Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

One after another. We have shared at several missions conferences, churches, small groups, and with many individuals by now. It is easy to lose sight that it is about connecting God’s people with God’s heart for missions, and not just another event to attend. It is easy to wonder whether the message is getting through and whether there will be lasting impact.

However, I (Dave) was reminded of God’s goodness and faithfulness in the midst of our perseverance through a recent Facebook message I received. Over ten years ago when I was still a single man, working as a civil engineer, God had given me the privilege to meet up and disciple a group of students at the University of Maryland.  Week after week for about four years, I would commute to campus right after getting off work, and lead a bible study with the group of guys in their dorm room. After they graduated, we parted ways and I didn’t feel like much really resulted from my efforts. Unfortunately, I did not keep in touch with many of them either, except through being friends on Facebook.

About three weeks ago, I received a Facebook message from one of the young men in that group. All he wrote was, “Thanks for making those long commutes out to College Park, Dave!” And right under the message was a link to a testimony he wrote for a Christian website. You have to understand that he was the only non-Christian in the group at that time. In fact, he shared in his testimony that he was furious when confronted with the existence of hell and the exclusivity of Jesus as Savior and Lord in one of our bible studies. He even exclaimed that he would rather be in hell than believe in our kind of God. But along his spiritual journey, he came to believe in Jesus Christ by God’s grace through the Alpha Course, and is now a fourth year graduate student at Westminster Theological Seminary.

So what is the point of sharing this story? Ministry is not always easy. Sharing God’s heart for missions is not always effortless. Many times we may not see any immediate fruit. Yet, the bible says, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58). We thank you for partnering with us in this “work of the Lord” through your prayers.

Gazing heavenward ~ Dave, Lila, Caleb, Caden & Corban