“Let me explain...No, there is too much. Let me sum up:”
- Inigo Montoya (The Princess Bride, 1987)
We’re returning to the mission field1, gearing up to leave for Bosnia this fall to serve at a boarding school for Chinese high schoolers (VAIS)! I’ll serve as campus pastor, discipling and teaching both staff and students. We've joined a mission service agency that will take care of our support, and we will not be selling everything at first, until we see better how God wants to use us next. He has given us a vision to serve wherever there is need overseas and desire for the help we can give. That will primarily be this school, but we are open to it taking us back to our old stomping grounds in China, as well as to old friends and new in the Dominican Republic, India and parts of Africa.
The whole story is . . . exciting, but complicated! If you'd like to read a bit of the background, you can check out our trip report from March, and read how our thinking developed. Read on for more details!
The Long Version
Things have returned to normal for VAIS. I've spoken with the founder and am even more excited about his vision, both for the school and beyond. And I've spoken again with the Student Life Director. We're now in the formal hiring process.
Whatever happens with the school, we've realized there's more of a gap overseas that we can and are more than willing to fill than there is here at home. There are so many believers who can and should step up to cover all we're doing here—and more! But there aren't enough ready to go over there. So we're reactivating our mailing list, and we're inviting you back onto our support team.
We're gearing up to go to Bosnia. We have an open invitation to serve them as campus shepherd and to disciple staff and students. The director of student life also has ideas for how Rachel and George can serve, but our vision for shepherding is a whole-family vision, so there will be plenty of work for each one of us. We're removing a degree of uncertainty by joining a mission service agency, Mission Enablers International (MEI). They'll receive, receipt and forward on to us donations to support this next stage of our ministry. And they'll also keep us accountable, but give us freedom to pursue the vision God is giving us.
Until we have a better idea what God has in mind with all this, we'll hang on to our home here, in case we really are flitting there and back again. "There's never a convenient time to go to the field." (Thanks, John Piper!) Neither are things always neatly sorted on the field. We are just three now, Rachel, George and myself, so we can be much more flexible than before!
We're aiming at leaving for Bosnia in mid- to late-September, once we finish all our summer duties with CEF Hawkeye Chapter. I'll also continue preaching at Lafayette Salem Evangelical Church until the end of summer. For you who've supported us in our Stateside ministry, thank you so much!
Feel free to opt out of our mailing list if you're already over-saturated with missionaries to pray for. But if you're willing to take us on again as one to pray for, we would be grateful! If you would like to rejoin (or join for the first time!) our financial support team, we gladly welcome you (back)! Giving information is below. You can give online or by check; MEI will send an annual tax receipt at the beginning of the year. You can also create an account on their website to manage and track your giving.
We still have some life left; and we want to spend as many of our remaining years serving where few are going. BUT!
We're also looking for a high school math teacher and some 30-somethings—men and women—to serve as dorm "parents." Are you ready to get a little crazy with us? Or do you know someone? Forward this to them or pass our contact information to them.
As always, we are eternally grateful for you! If you have any thoughts or questions, feel free to drop us an email, message us on Facebook, give us a call or come for a visit!
1While there is need in every country and among every people group, the greatest need in missions is outside the West. In fact, the West has thousands of times the finances and manpower needed to meet all evangelistic and discipleship needs everywhere: https://www.globalcp.org/statistics/ and https://www.thetravelingteam.org/stats (back to text)
