What’s next? New opportunities.

It’s been a little over a year since the Lord delivered me. (If you missed this, I (Steph) wrote about it in the last blog post.) I didn’t want to write many updates, as many people were not aware of what we went through after the birth. It’s not the image of a missionary you want to display. It’s super humbling. I also felt nervous, will this deliverance “stick” will it last or is this just a temporary change?

My life has changed ever since. It almost is a revival marking for me of life before Christ and life after Christ.

It changed everything.

There are moments of fear that might try to creep in but there is a grace to walk through those moments.

This taught me a lot about vulnerability and weakness. It is in our weakness He is strong. I used to have to force myself to evangelize. Now, I still have to be bold but for the most part it overflows from what He did for me. I genuinely want people to receive Him because He changed everything for me.

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I read a book about this girl who had an encounter with the Lord, Jesus was showing her missionaries on the field or pastors— people who the enemy had gone after, who had all out warfare over their lives and in the midst of their hardship they lost community, they lost people who could bring them back to life. People judged them or didn’t know how to walk through thier suffering with them. Kind of like how we see when Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane and He’s asking His closest friends, can’t you just stay awake with me for a little while?— In His hour of greatest need and in His suffering. They all wanted to be there when there were healings and salvations, but what about in His weeping?

Jesus was sharing with this girl that these ministers on the front lines needed to be ministered to. If someone would take the time to do so they would continue to gain much territory as they were restored.

This reminded me that missionaries often feel like they have to look strong, like they have it all together. But you would not expect someone in the front lines of a battle—in all of their bravery, to not receive any wounds just because they were brave enough to go. Certainly when they are wounded, they deserve to be cared for back to life.

I am thankful for the community we have had here in Japan— that have cared us back to life.

(—-> WHAT’S NEXT? )
In the midst of all of this we also found new passion and new vision—to care for others back to life, especially missionaries so they can continue on the field.

1 Corinthian 16:15-16 says:

“Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer.”

I was reading through this verse and thought, “that’s my name and that’s what I feel called to!”

Since then, I have joined the member care team that serves our YWAM Japan missionaries and I am seeking education and training on how to further care for missionaries.

I have learned that every year an estimated 7,650 missionaries leave the field (or 1 in 20) —71% leave for preventable reasons.

Our heart is to be the ones who are a part of preventing those missionaries from leaving before completing what the Lord called them to do— because now we know what that is like and we could have been one of those statistics.

The top preventable reason people leave is health—we have been there. After what I experienced, we could have went home but I am so glad we didn’t. The Lord healed me here on the field. (For some, going home is the right choice, for me, I knew it wasn’t.) I feel like when I stayed on the field after going through something like this, I feel more invested in Japan. Literally, blood and tears were poured out in this land. We pressed in for community, we pressed in for healing, we pressed in for His presence, and we ourselves were thoroughly pressed like in the making of new wine. We are ready to see the fruit of it.

We have an opportunity to receive training for missionary care in south Korea this September. We would love it if you partner with us prayerfully and financially to attend this training.

We will need about $5,000 to complete this training. (This is for school fees, all of our flights, rental cars, accommodation for 6 weeks and food. We will try to go one week early to explore Korea as a family then 2 weeks training, 1 week break, and the final two weeks of training.) When this is complete it’s possible we can lead others through the same school, we can help equip churches to send out missionaries well supported emotionally and spiritually and we can help missionary teams receive, equip and care for their missionaries better to see more fruit on the field. —Because it is such short notice (sept.21st we would leave for Korea), if we are unable to raise the full amount in time to attend this specific school, the money donated will be saved for another training school at a later date.

Some of the topics that will be covered are:

Spiritual and self-care, basic counseling listening skills, how to lead people through debriefing different transitions and events they go through on the field—including traumatic events, creating a culture of care among teams, qualities of shepherding, stages of transition, including how to help people return home from the field well, boundaries, cross cultural trials, how to minister to singles, families and children in missions, how to establish a team of support from home, theology of suffering, walking people through moral failure, helping staff grow spiritually and in their individual giftings, how to manage stress, crisis preparation, conflict resolution, grief and loss and field visits.

I am excited to see how this training can change missionary care here in Japan and anywhere else the Lord places us in the future. If we have a part in creating a culture where missionaries can stay on the field longer, seeing more fruit—that is so meaningful to us. That the Lord can receive more glory by His sons and daughters being loved well.

Giving:

If you are willing to sew into this opportunity financially, you can give through the button below on our donation page, if possible, you can also let us know that you gave so we can look for the donation and set it aside to that specific fund, or make a note with your donation if the method you choose allows you to do so. Thank you guys!

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