Take time. Give God time to reveal Himself to you. Give yourself time to be silent and quiet before Him, waiting to receive, through the Spirit, the assurance of His presence with you, His power working in you. Take time to read His Word as in His presence, that from it you may know what He asks of you and what He promises. Let the Word create around you, create within you a holy atmosphere, a holy heavenly light, in which your soul will be refreshed and strengthened for the work of daily life.
Hudson Taylor
Life never stops. It always is moving forward. It is the same for missionaries, fast food workers, pastors, or anyone else. Its been a minute since we posted an update and it is long overdue. Trust me when I say it has not been out of a lack of desire, but more out of seeking direction from the Lord on matters and just being really busy with life. Prepare for a long one.
July: Towards the end of July we left to attend a log of training with ABWE. These were required trainings we needed to attend so that we would be able to go to the field. The first was a big conference that ABWE host where missionaries would come together for a time of refreshment, encouragement, and fellowship. Being prefield missionaries we felt a little out of place by the many veteran missionaries. The kids all got to attend classes and hang out with other TCK/MK (Third Culture Kids/ Missionary Kids), many who have lived in multiple countries and continents. Sara and I went to several break out sessions and the main conference which focused on being the light.
I think for me the biggest moments were missionary recognition. Each night they would honor missionaries who had served for periods of time, 10, 20, 30, etc. I thought to myself 10 years, that’s incredible. Then 20 years, amazing! Then 30, WOW! Yet, then they recognized a couple who had been serving as missionaries for 50 years. I felt like I shouldn’t even look at them. This couple had been serving in cross culture missions for longer than I have been alive. They were doing missions before the internet was a thing, think about that for a moment. Those are the kind of believers I want to be. The people who give up everything to serve the Lord. Needless to say the four days there were amazing and humbling to us. We left Baltimore and headed to Pennsylvania for more training.
Our next training was security training. This was a short course taught by TACTICA. Essentially it was about being prepared for the world while serving overseas. The phrase throughout the week was to not be low hanging fruit. As an American we are going to standout anywhere we go. As sin is rampant we know people will try and take advantage of our inexperience and we also know the world is a turbulent place so we must be prepared as a family to react appropriately. Many of the questions we get when we talk about missions is about safety. This training was to help us answer those questions and to know what to expect. We had a great time. The course was engaging and informative. An added bonus was our teens all got to attend with us. I think it helped them know some of the risk in serving and at the same time it showed them that it is possible to go and live in another country and thrive.
The last training we attended was EMC or Essential Missions Components. This was a course centered around church planting and remembering the end goal. The end goal is that there are believers and Christ Exalting Churches that can reproduce other believers among their own people. As a theology nerd this was my cup of tea. We spent the week in groups and dug into the Bible, into missions, church planting, methodology, etc. During this week the kids spent the time in a missionary kids component, that was partly led by other MKs that had graduated high school. This was their highlight of the whole week. They found out that the MK world is small and special. That even though they are giving up homes, friends, family, “normalness”, they are entering into a special world to accomplish a special thing for the Lord. Sara and I were so glad for this class. The kids did not want to leave and I really believe it helped shift them mentally for what we are asking of them.
August: If July was a week of refreshment then August was a dropkick. Coming back to the reality of being unemployed, school starting for the kids, and feeling directionless was what I was met with. I’ll say this from the start, God provided for us that we were able to get some bills paid. School started well for the kids. We homeschool and were able to get all their curriculum together and going, God again provided for us. Then at the end of the month I got a job offer from a local Chic-fil-A. I accepted it and got to start at the end of the month. Again God provided and boy was getting a job a huge weight off my shoulders. It was a big pay cut, but it met the minimums. After being out of work and getting turned down by ALOT of jobs I am so grateful for the owners giving me a shot. It was
September: Humbling and hard work is what September was. I am in my 40s and coming into a busy kitchen was not easy. I came home most nights exhausted and would usually fall asleep on the couch. This was a hard month since we were adjusting to a new work schedule, homeschool, and trying to visit churches in our area. God has given me a new appreciation for being employed, being unemployed, and for people who work and run restaurants.
October: This was a rough month mentally. Beyond us adjusting to all the new things and trying to get our finances on a new schedule, we after a lot of prayer and counsel decided to part with our church as our sending church. We did this due to a difference in sending philosophies. We love Matlock and they cared for us so well while we were on staff. This was not an easy choice, but one we felt like was best for our family and for moving forward. This does add another task, which is finding a new sending church. I would ask that you be in prayer about this.
