‘The Call’ – Part 2 of 4

In February of 2014 I went to Lead Summit in Seattle, Washington with Pastor Aaron and Jonathan.  I had been looking forward to the trip because it’s an amazing environment for getting refueled in ministry.  I heard God clearly the year before about some changes that needed made in Life Point’s Men’s Ministry, and this year I was open for what God had in mind next.

What happened surprised me – really, I didn’t see it coming.

I wrote about how Anne and I felt called to be more involved with missions in the last post; but I didn’t think much more beyond that.  We diligently prepared – kept our ‘vacation’ fund unused and tucked away in case we couldn’t raise the funds to go on a trip; we felt very comfortable in accepting that we were going to be an annual short-term mission trip family.  Perhaps God would even use our experience to help lead trips for 516 Missions and Life Point.  That was the extent of our ‘planning’.

After two sessions of speakers at Lead Summit, God tapped me on the shoulder.  I listened to Chase Reynolds talk about missions in Papua Indonesia; I have several pages of notes in my journal from his Skype session, but these highlights speak volumes:

1.       I don’t want to be a Samson – Chase said he didn’t want to waste what opportunities God had given him.  I thought, ‘I don’t want to be a Jonah!’

2.       Is it worth it? – Chase said the Yefta people do not consider whether they can do something or how hard it will be; they simply ask, ‘is it worth it?’

3.       Here’s one other little bonus that I took note of as Chase spoke: Dream big, start small, act now.

I also listened to Lynn Raburn talk about foreign missions.  Again, I have a lot of notes from what he said, but this really impacted me:

1.       Lynn shared a true story about a rich man who gave up his business life to pursue a missionary life – the man died of sickness in transit to his destination.  In his Bible were written these three phrases: No reserves, no retreats, and no regrets.

So, those all sound inspirational, right?  I’ll be honest – I’ve listened to hundreds of missionaries share their hearts for why they do what they do.  I’ve heard them proclaim why others should get involved in foreign missions.  We even had a missionary that stayed with us every few years growing up!  (Now I know what he was doing: he was on furlough and visiting the churches that supported him – my family gave him a place to stay for a few weeks while he touched base with churches in western Pennsylvania and the West Virginia panhandle.)  But, I never felt called to be a missionary.

For some reason…the supernatural way of God, of course – this was different.

Each night at Lead Summit, Aaron, Jonathan, and I always debrief about what God is saying to us.

I asked them, ‘do you feel called to be a foreign missionary?’  (I wanted to rule out the possibility that the speakers had simply been compelling and inspirational.)

They looked at me blankly and both answered, ‘no.’

I said, ‘I think I might be.’

Later that night, Aaron asked me to share that statement with Ryan Copico.  I told Ryan I was now praying about that – his jaw dropped and he said, ‘you realize what you’re praying?  Be careful what you pray for!’

Now, seven months later, I understand what Ryan meant – he has been in the business of working with missionaries long enough to know that not many people really feel called to long-term foreign missions; and even fewer take it seriously, and even less yet actually see it through.

So, that was all pretty intense.  I sat around praying and thinking through it all (by human logic…that didn’t help), and the idea seemed insane.  My family loved being a part of our local church – it was comfortable; sure, the ministry was challenging, but our lives were simple and comfortable.

And, how was I going to explain this to Anne?  She would think I was insane!

When I got home, I did share that with Anne.  I told her I felt called to be a foreign missionary.  She said, ‘I’m not surprised. Me too!’

If you know Anne, that’s an unfathomable statement.  In the past, she wouldn’t go to a restaurant for the first time without me.  She needed the familiar.  She loved our peaceful, low-key life in our tiny house.  I was shocked.  We spent hours talking about what that might look like, but we didn’t get very far.  We knew God had planned for her to go to Kenya this year and I was going to City Reach.  What we did discuss was that I felt drawn to Kenya.

I wasn’t sure if that was even a possibility; I didn’t know if James Taylor needed other families to come along side him, but maybe we could go learn from the Taylors.  Anne smiled when I went through all this with her, and she showed me a video about East Kenya Missions.  At the end of the video James talks about what they need next – one of the things they needed: five families to join them.

