Some of you have asked me recently why I don’t write newsletters as often as I used to. I honestly had to look back and realize that it’s been almost 2 months since I’ve written! Our lives feel like a constant whirlwind of activity and yet sometimes it feels like there’s just nothing to write about in a newsletter!
2023 has, so far, been a year with lots of learning. Amy is taking teaching classes at Missouri State, Justin is constantly up against things that he needs to know for the programming part of his job, and then having to learn new things for there. Lately, on that front, it’s been HTML and Javascript, which are necessary for making Salesforce work properly for our team, but I don’t think most of you want to hear about my struggle with Document Object Models!
There has been some exciting stuff happening here lately. I (Justin) have been doing a lot of churchcalling and trying to get out to share the ministry we’re now called to. I’ve talked to quite a few churches about the importance of changing the way we think about reaching Muslims with the gospel. I’m also working on a few ways to partner with some of our local refugee ministries to use the resources and skills I have for that work.
Last weekend I made a trip to St. Louis to visit some churches. In 3 days I visited four churches, and still had time to meet a co-worker who lives in the area. Here was a guy I’ve met through online classes and zoom calls, but never in person, so knowing nothing about who he is or what he does, I reached out to have coffee. Coffee didn’t happen, instead he invited me to a meeting for Perspectives alumni where he was the speaker. I heard him tell an amazing story about how small the world is becoming (we use the word “glocal”). My friend, who spends time wondering whether playing video games with his Muslim friend in St. Louis should count as “work hours” told us how that relationship led to him being in Bosnia, during that big earthquake a few weeks ago, in that very city where the earthquake happened, with the parents and siblings of his friend in St. Louis.
Taking time to love someone and forge a friendship that wouldn’t “normally” happen meant that the relatives of this immigrant Muslim man had their lives be literally saved by their son’s Christian American friend who helped them find a place to stay (It was 30 degrees and raining when the earthquake destroyed the entire city). Now that family is forever related to missionaries who speak their language, love Jesus, and love them as well.
Sometimes our work seems tedious, but days like that remind me why I’m here and why it’s all worth it. Thanks for praying for us!
Justin, Amy, Ezekiel and Caleb
