A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of sitting at Kaldi’s coffee shop in Kirkwood talking with my good friend, John talking about working for the Kingdom of God together in partnership. John and I text prayer requests for each other and commit to praying for each other, our work, and families one day a month. While we were doing this, he shared with me how he is not able to focus on reaching people across the world all the time because of his job, and that it just isn’t where God has him right now…but through partnering with us that he gets to be a part of it because of a young guy with a servant’s heart for the nations…

Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above. We are incredibly blessed as a family, in ways that we can hardly believe, giving us even greater faith and promise that we are on the right path. When we decided that I was not going to go back to teaching and would instead be pursuing full-time mission work, we were taking a huge step of faith knowing that our church could not financially support my salary that we would be depending on Him to provide. We knew that as we stepped out in faith onto e3’s Engaging Nations team that we would be asking people to partner with us in ministry spiritually through prayer and fasting, and financially through recurring monthly, quarterly, or annual gifts. The more that we have learned about Unreached-Unengaged People Groups, the more expectant that we have become in waiting to see God’s plans unfold.

I went through a waiting and refining process while getting my bachelor’s at Missouri Baptist, and then again during my year of teaching in the classroom when God was preparing me for the work that He wanted to do in and through us… and this has been so much more than we could have asked for!

One of the ways that God helped equip me for this work was in one of my bible study groups at church a few years ago where my good friend, Travis challenged our group to memorize Romans 12. I have reaped the rewards of committing this chapter to memory numerous times and challenge the rest of you to do it and see how God can use that in your life. Romans chapter 12 is rich with directions on how spiritual worship is doing what God calls us to, the many differing ways love look, how our different gifts help accomplish His purposes, and overall instructions how to live as Christ followers.

Within the context of this, the Apostle Paul shares with the believers who made up the church in Rome that their differing gifts when used together help them accomplish more:

“4For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;7if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” (NASB)

As I started meeting with people almost daily in the beginning of October asking them to join our ministry team, I have gotten to know people and their gifts on a deeper level allowing me to better understand some of the ways that these differing roles help accomplish the Great Commission. It has been such a blessing hearing from people and hearing how they want to matter, be a part of growing God’s Kingdom, and I am so thankful for these experiences! This never would have happened if we did not take the step of faith to follow God into this scary and unknown season of relying on Him to provide for us in a very real way with our finances. My position with e3 Partners Ministry does not have a salary or hourly wage, but instead is dependent upon people to become partners in this work by financially giving to the work that we are doing with Unreached and Unengaged People groups who have never heard the gospel.

God knows where every cent from every one of our financial partners is going to come from, and the exact times people will be praying and fasting for our ministry. We are constantly amazed and thankful as God continues to reveal who the members of the team are and we could not be more excited!

Through this season, we have come to better understand how every good and perfect gift indeed comes from the Father above. Emma and I are so thankful for everyone who we have met with and especially those who have committed to partnering with us. We’re exuberant that God has built the relationships as the divine networker to give us the opportunity to work together. Listening to you share your heart with us and deciding to partner with us following God to reach these Unengaged People means the world to us. You all are the best!

If we haven’t talked to you yet, just wait for it and start praying for how you might partner with us in ministry. Be ready for a phone call asking when we can get together and chat about global missions and the opportunity that we have working with Unengaged People Groups.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!