Hidden Treasure
We’ve been so grateful for your prayers and support these last few months. After our last update, we shared our need to see God multiply the “loaves and fishes”, and we have been humbled by your generosity, your encouragement, and your understanding. While we were in a space of discernment, trying to figure out where and what we should say “yes” to, your response helped us hear God’s “YES” over us as we continue to minister and follow faithfully the steps God has put before us. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
When I went to Thailand in January, a friend who had committed to pray me gave me a word: hidden treasure. I held onto that word, as a gift, as I went about serving and discerning. When I returned home, I participated in the women’s retreat at our church--- and the theme was “Finding God’s hidden treasure in your story”. During the course of the retreat, we shared our stories with our small groups. One woman listened intently to where we were in our story of ministry and discernment. She mentioned she may have something to share--- but wanted to pray about it first. The next Sunday, this friend shared that she knew of a ministry who has done some of the most Gospel focused, transformative work that she’s seen, and the Nate and my gifts could be a blessing there. But--- it was in the U.K. --- in Yorkshire. On a farm. Not Southeast Asia.
As we’ve journeyed this year in discerning a call overseas, we’ve described ourselves as being in a ‘lane’ headed toward Southeast Asia--- and if the Lord wanted us to move in a different direction, we prayed He would lead us to merge gently into another lane. When this friend shared this opportunity, we thought it the faithful thing to inquire about the ministry, called “Caring for Life”, but didn’t expect it to amount to much. These last few months, we’ve been continuing conversations with various leaders in the ministry, expecting a stop sign to show up at any moment. There continued to be invitation to explore partnership, which lead us to take a trip to Yorkshire this July where we got to participate in various aspects of the ministry, as well as visit schools and a church, to see if the Lord was indeed merging us into a different lane.
Caring For Life is a Christian charity established in 1987 to "Share the Love of Jesus" with at-risk and hurting people, including those who are homeless and intellectually disabled . Through providing long-term support, homes and friendship, they gradually help people to move on from past heartache and hardship towards a hope-filled future. We were moved by the vision, the place, community, but mostly the time we spent with the vulnerable adults they serve. With them, we felt close to the heart of Jesus. Here’s a short video made by one of their beneficiaries giving a glimpse of the ministry. Oh, and the sermon in the local church that we decided to visit while we were in Yorkshire was on finding the hidden treasure of Christ’s heart for all people throughout Scripture.
After we prayed and sought counsel upon returning home, we felt led to see what hidden treasure might be uncovered if we said “yes” to Caring for Life. This ‘yes’ involves applying for positions within the Charity. There are two positions that seem well suited to Nate and my giftings. Right now, we have submitted our applications and will be interviewed in the next couple of weeks. We had hoped to have a clear plan with definite next steps to share with you--- like a month ago. Instead, we are asking once again for your faith-filled prayers as we continue this process one step at a time. We keep waiting to get to the point where the lane stretches out before us, but it seems like the Lord is growing in us a dependency on Him in the midst of uncertainty.
In the meantime… we are grateful to continue our work with SAMS as Co-Directors of the Bridger program. This was a busy Bridger summer, with trainings for those heading to the field later this year, walking alongside those already on the field through challenging experiences, and debriefing with those coming off of the field. The skills that we gained and honed running Agape Year have really been useful in this role with short term missionaries. We love the opportunity to see Bridgers’ perspectives of the global church expand! If you or someone you know has a desire to partner with the local church in Central or South America, Mexico, Africa, or South East Asia, please let us know!
We’ve also had the opportunity to visit several churches this summer! We’ve been able to worship in a warehouse, a monastery/farm, and a more classic sanctuary. When we entered this discernment process, we felt called to go where the church was small and in need of encouragement. Turns out in the post-Christian U.K., regular church attendance is about on par with most countries in Southeast Asia. Caring For Life holds to only hiring committed Christians, and in a place where Jesus has been worshiped for over a thousand years, this is now a challenge. We pray we would be faithful in serving His Bride as the Lord brings His kingdom through her wherever that may be, in a place where Jesus' name has not yet been proclaimed, or where people have turned from Him.
Again, thank you for the treasure each of you are to us! There’s nothing hidden about you --- you remind us of God’s abundant grace time after time.
With hope,
Erika and Nate