Equipped for Ministry

Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.”  August 28th marked our 3-year anniversary of moving to Yukon, OK. As I said goodbye to one of my closest friends, she handed me a letter and said, “I know you are in God’s will because of how calm and peaceful you are reacting to this life change.”  This dear friend was speaking from a place of experience in my life. We had traveled the road of giving birth and raising children together for nearly 8 years, and in those eight years she watched me struggle with anxiety and fear.  Being in the center of God’s will is not always easy, it can be scary, but we are here trusting in faith that God is with us providing, teaching and molding us into people more like His son Jesus Christ.
 
 Before moving I researched Covenant Community Church by listening to sermons online, and I knew we lined up with the truths that were being taught through the expositional teaching. On one of our first Sundays the Duncans were commissioned, and that made my heart happy to see a church sending a family to go into the world and preach the gospel.  I have to say, it’s not easy walking into to a new church without an invitation from a friend, and this was a new experience for us because we had always gone with friends. One of the most monumental Covenant experiences which changed my life, was a dear friend investing in and gently encouraging me by walking me through “The Steps to Freedom in Christ” by Neil T. Anderson.  

I know that God does not waste our testimonies and is faithful to equip us with gifts and talents to be shared.  I began to pray, “Lord where do you want me to share the gospel, invest in lives and do kingdom work?”  I realized he had equipped me through a career of teaching online, through encouraging students by equipping them with life skills and through a career in hospitality.

In May of 2019 my best friend in Virginia asked me to be the sponsorship director for Be There Ministries.  We sponsor and equip families in the Chirkos neighborhood in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Covenant Community Church has encouraged me to use the gifts God has given me to help others 10,000 miles away in Ethiopia.  In August I went on my first trip where we had countless opportunities to feed families, wash the street orphans, provide clothing and give hugs to children who have lost both parents. I will never forget walking through the trash dump in Korah, where families rent small portable homes and dig through the trash to provide for themselves.  For now, my mission field is my family first, then my community and globally through Be There Ministries.  My prayer for my family is to be bold and have the courage to share the good news.  I am grateful for our community group where we have developed sweet friendships and experienced close fellowship.