You fill in boxes on all the different Bible and missions courses you have taken, along with related transcripts - a resume of sorts.

Don't get me wrong, I've got this resume thing down... shifting from Journalism to PR to Marketing Communications to Internet Marketing and now to a combination of basically all of the above, I've got my bases covered. So that will get me a job in marketing, but what about in missions?

Granted, Bible studies galore, serving in our church in so many ways that we've basically given up on the concept of weekends, Sunday school lessons, and weekly sermons have all taught me so much about God's word and pushed me to try to be more like Jesus, but I couldn't fill in a single box on the sheet for 'formalized training.' Isn't experience what matters? That's what I have on my resume - I'm past the 'relevant coursework' and rely on 'work experience' instead. But it leaves me to ponder... am I equipped? We've spent the past two years and lots of money putting Luke through seminary and I'm convinced he knows the Bible front to back. Me? I thought I had a pretty good understanding, and that the 'experience' thing would be great, but there was also a doctrinal assessment.

Doctrinal assessment just sounds intimidating. It would have been better had they called it: "What you believe." We filled out the basic version on our initial application, but this was a little longer, a little more insightful, and they limited you to four sentences per answer. Being a writer, I'm really good at really long answers that sound good but may not exactly hit the target of the question. Now I have to answer deep theological questions and am limited to a few lines of text. Oy. All I have to say is that if they deem us unfit for missions or decide I spoke pure heresy, I apologize to Luke and all those who were excited to support us and pray for us as we set off. Okay, it wasn't that bad, and the questions asking me to apply my faith to a variety of cultural questions were actually kind of fun to answer after I stewed on them and avoided them until the last possible minute. Plus, it was good to really think about what I believe, and not just what I've been fed to believe. It's just that the whole process is intimidating - that at each step someone is going to tell me we can't go because I'm unfit for missions because this isn't just writing a good story and hoping it affects someone. This is telling THE GOOD STORY and praying that someone will make a choice between eternal life or eternal punishment.

I guess where I'm going with this is that with all the "successes" I've had in things of this world and all the praise I've received for various gifts and strengths, this is one area where, *shock,* my sufficiency comes only from the Lord. That's kind of freeing - seeing as I definitely don't feel sufficient. This is one test I can't ace by any effort of my own. I can't rely on charm, intelligence, or my resume. Our work in missions will not be our work, but the Spirit of the Lord working through us to bring Him the glory. Praise God!

Because I definitely couldn't do it without him...