The last year has been really truly amazing. Tara and I have seen the Lord work in so many lives here at Waypoint. Not just in the men and their families but also with staff and the community.
It is with sweet sadness that we will be leaving Waypoint in a few days. I say sweet because we know God has called us into the foreign mission field. We are working our way to Kenya. But it is sad because we are leaving friends and a community that is strong in the Lord. We felt called here to Waypoint to "give back" and intern under Dave Garton. That season is ending and a new season is beginning. We are on a "safari", a journey.
This all started when I first met Tara. The night we met our conversation was about mission work and the mission field. We both had an interest in Honduras. During our marriage we have traveled to Honduras on short term mission trips several times. We do a lot of construction projects and have established relationships with some of the locals so it is a joy to go there every year. However, this year when we got back I mentioned to Tara that I wanted to add another mission trip to our schedule. I wanted to do something more challenging. I wanted to go on a trip that focused on evangelizing and praying rather than construction and building. I told Tara I wanted to go deeper in the Lord. Evangelizing and publicly praying for others is really out of my comfort zone so I asked the Lord to send another trip our way, to show us where He wanted us to go and how He wanted to use us. Within a few days I got a call from Michael Vincent, founder of Outstretched Hands Ministries, he was putting together a team to go to Kenya, Africa to help with a school feeding program, evangelize, pray and visit some prisons. I'm sure Michael was a little stunned when I started laughing on the phone but he did not know what I had just asked the Lord for. Talk about timing....hallelujah!!!!
With a lot of prayer and faith Tara and I traveled to Kenya. What a joy to see so many smiling faces in Kenya. Yes there is a lot of poverty, there is a lot of addiction, a lot of disease, a lot of darkness but there is joy and peace and love. We were moved and touched in a special way and know God wants us to "go" and "do" and to step out in faith.
As I was praying about our decision to go "all in" and commit to being a long term missionary in Kenya, the Lord showed me a verse. The prophet Joel writes in chapter 3 verse 9 and 10 -Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, "I am strong!"- These verses spoke to me (rhema). It is time to beat the plowshares into swords and time for the weak to say "I am strong!" The Lord was showing me that I was comfortable at Waypoint. Waypoint had become my "plowshare" and it was time to take what I know and use it as a "sword". I needed to step out of my comfort zone and step into battle, I needed to step out in faith. I was once weak in my addiction but now I am strong in the Lord!! Let me repeat that...I was once weak in my addiction, I was defeated, I was lost, I was confused, I was deceived ...but God...but God had other plans and now I am strong! Through Christ I can say "I am strong!". Verse 14 says Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. We had spent most of our time traveling through the rift valley north of Nairobi and I heard the Lord telling me he wanted our presence in Kenya, in the "valley of decision".
We aren't sure how this is all going to play out, there are a lot of needs in Kenya.....orphanages, feeding programs, schools, medical clinics, addiction counseling, prison ministry, church building, etc......and we aren't sure how we are going to fit in but we do know the Lord has called us there. He wants our Christian presence in Kenya and we are obedient and going. We have already spoken to several ministries to partner with and are excited to see what develops.
God is good and as a friend of mine once said "Jesus...is a journey."
Blessings,
Joel and Tara
This all started when I first met Tara. The night we met our conversation was about mission work and the mission field. We both had an interest in Honduras. During our marriage we have traveled to Honduras on short term mission trips several times. We do a lot of construction projects and have established relationships with some of the locals so it is a joy to go there every year. However, this year when we got back I mentioned to Tara that I wanted to add another mission trip to our schedule. I wanted to do something more challenging. I wanted to go on a trip that focused on evangelizing and praying rather than construction and building. I told Tara I wanted to go deeper in the Lord. Evangelizing and publicly praying for others is really out of my comfort zone so I asked the Lord to send another trip our way, to show us where He wanted us to go and how He wanted to use us. Within a few days I got a call from Michael Vincent, founder of Outstretched Hands Ministries, he was putting together a team to go to Kenya, Africa to help with a school feeding program, evangelize, pray and visit some prisons. I'm sure Michael was a little stunned when I started laughing on the phone but he did not know what I had just asked the Lord for. Talk about timing....hallelujah!!!!
With a lot of prayer and faith Tara and I traveled to Kenya. What a joy to see so many smiling faces in Kenya. Yes there is a lot of poverty, there is a lot of addiction, a lot of disease, a lot of darkness but there is joy and peace and love. We were moved and touched in a special way and know God wants us to "go" and "do" and to step out in faith.
As I was praying about our decision to go "all in" and commit to being a long term missionary in Kenya, the Lord showed me a verse. The prophet Joel writes in chapter 3 verse 9 and 10 -Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, "I am strong!"- These verses spoke to me (rhema). It is time to beat the plowshares into swords and time for the weak to say "I am strong!" The Lord was showing me that I was comfortable at Waypoint. Waypoint had become my "plowshare" and it was time to take what I know and use it as a "sword". I needed to step out of my comfort zone and step into battle, I needed to step out in faith. I was once weak in my addiction but now I am strong in the Lord!! Let me repeat that...I was once weak in my addiction, I was defeated, I was lost, I was confused, I was deceived ...but God...but God had other plans and now I am strong! Through Christ I can say "I am strong!". Verse 14 says Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. We had spent most of our time traveling through the rift valley north of Nairobi and I heard the Lord telling me he wanted our presence in Kenya, in the "valley of decision".
We aren't sure how this is all going to play out, there are a lot of needs in Kenya.....orphanages, feeding programs, schools, medical clinics, addiction counseling, prison ministry, church building, etc......and we aren't sure how we are going to fit in but we do know the Lord has called us there. He wants our Christian presence in Kenya and we are obedient and going. We have already spoken to several ministries to partner with and are excited to see what develops.
God is good and as a friend of mine once said "Jesus...is a journey."
Blessings,
Joel and Tara
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