I can’t describe what that felt like.  I’m not even going to try, because it will only limit the awe I have for the way God works.

That was a big week of transition for us – not what we expected after leaving Jamaica, for sure – and, not what I expected before going to Seattle.  We knew we had to pray, read God’s Word, and listen for affirmation.  I’m an American; it’s very hard to wait!  God moves on God time, not mine.

'The Call' - Part 1 of 4

“Who will go on a mission trip next year,” Pastor Aaron asked in the summer of 2012.  He had just returned from a mission trip to Kenya.  Anne and I found ourselves standing along with 22 other people.  We were all willing to go wherever God called our church the following year.

I want you to remember that Pastor Aaron had been to Kenya; he was compelled by that trip to take our church, Life Point, to another level of serving our community, country, or to the ends of the earth as God directed.

Most of those 22 people went to Jamaica the following year, and others to City Reach in the U.S., in 2013.  Anne and I were included in the Jamaica team, along with other members of Life Point, my cousin, and the Keith family from New Jersey.  Our group was large enough from one single call of, ‘who will go?’, that we became a booked crew sent out by 516 Missions – a short-term mission organization out of Pauline Baptist Church in Arkansas.

One of the most important aspects of ‘getting ready to go’ is understanding why God is calling you to go.  His will will be done; we only long, as He does for us, to be a part of it.  As Anne and I prayed, we believed God was sending us to adopt a child.  We have three children, Noah, Annabelle, and Rianne; but we have seen the impact adoption makes on people.  My cousin who went with us: adopted.  As I write this, the Keiths have since adopted a son.  My nephew: adopted from Latvia.  The Bible calls us out as Christians to take a stand for widows and orphans – we were fairly certain God would put a child in our path while serving at a local church through VBS or during our time at the orphanage in Jamaica to adopt a child.

We prayed for this – prayed for clarity – prayed to be willing to accept the cost.

We did not adopt a child after our trip to Jamaica.

Why?  While we were there we felt an absolute peace that we were not the people to answer that call – God wanted us to expand our attitude about world missions.  Within a few days in this foreign country we were laughing about how God had surprised us.  We shared our vision with Pastor Aaron: Anne would go abroad and I would serve in another city in America the following year (those will be post 3 & 4 of this series).

So, what happened in Jamaica that allowed us to hear God through all the static?  People.

The first day we arrived at the local church to set-up for VBS, our bus nearly got stuck – the banana trees had grown over the road and our bus was crawling through the limbs.  A man, with some locals, came out with machetes and began hacking off the limbs to free our way.  After we had made all the preparations for VBS – we arrived very early so we could assess the location and get our learning areas prepared (our church members are very flexible and can adapt to change) – we had an hour to spare.  I walked down the road where the men were still clearing brush.

I approached the man who had led the locals out to help us and asked, “you need any help?”  I have since learned; what better question can you ask?  Ask your wife, husband, children, pastor, friend…anybody – ‘you need help?’  It is amazing how a human responds.  The man smiled and handed me a handful of limbs.  I followed him between two houses to where they had a pile of limbs already burning.  We stopped there to introduce ourselves.  His name was Ali.

Ali told me about the area; how it was slipping into Montego Bay (which I knew to some extent, because one of our jobs was to also secure a footer in the back of the church to prevent the erosion); how he owned a shop at the end of the road; how he didn’t know much about ‘church’, but the people who came to their street were nice.  We talked about other general topics and got to know each other.

Over the course of the week all of our children, including the Jamaicans, enjoyed ice-cream from Ali’s store – a store smaller than my kitchen.

I could tell you a thousand stories of what all transpired in Jamaica that week; two of my children were baptized, nearly 70 children came to VBS each day, the local church paid out of their pocket to feed each child lunch, bonds were formed, people called us missionaries…which also made me pause – but the last day God revealed two small displays that changed my life.

