Dear friends and family,
We trust this update finds you well, as you rest in His amazing grace!
- Praise God we're still on track to land in Papua New Guinea in just under 4 months.
- Devon and our older kids are about 7 weeks into homeschooling; they are doing well with the expected adjustments.
- Jonathan is working part time.
- God is building a team of partners around us. Getting closer...
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Ministry Partnership Development (MPD) is a unique and necessary privilege. Just like God primarily pursues the lost through His Church; He also primarily sends missionaries through His Church. For the remainder of this update, we'd like to share a few illustrations and perspectives that we've come to learn and appreciate about MPD.
To start, here are a few roller-coaster descriptors that have accompanied this phase of ministry:
- faith-building
- scary
- opportunities to grow as communicators/teachers/speakers
- not really what we've been training to do
- dependent and awkward
- encouraging and pleasant surprises
- discouraging and unmet expectations
- fun and natural
- impossible; possible
- 100% God's provision; 100% diligence
- vertical giving (Israelites); vertical receiving (Levites) - Numbers 18:21-26
- necessitates raising awareness about God's work amongst the nations; and maybe being used by God to challenge others
- very cool friendships and relationships sprout out of partnership.
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Now let's consider a few illustrations:
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Of the two men pictured in the above photo, who is more important or necessary to the rescue operation? Who is stronger? These rhetorical questions highlight the equally important roles of "goers" and "senders". Even before the Fall, God created us to need Him and to be dependent on Him. He has also created us to need each other; a healthy form of interdependent body life.
This powerful quote from William Carey led Ethnos360 to name their prayer force "Hold The Ropes" ("HTR"). It consists of missionaries and students prayerfully holding the ropes for those who are "deployed" into spiritual combat.
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FIFA World Cup.
A friend of mine introduced me to this picture/concept earlier this year. The cool thing about this picture is its "faceless" nature. By this, I mean that we really can't tell whose hands are whose (except for maybe the goalie). The focus is the prize or the goal, not so much any individual or any one role. These grasping hands could easily belong to: the leading goal scorer of the game, the back field defender who never got his own shot on goal, the substitute who sat on the bench the entire game, the coach, the athletic trainer, the captain of the team, or the water boy (I think they have waterboys).
In the context of "making disciples of all nations", what is the goal? It's to see a maturing church established amongst every people group; setting the stage for Revelation 7:9, where there will be worshippers at God's throne from every tribe, tongue, and nation.
It certainly takes a team! In the context of missions, the outstretched hands in the above picture could belong to: supply buyers, church planters, pilots, homeschooling moms, sending churches, sending individuals, consultants, accountants, IT guys, trainers, leadership, teachers, national co-workers, home office staff, and maintenance workers, etc.
What's your role??
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Exodus 17, Battle against the Amalekites
Who ultimately defeated the Amalekites? God did. He is the Hero of the story.
But how did God choose to do so? Through Moses' lifted rod.
Could Moses have done this alone? Based on the account, obviously not. Each time he lowered his rod, the battle turned in the Amalekite's favor. Moses quite literally needed Aaron and Hur to support his hands in order for the battle to be won.
God chose not to miraculously give Moses supernatural arm strength. Instead, God won the battle through the mutual support of His people.
Pretty cool parallel with MPD!
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Here is our current partnership status. It's been so cool to see God raising up a team around us. A huge thank you to each of our partners!!
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In the end, we (the Ames) don't need support. Afterall, we already have the gospel in our own language, and we have come to believe in Christ's sufficient payment for our sins. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. Praise God!
No, we don't need it, but they do.
One of 2,000+ unreached people groups still has no witness of the gospel, and the gospel occurred over 2,000 years ago. God has given the Church the privilege and responsibility of making disciples of all nations, through His grace and enablement.
We love you guys,
Jonathan and Devon (+5)
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Prayer/Praise Requests:
- To better know Him and the power of His resurrection; to grow in the grace and knowledge of Him.
- Opportunity to share with the missions club at Pensacola Christian Academy on 1 Oct.
- Trip to Wisconsin and Missouri (10-21 Oct).
- Another cool opportunity to tell God's Story (2hr version) on 26 Oct.
- Praise and prayer as God continues to raise up a partnership team around us, so we can go to PNG in January 2020.
- Homeschooling mercies for Devon, Isaac, Jackson, and Leah. For Carter (7) and Selah (4) as they attend Aletheia Christian Academy this semester.
- For God to orchestrate the formation of the church planting team we will be a part of (2020).
- For prepared hearts and minds of the unreached people group we will soon have the opportunity to engage (2021).
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We pray for you too...
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