A Change in Ministry

Excerpted from our most recent prayer letter, arriving in inboxes and mailboxes soon:

In our last prayer letter, we wrote that there is a time for everything, emphasizing that the only constant in missionary life is change. We have been so pleased to serve in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo for nearly three years, and call this place home, in our hearts, if not in body, since January 2011. While the work here in Kinshasa is more than enough to keep anyone busy, there is a need at MAF headquarters in Idaho that Matthew was asked fill due to his strengths and skills that he has demonstrated in his role in Kinshasa and in his interactions with MAF colleagues around the globe. We have accepted that call to live in Idaho and work from there starting later this summer. This position as a Project Manager for the Tech Resources department will have Matthew operating between the different departments at MAF and with field programs in order to organize information and streamline workflow for the various projects happening across the world.

While it is hard thinking of the goodbyes in our near future, as well as goodbye to a lifestyle we have focused on for the past six years, we are anticipating seeing new ways that God will use our family as we work from HQ and can serve in a totally new capacity. Lisa hopes to continue to use her gift of hospitality, focusing perhaps on the team Matthew works with and with new MAF missionaries coming through Idaho for training. The kids are excited to live near Grandma and Grandpa (Lisa’s parents) and experience parks and libraries on a full time basis.

This move will not be without challenges as our family goes through reentry (the process of adjusting back to one’s original culture) and figures out how to balance life in the United States with still being global-minded missionaries. We haven’t lived with the intention of putting down roots in the contiguous 48 states for our entire 11 year marriage!

We could really use prayers as we pack and move, say farewell, and leave our relationships and work here on good terms. Please be praying especially for our children as they adjust to a new lifestyle. We plan to continue to homeschool and jump right into our church that they know from our time in Idaho, so hopefully this will provide some sense of stability.

We understand you may have questions or want to discuss this decision further – please visit our blog for current updates and more details, or let us know!

The above is from our latest prayer letter that should be hitting inboxes and mailboxes alike in the coming weeks. I understand it may seem like it is coming out of nowhere. I’m sorry for the shock, if there was any. We always hesitate to put anything on the internet before it is as certain as can be, so we were waiting until we had something concrete before announcing it (in this case, plane tickets). But getting details of departure, jobs here worked out and coordinated, and everyone on the same page took up most of the time since we were offered the job, and suddenly here we are. But we have tickets [reserved, subject to change, because Murphy’s Law says…].

So, to help you process this gigantic change of ours, I’ve given you a little FAQ before there was even a chance to ask anything with any level of frequency. I hope this is helpful. I was recently told that less is more, but then I am also my mother’s daughter and tend to give out all the details right away. So, take it or leave it. #sorrynotsorry

Q: Wait, what? You’re leaving Congo? But….?

A: Sadly, yes. The job offered was such a perfect fit for Matthew and it really came to light starting at the leadership conference he went to at HQ in April. He had lots of conversations with various leadership people at MAF from all over the world. This and many other factors led to this job offer. We will miss Congo, our team, and many aspects of life here. A lot. It has been hard to pack up. Hard to say goodbye. Hard to pass along most of our material goods, seeing with them the life we prepared to live here for many years. Hard to realize how valuable we were to various parts of missionary life here and how cutting each string has hurt on both sides. I don’t say that to toot our own horns, but it is an honest reflection of the difficulty of leaving. Congo will always be part of our family and Matthew will still be involved occasionally with his new position, so we haven’t cut it out completely, thankfully!

Q: When do you leave?

A: We fly out July 26-ish. The newest MAF family moves into our house July 8. We will be spanning that gap at a friend’s house down the street, who will be on furlough.

Q: What about the people who help in your home – will they be able to find work?

A: We have three wonderful guys who rotate through being our household helpers and security guards. They will all continue on at this house doing a trial period with the new family that lives here. Then, after some time, the new family will decide if they are a good fit for their lifestyle and needs. The other people who were sometimes in our home or helped us also have other ongoing jobs with other families, plus now new potential opportunities with a couple of newly arrived families. I am praising God that our departure doesn’t leave anyone without work!

Q: What about your stuff?

A: We were able to sell almost everything. There were several new families who had recently come to Kinshasa, or who are on their way, and between all of them, most everything went. We were able to sell things at a fraction of the local value so that other missionaries can be blessed (hopefully) with needed items. We also wanted to honor the many things you all purchased off of our Amazon wishlists by passing them along to continue to be in service here in Kinshasa.

Q: And your chickens? And goat? And quail? And guinea fowl? And cat?

A: Our animals have all found new homes with other missionaries. Our birds have all found comfort together at a large parcel outside of town with friends who have retired here. Our goat went to live with a sweet family who serves here with Wycliff Associates. And our cat went to another MAF family who arrived in March and instantly loved her.

Q: Where will you live?

A: MAF headquarters is right outside Boise, Idaho. We lived there previously for eleven months during training in 2013 before moving to France. If you have a really good memory, you’ll remember we own a house there. While renting it has been fantastic (mostly thanks to an outstanding property manager), our latest renters were already in the process of moving out, so the house will be ready for us. We will be able to “land” at my parents’ house, who live about ten minutes away from both MAF HQ and our house, while we recover from jet lag and purchase furniture basics (we didn’t keep anything from our time there in 2013 because we expected to be gone a lot longer).

Q: If we were supporting you financially, do we stop now?

A: Short answer: no, we are still missionaries with MAF – our work may change scope and location, but we are still missionaries, supported by a financial team, doing the global work to further the Kingdom. Our living in the USA does make it a bit less appealing, I admit. You won’t get fun pictures that tickle your senses that you’re making a difference in a poor country. But I hope that you can prayerfully consider how giving toward our ministry still impacts the entire mission of MAF on a broader scale, and Matthew’s new work will impact the field and the resources that MAF has across departments and programs. In turn, this still leads to the wonderful result of reaching isolated people with Good News through aviation and technology. So, we ask that you stay on our team (or join it, because we do need new people!) to see the work continue. We can see how God has orchestrated our journey so far, and our moving to HQ is part of the story in its entirety.

Q: So, when do we get to see you?

A: Perhaps you do support our ministry and are wondering when we will take our furlough to give you face-to-face updates? Perhaps you just want to see us since suddenly we’ll live in the same hemisphere? Maybe you’re wondering how to avoid us altogether? Well, furloughs and deputation (the process of gathering and encouraging a team of financial supporters) work a little differently for the MAF missionaries who live in the US. We are still working on learning the finer details of the new process, but as we know, we will share those with you!

Q: Are you excited to live back in the US?

A:  Of course!  All of the sadness and challenge of departure is completely mingled with happiness at living in our home culture.  We are excited about Matthew’s new role, about being near people we love, about autumn and leaves, winter and snow, and some heat sometimes.  We are excited about FOOD that we greatly miss right now.  It is a strange line because we are feeling sad and happy at the same time.  And sometimes the happiness feels like we are betraying the things we love about Congo.  It’s not rational, but it is a difficult reality.  It is something we are actively processing, but overall YES!  We are most definitely excited!

If you have any further questions, please do let us know – we are an open book! We are excited and sad at the same time – so many changes with so many emotions. And, most of all, please continue to pray for us as we make this transition. It is no small task for us, but we hold onto the hope that this monumental task for us makes even the slightest difference in growing the Kingdom of Heaven.