1.       Pastor Aaron and Pastor Devon (Elgin Town New Testament Church’s pastor) allowed me to speak on behalf of our mission team during the worship service and ask the local church any questions I wanted.  Here was the last question, and I always ask this question to any church when I visit them, “What would you like our church, Life Point, to pray for you?”  Marsha, an amazing servant who each day walked the streets of the community to bring children to VBS said, “that God would bring more people into the church so they can hear the Gospel.”

2.      Ali came to that worship service.  I had only seen him at or outside his store, nowhere near the church all week even though he had helped make room for our bus to come and go.  I don’t think he went to church often.  But, he came that night, and he gave my kids a stuffed animal that had ‘JAMAICA’ stitched on them.

Why are those important?

1.       I learned that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone – I’ve read it in the Bible, hoped for it for my friends, but there in another country I learned that not only is it for everyone, but they, too, want everyone to experience it.  That church cooked our food on coals; pumped water from a well; needed so many material things: but they wanted to share the gospel above all else.

2.      You never know who God will put in your path.  Cultures cannot break the bond we share in God our Creator – Ali is my brother.  He helped because he loved something about us; he didn’t know who we were or what we wanted, but he knew we brought peace.  The peace we brought was not ourselves, but the peace only Christ can offer through salvation.

We left Jamaica confident in one thing: God said ‘go’.  Go out and serve more, not just locally but beyond.  There isn’t anything wrong with local missions, it is essential.  We simply heard the call to serve other cities in America and even Kenya.

We said, “yes, God, we will go.”  It’s amazing what happened next.  I have three more stories to share with you that give an overview for our call to survey Kenya as our missionary call – I can’t wait to share them with you, but it would be too long in one post.

Here’s a picture of Ali as we talked about the land (TOP) and then a picture of Matt Loftin (our worship leader at the time), the ‘Commish’ (he didn’t even bother talking, only using hand signals to direct our work while installing the footer behind the church – he knew how to do everything!), me, Patrick Lynch (affectionatley dubbed 'Prayer Minister Patrick' by the locals), and Pastor Devon (BOTTOM).

Unexpected Blessings

A funny thing happens when God calls you to Mission work...you think the blessing is going to come when you actually go...but God is so much better than that! Over the past few years God has taught me that half of the fun and blessings come from the process of preparing to go! The unexpected people that jump in to support you financially; the ways God intervenes to make sure you are funded; the growth in faith required to go...all of these things are remarkable and miraculous in their own right. However, we have experienced even greater surprises!

Prior to leaving for Jamaica last year, both Noah and Annabelle were saved! It wasn't too much of a surprise about Annabelle, although she did spring it on me during dinner. One of my very favorite memories of all time! But Noah....well, that was another story. We had been going through a really tough time with him. We couldn't figure out where our sweet, funny, Noah had gone. He was angry all of the time and would rage. We took him to counseling which helped a good bit, but I still felt like he was slipping out of our reach. We prayed and prayed that he would be saved. I have to admit though. It was one of those prayers that I wasn't sure God could answer any time soon. I doubted that He could intervene and make everything right.  But He did! So much so, that we were able to baptize both of them in the Montego Bay! It was amazing!!!

And now, I am getting to experience it all over again! Over the summer we decided to cut back on media. So, no media during the day for the kids, and then after dinner we will do our devotion and then they can have media back. I was excited to get rid of the distractions, but I didn't realize how it would affect Noah! He is our media junkie. He wants to create and program video games when he grows up. He is extremely intelligent, so I have no doubt he will do just that. However, when it comes to being vocal about his faith, he is very timid. 

All of a sudden, he is leading us in the devotion time. He gets it out on his own, finds the scripture, reads it, and asks us the questions. Now, I know it began because he knew if he started it then he would get to play media sooner, but now it has developed. He used to only pray out loud with a scripted meal blessing. Then we would have to force him to try a devotion closing prayer with feeding him the lines. Now, he just jumps right in without being asked and says his own prayer to God related to what we just discussed!!! I am absolutely floored!!! If God never and gets us to Kenya, but gives us this....I am one satisfied mom!!!

But the good news is, I know God isn't going to just give us this. He is far more generous than I could ever be. He has called us to mission work and so He will see us through. We began our online auction last night. The bids are pouring in, but more excitingly, so are the donations. Friends, and friends of friends, are wanting to get involved so they are offering up their skills and products so that we can go. My heart is full. Thank you Jesus!

