Many of you know that our commitment with WorldVenture is for three years, and that we have been asking God to guide us into the next step of our lives, whether that may be staying in Bolivia, returning to the States, or even going to another country.
Before God revealed his plans to us, we had our own ideas of what we were looking and hoping for in the future, things that we liked and didn't like about the stage of life we were in. As God has now given us a glimpse of the bigger picture, we've come to see why He's put us through both good and hard times during the past few years.
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June 2009
Our first month in Bolivia |
We came to Bolivia because God told us to. Literally... He did everything except use an audible voice. Many people confirmed and supported our call to Bolivia, WorldVenture was an easy fit for us, and the position in Bolivia just fell into our laps. Our support came in over a period of just six months, and it was obvious that arriving in Bolivia on June 4, 2009 was God's plan for us.
We've experienced a lot over the past two and a half years, and He has been slowly revealing to us that the "Bolivia" stage in our lives was just as much about preparation for future ministry as direct ministry in Bolivia. We don't want to discount the ministry God has enabled us to have here, but we are now seeing what God has been doing through all of this: preparing us for college ministry in the States.
And so we are excited to announce that we will be joining InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as staff at Michigan Tech, beginning Fall 2012.
Bolivia has been (and continues to be) a transformational time for us, and we know that God is using our time here to make a small difference. But in leading us to Bolivia, we believe that He has refined us and given us unique experiences to enable further ministry at Tech. Let us explain with a few examples:
International Ministry
Roughly 10% of the students at Michigan Tech are international students, and most of these students arrive to the US having never visited before, not speaking the language well, not knowing much about the culture, or even how to go to the doctor or buy groceries. We've now had this experience - the overwhelming feelings, the uncertainty, the frustration of not being able to communicate, the culture shock - and have successfully passed through it. Although most of the international students don't speak Spanish (the majority are Chinese and Indian), we can relate and minister to them through our experiences in Bolivia.
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Christmas 2011
A lot has changed! |
Discipleship
Although Hans hasn't had as many opportunities to disciple others as we expected, God has confirmed his gifts in discipleship while in Bolivia. And again, we're able to bring our experiences to guide and mentor students better, especially those that may be considering overseas missions, both short- and long-term.
Missions
Without a doubt, we are returning the the States with a passion for missions. We've learned a lot from our WorldVenture team and other missionaries, from local churches and short-term teams, both about healthy, appropriate ways to do ministry and the not-so-good ways. We are excited to help others understand how to better support and care for missionaries, how to help others prepare for their departure (long- or short-term), and hopefully lead teams overseas.
As much as we are looking forward to ministry with InterVarsity, we know that the transition will not be easy. We are leaving much of what we've grown to love: our home, our friends and church, the Bolivian culture and language. We've read that re-entry (returning to the home country) is often harder than the initial culture shock, and so we ask that, just like many of you prayed for our transition here, you would pray with us for a smooth transition back.
InterVarsity staff is also a support-raising position, and due to a number of factors (cost of living, insurance, retirement, etc.), we will need to roughly double our support as we begin with InterVarsity this fall. We will be sending out more information in the coming months, but wanted to give a quick update about our support needs.
Finally, we want to thank God for His countless blessings. We are so blessed that He has clearly directed each stage of our lives, and is using us for His purposes. May everything we do be for His glory!
Blessings,
Hans and Lindsay
P.S. Linked here is a letter from our WorldVenture field leader about our transition to InterVarsity.
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