The Journey of Obedience
This past year has been nothing short of mind boggling. Carolyn and I have experienced a myriad of blessings that have come in what I would consider a “disguise.” I use the term disguise because of our inability to recognize what God was at work doing in our lives. There is no doubt that the hand of God has been guiding, preparing, transforming, and empowering us to embark on a journey that has just now come into light. Our journey over the past two years has challenged us and provided an amazing new perspective on life. We have gained the ability as well as saw the value in living according to need and not want, in addition to recognizing our capacity to live communally with others. Our eyes have been opened to missional opportunities that were unseen, in addition to recognizing how to utilizing our giftedness as a family. We have also discovered a deeper understanding of God’s providence.
Since July, Carolyn and I have wrestled with, at all levels, the possibility of entering the mission field. This journey has been long, but worth a “John 15” experience. Jesus is the vine providing nourishment for what is alive in us as branches. God has been actively at work as the “vinedresser” trimming us to the point in which clarity has come. This clarity does not come in the form of a specific calling, but a general one which is driving a need to be obedient no matter what the outcome. During this time period a discontentment developed in our hearts as to the immense brokenness around the world, we have been given an intense desire to listen to the stories of the broken hearted, and to share with those who are broken the healing story of the gospel.
Carolyn and I are in agreement, along with many others in which we have asked for counsel, sometimes desperate that they would tell us not to go, but again and again we were encouraged that this "made sense" for our family, to join YWAM in their mission to know God and make Him known worldwide. This mission resonates with our hearts. Now that this decision has been made our journey into the world of missions has begun. This journey is filled with fraught, however, God has planted a spiritual discontentment in our hearts for what is happening around the world. This mission experience stems from a desire for sanctification, kingdom expansion, and God’s glory. Psalms 37:4 states, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Our desire is to be obedient to God’s leading, to grow in our sanctification, to listen to the broken, to share the God’s story, to bring forth the good news and offer reconciliation to those burdened with the weight of sin, and most importantly, to bring honor and glory to God as we reveal to others the active hand of God no matter the situation.
We will be joining the YWAM community (Youth With A Mission). This journey will take us abroad for 6 months. The first three months will be spent in Perth, Australia. This first three months will be focused on spiritual formation for the purpose of training and empowering us grow in our relationship with God, as well as preparing our hearts, mind, and bodies to go out on outreach. The outreach phase of this journey will also be a 3 month stretch which will fulfill our initial 6 months agreement. During our time on outreach we will practice what we have learned and work toward revealing the gospel message to those who are in need as God directs.
The outreach portion of this journey is purposefully designed by YWAM to seek out God’s will and direction. Because of this purposeful design specific details to what we will be doing have not been solidified. The possibilities are wide, but extremely intentional. There is a good chance we will minister to those who are burdened with pain, poverty, captivity, and generally unfortunate circumstances in Kolkata, India. It is possible we may serve our Savior in the Philippines, Nepal, Western Australia, or in Perth itself. Examples of what we could do are as follows: work with marginalized youth, anti-human trafficking, teaching English, public speaking (churches,schools, youth events, etc.),evangelism (relational, street, comfort evangelism), acts of service (serving food, basic health care, devastation clean up, etc.), in addition to serving families overwhelmed with life circumstances, and training young leaders to be Ambassador's for Christ and Ministers of Reconciliation. This list of opportunities represents a moderate display of possibilities. It is not a comprehensive list. YWAM is strategic and intentional; however they also provide room for God to function outside of any human constraints.
This past year has been nothing short of mind boggling. Carolyn and I have experienced a myriad of blessings that have come in what I would consider a “disguise.” I use the term disguise because of our inability to recognize what God was at work doing in our lives. There is no doubt that the hand of God has been guiding, preparing, transforming, and empowering us to embark on a journey that has just now come into light. Our journey over the past two years has challenged us and provided an amazing new perspective on life. We have gained the ability as well as saw the value in living according to need and not want, in addition to recognizing our capacity to live communally with others. Our eyes have been opened to missional opportunities that were unseen, in addition to recognizing how to utilizing our giftedness as a family. We have also discovered a deeper understanding of God’s providence.
Since July, Carolyn and I have wrestled with, at all levels, the possibility of entering the mission field. This journey has been long, but worth a “John 15” experience. Jesus is the vine providing nourishment for what is alive in us as branches. God has been actively at work as the “vinedresser” trimming us to the point in which clarity has come. This clarity does not come in the form of a specific calling, but a general one which is driving a need to be obedient no matter what the outcome. During this time period a discontentment developed in our hearts as to the immense brokenness around the world, we have been given an intense desire to listen to the stories of the broken hearted, and to share with those who are broken the healing story of the gospel.
Carolyn and I are in agreement, along with many others in which we have asked for counsel, sometimes desperate that they would tell us not to go, but again and again we were encouraged that this "made sense" for our family, to join YWAM in their mission to know God and make Him known worldwide. This mission resonates with our hearts. Now that this decision has been made our journey into the world of missions has begun. This journey is filled with fraught, however, God has planted a spiritual discontentment in our hearts for what is happening around the world. This mission experience stems from a desire for sanctification, kingdom expansion, and God’s glory. Psalms 37:4 states, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Our desire is to be obedient to God’s leading, to grow in our sanctification, to listen to the broken, to share the God’s story, to bring forth the good news and offer reconciliation to those burdened with the weight of sin, and most importantly, to bring honor and glory to God as we reveal to others the active hand of God no matter the situation.
We will be joining the YWAM community (Youth With A Mission). This journey will take us abroad for 6 months. The first three months will be spent in Perth, Australia. This first three months will be focused on spiritual formation for the purpose of training and empowering us grow in our relationship with God, as well as preparing our hearts, mind, and bodies to go out on outreach. The outreach phase of this journey will also be a 3 month stretch which will fulfill our initial 6 months agreement. During our time on outreach we will practice what we have learned and work toward revealing the gospel message to those who are in need as God directs.
The outreach portion of this journey is purposefully designed by YWAM to seek out God’s will and direction. Because of this purposeful design specific details to what we will be doing have not been solidified. The possibilities are wide, but extremely intentional. There is a good chance we will minister to those who are burdened with pain, poverty, captivity, and generally unfortunate circumstances in Kolkata, India. It is possible we may serve our Savior in the Philippines, Nepal, Western Australia, or in Perth itself. Examples of what we could do are as follows: work with marginalized youth, anti-human trafficking, teaching English, public speaking (churches,schools, youth events, etc.),evangelism (relational, street, comfort evangelism), acts of service (serving food, basic health care, devastation clean up, etc.), in addition to serving families overwhelmed with life circumstances, and training young leaders to be Ambassador's for Christ and Ministers of Reconciliation. This list of opportunities represents a moderate display of possibilities. It is not a comprehensive list. YWAM is strategic and intentional; however they also provide room for God to function outside of any human constraints.