Undeservingly Blessed- Anne

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever." -Psalm 107:1

A Tribute to Life Point

As we get ready to celebrate Life Point's 7th Anniversary as a church this weekend, I wanted to take a moment to reflect. Time is such a funny thing. I'm sure that to Pastor Aaron and his family, it seems like it has been eons since they uprooted themselves from Arkansas and moved here to plant a church. But seven years....that doesn't seem all that long ago. There may be some of you reading this that feel like your life today isn't all that different than it was seven years ago. But, I want to encourage you that if it doesn't look much different, it may be time to reevaluate things.

Seven years ago, the church began as just a handful of people meeting in the Johnson house for a Bible study. Over the years, the location of the church has changed to accommodate the growth and needs of its members. I am sure seven years ago, Pastor Aaron didn't realize the effect Life Point would have on the community and the families that it ministers to. I can't even really speak to that, because I'm sure I don't even realize the full extent. However, I can speak to the effect it has had on our family.

I can remember very specifically a day within the past year, I am pretty sure it was last fall. We had been at Life Point for almost 4 years. Ben had been on staff for 2 years. Our family had gone to Jamaica the past summer for a mission trip and I was preparing to head to Kenya this summer. My windshield wiper had broken, so I stopped by the Cash's house so Joe could take a look at it. (This is the awesomeness that is our church. Everyone is gifted differently and they do not hesitate to share their gifts!) If you don't know the Cashes they left for the Mission field this summer. Cortney is a doctor and will be working in a hospital in Honduras, and Joe has an agricultural and business background. He will be doing administration in the hospital and working with locals on their farming skills. (You can learn more about them via their blog. Their link is on the right side of this page)

Anyways, I got the luxury of sitting with Cortney and chatting while Joe fixed my wiper. She was showing me pictures that they had recently taken so I could help her select which one to choose for their ministry prayer cards. We got to talk about the process of preparing to go and what it was like. The weird thing was...I was asking the questions more from the perspective of "Wow! They are amazing. How does one even ponder doing that. I could never."

The point to this story is that we shouldn't limit God because of time. Too little time, too much time...it doesn't matter. God is able to accomplish anything within His Will in whatever time frame He chooses. If time has gone by for too long with very little growth, I want to encourage you to honestly ask God why. Is it because you haven't been listening? Is it because you feel safe and comfortable? Is it because He is happy with where you are? I seriously doubt the last question is true. If we aren't growing, if each day we aren't living fuller than the day before, then we are dying. Does this mean you have to sell everything and become a missionary? No! Even that isn't the be all end all. But we do need to make sure we aren't stagnant. For each of us that will look differently.

When you find yourself clinging to comfortable living, I want you to think about how your obedience can directly affect someone else's growth. Let me give you a concrete picture to hold on to. Two years ago Pastor Aaron was asked to go on a mission trip. Not just any mission trip, but a trip to Kenya. If you know Aaron, you know he may be from the country, but he is much more comfortable with warm showers, hair product and hand sanitizer. He could have easily said no. No one would have faulted him. He was very busy running a church. At the time, his wife was working too and kids would be home for the summer. Two weeks is a long time to be away when he already had weeks scheduled for other ministry events. However, he said yes. 

Now try to wrap your mind around how that act of obedience changed the lives of more people than we can count. In a short two years, 20 members from our church went to Jamaica. None of us expected that to happen. One of the families that went got confirmation that they are suppose to head out to the mission field (yea Cashes!!!). The following year 12 members from our church went to Belize and many more served state side at City Reaches. Each one of these families have been affected greatly by these opportunities. When you are talking about a church that has just a little over one hundred attendees, this has a huge impact on the way we all live and serve. This mission mindset that has flourished in our church is a major part of our story. That simple act of obedience. Time. Growth. Change.