During October we got an invite to come and speak at a missions emphasis Sunday that New Richmond First Baptist Church was hosting. This was our first trip to Ohio and it was a good one. This church loved on us and really made us and the kids feel very special. I was given the very great opportunity to preach. I preached on 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 with the sermon titled, “But you were washed”. It was a terrific trip and one of the great privileges missionaries get.
November & December: If you have ever been backpacking then you will know the feeling of finally getting to the top of the mountain or after a long trip you finally see your home and you feel that “its almost over feeling”. That was the month of November and December. The Lord led and I checked out a job offer for a church in Powdersville, SC. A few interviews and some prayer later I was offered a position as the Associate Pastor of Family ministries at Siloam Baptist Church. This was an exciting moment for me particular as I have missed working at church. It was also a sad moment as I left some great friends at Chick fil-A. Siloam has great history of missions and church planting and we are excited to see what God is going to do there. In addition to a new job offer we spent the holidays visiting with families and celebrating Liam’s 16th birthday and Sara’s 40th!.
So What’s Next?
January 7th was my first day at Siloam. We are in the process of getting our house ready to sell and then will be looking for a place in the Powdersville/Easley area. The big question most people seem to be asking is: are you still going to Uganda? The answer is a massive YES! We do not believe God has closed that door, if anything we believe that God has shifted us around to further prepare us for the work we will have in Uganda. We are still raising funds and still open to come and speak to churches, groups, or individuals who are interested in hearing about the work in Uganda.
In Uganda the work at RAU continues on. After a brief stay in the US Jacob and Carol, who run RAU, are back in Uganda in full swing. They hosted Hope Smiles for a 5 day dental clinic. “Three out of five days were open to the nearby communities and the other two days were set aside for folks from the Metu Mountains and Yumbe.
In those 5 days, the team saw 487 patients, did 243 Deep cleanings, 56 Simple cleanings, 323 Restorations and 425 Extractions. Each person received Madi-English or Aringa-English dual language gospel tracts which they could read while waiting to be seen. Some received bibles as well as books in Arabic (Sudanese who came from across the South Sudan border which is 2 kilometers away). Interestingly, two patients who were seen were army generals from South Sudan.” (https://reachingafricasunreached.org/2023/11/18/keeping-our-stride/).
From January 3rd to the 10th RAU has hosted 71 local pastors and church leaders for a leadership retreat. They have had singing, training, and great break out group discussions. This is the heart of what RAU does. They prepare pastors and church leaders with skills and tools they need to be able to shepherd their own people.
Final thoughts from the end of ’23 and the start of ’24
2023 was a very hard year for our family, yet God has been very faithful to us. I believe that our family has grown closer with each other and deeper with the Lord. One of the big things I have learned this year is that God works in His time and we must learn to trust in that no matter how big or important we think our task is. I have learned that “going” is very hard. It takes a lot of effort and A LOT of support to get to the field. I do not think most believers understand this. We forget that God calls His church to action both in doing and providing so others can do. The majority of the time giving and helping others is brought up in the Bible, it is in reference to believers helping and giving to other believers. Your church building, pastors, trips all require finances and prayer to make them successful. Missions is no different, but it is harder because most people do not see it. They don’t go every Sunday and participate physically like they do church. At the end of the day if we all gave (to our local church and to missionaries) like we should more would be done, Christ would be proclaimed in greater ways and more places than ever before. This year consider giving more to your church and giving to a missionary. If you cant go or wont go, then help those who can and will.
Prayer Request
- For my new job at Siloam. Pray for both us and our new church family as we all learn and grow together.
- For my kids and I uproot them again to move then somewhere new.
- For Nora as she graduates in a few months!
- For Jacob and Carol as they bear a HUGE burden in Uganda. They need help to carry out all the work that needs to be done.
- For Aaron and Amanda as they continue to raise funds to go.
- For the Republic of Sudan. War broke out there at the end of last year and it has largely been ignored by everyone. (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/sudan-the-world-s-most-abandoned-conflict-affected-country-opinion/ar-AA1mHcS9)
Give here: www.abwe.org/prycesofafrica
Pryces of Africa 