Direction

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

This is update we’ve been hoping for almost 18 months to be able to send, but it is not at all the one we thought we’d be writing.

As we shared in our last newsletter, our desire is still to be in Togo, but God has ordained otherwise.

We feel the burden of the need for college ministry in the U.S., but as we’ve pursued several avenues for that, God has again and again closed the doors.

We prayerfully waited to make a definite decision because (1) Jonathan didn’t have an official diagnosis and he wasn’t stable on his medications and (2) we were hoping to be able to seamlessly transition from ABWE Togo to college ministry.

As we’ve prayed and sought wise counsel from the elders of our sending churches, God has given us clear direction for the near future. Since we are now only two weeks from when our furlough time with ABWE runs out, we and our sending churches have agreed that at this point there are too many unknowns to be able to work out the details of a new ministry responsibly and prayerfully. So we have made the hard decision to seek employment as non-missionaries until God leads us elsewhere. We still consider ourselves missionaries, still hear the call, and hope at some point to pick up career mission work again. But this step back will allow time to answer many of the unknowns without committing to something that would seem a forced decision born more of prudence than prayer. It is our hope to one day to be able to work out these details and to do it in a prayerful, unhurried way.

Jonathan has begun a more focused search for employment. His top choice would be to work in the IT field making millions of dollars, but if that doesn’t work out, we will consider other possibilities ;). Please pray that God would provide a job that is suited to his technical skills, as well as an employer that is flexible and understanding of his physical limitations and physical unpredictability. Another factor complicating employment is that at the end of this month the doctors will also attempt to reduce his medication dosage. This tapering is a slow process that will take weeks or months and will likely cause severe fluctuations in energy, mood, and motivation.

To everyone who has faithfully given, encouraged, and prayed to make this journey possible over the years, we want to extend our sincerest, most heart-felt thank you for putting Christ’s Kingdom above the joys of this world so that when we finally arrive we will hear voices of people from every nation and tribe and tongue proclaiming, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Revelation 7:10). We ask that, for now, you suspend your giving to our account, but that you continue to support Christ’s Kingdom cause as He leads. What funds remain in our account will cover the immediate costs that remain and if a need arises, we will ask specifically for that.

We hope that in the near future that we will be able to return to Togo for a short time to get our house in order and say very difficult goodbyes. This will be a major undertaking for us with Jonathan’s health (and the concerns of Malaria) and because traveling with two young, energetic children is always a challenge. But it will also be an emotional time. We invested into and made friends with many of the Togolese. We Loved them and they Loved us back. And we will say goodbye to the co-laborers, our Togo family, with whom we strove toward God’s Kingdom purpose.

We ask that you pray for the immediate need to support ourselves financially while we seek a ministry (if God will open the doors later on). Pray that Jonathan would react well during the adjustment of his medications. Continue to pray that peoples of Togo would come to know God as Savior and King.

We will keep you updated on how the Lord leads. 

Serving Him together,

Jonathan, Bethany, Caleb, and Sélah