Let’s start in 2014
Back in 2014 Mike and I were living a happy and satisfying life together. Mike was a farmer and found great enjoyment in his job. I was pregnant with our second child and also working part-time at a job I really enjoyed as well. Our oldest who was 17 months was a joy to be around and a joy to parent. Together we were serving in our home churches youth group. One of the youth trips that summer of 2014 was to a place call WAYUMI. At Wayumi teens and adults are given a crash course on the how and what of global missions.
We almost did not go on this trip. It was summer and Mike could have easily said he needed to work. At this point our second child was born. She was one month and I thought maybe I’ll just stay home. Well we couldn’t commit to the whole week we still went. While on this trip God began to stir a desire in Mike to learn more about the Bible. After prayer, advice and research into many Bible schools near and far, we made the decision to attend New Tribes Bible Institute. (Now named Ethnos360 Bible Institute) in Jackson, Michigan.
Attending Bible school in the fall of 2015 was a pivotal point in our family’s history. Wow. God declares that His Word is living and active. Oh baby it is.
Hebrews 4:12
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
As our freshman semester was coming to an end Mike was being drawn to international missions. Although Mike never said it me, I could sense this and was having my own inward fight with the Lord.
“Lord how will my children be safe in other cultures?”
“Lord don’t you want me to be happy? I don’t even like people”
“ha! Me a missionary? I’m the the saddest sinner of them all!”
“But Lord I want to be settled, rooted and established. I want my children to be able to have a home in one place, one safe place.”
“Didn’t we already obey you enough to come here and move from family?”
These were only a few of the thoughts and conversations that went on in my heart with the Lord.
Mike graciously prayed and left the Lord work on my heart. In time I would surrender my “safe” plans to our faithful God. With each of my questions He answered them faithfully in His Word. With each healing process God would allow me the choice to obey and have an even deeper more intimate relationship with Him or not obey and callous my heart. God was graciously patient with me. And He still is!
I remember it was a late night of homework. I was trying to find a comfortable position with my large belly, since I was eight months pregnant with our third baby. Mike came to bed, turned off the light and we lay in the dark. I simply said “ok, let’s do this”. Mike simply said “ok” and we opened our hands to the God of the universe.
Through those two years of Bible school the Lord revealed a lot of things in our lives that were not Christ like. We both spent a lot of time replacing lies we had always believed for Gods eternal truth. Some were easy switch outs and yet others were cemented in our hearts. We are thankful God faced those mountains with us.
We are not doing missions because we are thrill seekers. We are not doing missions because we want to bring clean water to people. We are not doing missions because we want fame. Nope, we do this because God has loved us immensely and forgiven us. Because what really drives both of us is our relationship with our creator, our God.
Romans 10:17 says,
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
Praise the Lord we have the Word in our heart language. Pray for the people groups that do not have the Word of God in their heart language.