Check with the Belayers

by


“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.  Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.” -Phil.1:3-5
Matt spent the summer of 2008 making kids cry.I mean, that wasn’t his goal, but it ended up happening.  That summer Matt was the high ropes instructor at a camp.  So, he spent a lot of time belaying as kids climbed up rock walls, tightropes, and other obstacles 40 feet in the air.  Inevitably a kid would get scared and start crying, saying they wanted to come down.  Matt would encourage them to keep trying, saying, “You can do it.  I’ve got you.  I’m not going to let you fall.”

The belayer is the person who stands at the bottom and holds the ropes for the person climbing.  They don’t do the work that the climber is doing, but without them, the climber couldn’t do what they are doing.  They would be unsafe and at high risk of failing and dying.  The belayer is the one who enables the climber to do the difficult thing they are doing.  The belayer instills confidence and hope by giving the climber the support they need.

However, something very important for the climber to do before climbing is to check in with their belayer and make sure they are ready to support them.  There is a series of questions that must be asked to the belayer and spotters: “Spotters ready?”  “Ready.”  “On belay?”  “Belay is on.”  “Climbing?”  “Climb on.”  This is part three of our three-part series on the purposes for our home assignment, and purpose number three of our home assignment is “check with the belayers.”

You, our supporters, are like our belayers.  You are holding the ropes for us, giving us the support we need, helping to make sure that we don’t fall.  You do this through praying for us, supplying the finances we need, and encouraging us.  This work is tough, and we need people on our team, going before the Lord in prayer for us.  So, one of the purposes of home assignment is to come back and check in with you, share about the ministry you are supporting, and encourage one another.

 Starting this fall, throughout the year we will be getting together with supporters in order to share about this ministry we are a part of together.  We will also be sharing at our supporting churches.  We are thankful for you, and thankful for this chance to reconnect a bit.

Oh, and by the way, we are back now!  We are thankful that God went before us on our loooong journey, and though many obstacles could’ve prevented us from making it here smoothly, we did.  We arrived just under three weeks ago, and it has been a whirlwind of settling in, spending time with family, and sending our kids to VBS!  They are loving being here, and so are we.

Till all know,
Matt, Karissa, Ty, and Wyck

Left: My students on crazy hair day.  I loved teaching them this year!
Right: Ty and Wyck with their cousins at VBS, where they learned that Jesus’ power pulls us through!

What are we supporting?  This month’s tribal update: Pray for the new believers in Wantakia.  Missionary Jack Crabtree shared a story about explaining to his friend Yadaasi why Paul said he was compelled to preach.”‘That’s why Paul is saying he HAS to go and teach others about Jesus. Because God had freely saved him and given this work for him to do, it was only right that he should go and give others the chance to hear and believe in Jesus. When I realized that, I started asking God to show me where to go, and now, I’m sitting next to you in your village.’
Yadaasi lost it. Through sobs he said, ‘What if you missionaries had been happy living in America in nice houses, eating good food, and riding around in cars? What if you all had said, ‘Why would I want to leave this good-easy life, and leave my family and go to a place where I’ll get thorns in my feet when I walk around?’ If you all had said that, and not come here, we’d all still be depending on our good works thinking those would get us to heaven, and yet we’d all just be walking down to the lake of fire to be forever separated from God. But you all did come, and you taught us about Jesus, and now we’re joined with him forever!’
Then glancing up he said, ‘Thank you Father for making Paul the apostle to us foreigners! Thank you for sending the missionaries here to tell us about how you sent your Son to rescue us.'”