Every time I really stop and consider it, my mind is blown. I want you all to understand. WE ARE NOTHING SPECIAL. We aren't more qualified. We don't have a secret gift. We haven't done anything unusual to deserve this awesome opportunity. We have been blessed to be part of a church that doesn't settle for contentment. They aren't afraid to challenge us and expect us to grow. They are committed to encouraging us and speaking truth in love to us. They have taught us how to hear God's voice and how to have faith even when it seems impossible. 

Would we have started this process to become missionaries without Life Point? I have no idea. I am still flabbergasted that we even have. I believe it would have still been part of God's Will for our lives, but I really don't think I would have listened. God would have had to speak a lot louder and worked a lot harder I'm sure. I can be stubborn like that. I am so grateful for Life Point, for Pastor Aaron and his family, for the countless friends that encourage me and support me every day. I'm praying that you can say the same about your church family. If not, I invite you to join ours!

Striving to Grow- Anne

"I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding." -Philippians 1:9

God Speaks

I love the little ways God speaks to us. 

I have definitely had moments in my life where I felt like God was silent. I kept listening, but to no avail. To this day, I'm not sure if He really was silent or if He just wasn't giving me the answer I wanted. It's pretty easy to get those two mixed up! But today I am grateful for the ways He is speaking to me!

The fact that I am on this missionary journey is a complete miracle! I have always craved structure, predictability, stability. I am known for not wanting to even try a new restaurant unless there is someone with me to take the reigns and guide me. I don't like making decisions. When I must make one, I weigh every angle and count the cost. I try my very best to be assured I am making the right one. And because God knows this about me, He has been very deliberate in His dealings with me.

Over the past few years I have gained a tremendous amount of faith which is the only reason I can even contemplate a life of mission work. But, I am so glad that God doesn't leave me to rely solely on that. I'm hoping that I would still follow His Will without His whisperings of encouragement, but I am really glad I don't have to. Throughout the process so far, God has spoken clearly to us and guided us so that we don't have to doubt our footsteps. His most recent utterances came as an answer to prayer.

Among our prayers for guidance and direction has been the prayer for God to align my mom's heart with His. She was struggling a lot with her mama desire to protect her baby and grandchildren and to keep them close. As much as she wanted me to be in God's Will, her desire for safety was greater. I knew we would press forward with or without her full blessing, but it was really important to me that she be okay with our decision to pursue mission work. I didn't want to head into the field with the heaviness of disappointment. And so I prayed. I asked others to pray too. And then something that I expected to take months or even years to happen, occurred in one Sunday morning.

We were in Columbus for Labor Day weekend and Sunday was upon us. We decided to visit the church that my mom had been attending a Bible study through instead of the church that I grew up in. My Dad even came with us which is quite the rarity! So, sitting around two tables I had my immediate family along with my parents, my sister and brother-in-law and a couple of my mom's close friends; the very people that will be my mom's support system through this journey. And then the unbelievable happened!

The pastor spent the next 50 minutes preaching about Nehemiah. Everything he said echoed why Ben and I are doing what we are doing. Every argument my mom had was negated through scripture. My thoughts and feelings that I was having trouble expressing where out in the open. Yes, we are doing good work in Washington, PA. Yes, there is plenty of work to be done in the US. However, we cannot sit in our comfortable environment and be content that we are doing enough when God is asking us to do more! We will not be satisfied to sit back and let someone else do it when God is tugging at our heart for us to do it! 

Nehemiah didn't HAVE to go and rebuild the wall. He had a cushy job and was helping the King. The people in Jerusalem were content with their city. They didn't see the urgent need to protect themselves with a new wall. It was a huge task that surely someone there would be more qualified to do! However, God placed that desire in his heart. He placed him in a position where he could help. He gave him an ideal opportunity to ask the King. He equipped him for the journey and the task. He made it possible for Nehemiah to do something he would have never dreamed of doing.

And so in the course of that hour, the Holy Spirit was at work to speak to my mother's heart. He gave her the confidence and assurance to know that we are in His care and following His Will for our lives. Is she ready to throw a bon voyage party? Probably not. But God has spoken and she has listened. I am ever so grateful!

Blessed Beyond Measure- Anne

"The God of heaven will help us succeed. We, his servants, will start rebuilding this wall." -Nehemiah 2:20a