After traveling for the second time to Europe this year, Trina and I are getting ready to move there on a full time basis. For years now, The Lord has let us know that The UK would be our primary mission field in the coming season. However, it is also a very short plane flight from Heathrow to most European capitals. Living in the greater Oxford area will give us convenient access to both avenues of ministry.
During our trip in November, we were only in England for a few days, split over the front and back of our 17 day journey. The purpose of the time there was to drop off some bags of clothing, vitamins, and other items that we will use when we relocate in April of 2024. This part of the time was a busy but fun experience with Trina. We used every part of the London public transport, buses, subway, trains, across the big city and back, journeying well past midnight in the process. The most interesting part of the travel was after we took the bags to Oxford. There was a high traffic (5-6 pm) car drive between Windsor, a suburb West of London, and Heathrow Airport to drop off a rental car. There were no actual scrapes in the process, but I think I can still hear the ringing of other cars’ horns!
The bulk of the trip, just short of two full weeks, was spent in Holland. We worked with a group of three churches in the southern part of the country that operate under the name Living Waters. The work is young, just under three years, but exploding both in numbers and the obvious, tangible life of Christ in the people who are involved. We were invited by a couple, Geaton & Bernadette Martins, that we had a previous relationship with in South Africa. Very quickly our hearts were united and flowing with the wider leadership group.
Peter and Eefje (pronounced A’fi’yah) de Korte, who oversee the three congregations, are new relationships for us. Their pioneering spirit was an absolute pleasure to work with and it was very easy to minister under their leadership. One highlight of the trip came when Peter called us after our departure to give us a testimony. He informed us that one of their family members had come to the Lord and been baptized due in large part to Trina and I praying for them at one of the services. We discussed this with the leaders prior to leaving, but it was clear even before the talk that The Lord started what we believe will be a long term relationship between us.
Understanding our missionary calling for the UK/European region
There is a distant, traditional association with Christianity in parts of England and Continental Europe. The vast majority of these individuals have not even considered surrendering their lives to Jesus, The Bible isn’t their truth, & The Holy Spirit isn’t their guide. You might hear a statistic that more than half of England is Christian when the truth is that the number who are actually born again is far less. There is also a large portion of the UK/European population that professes no affiliation with Christianity, choosing either another religion or none at all.
There are wonderful, sold out Christians and churches in all of these areas. We know some and will be on the lookout for more, supporting them in any way possible. But we are taking inspiration from 2 Timothy 4:5 NASB95 which says,
But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
In the same way that our mission in Africa centered on teaching and training, we believe that The Lord is telling us that our time in Europe will emphasize the work of an evangelist.
A two part call for help at this time
Our first request is for persistent prayer on our behalf. From planning for accommodation, decisions on packing, logistics on visas, flights, and much more, there are a million things to do. It is challenging, to say the least, to walk peacefully through the process of uprooting to move overseas. We will be back to the USA more often during this time in the UK, but it is emotionally challenging for our family and loved ones to see us move. Especially in our time leading up to moving and the initial months of settling to live in England, please make it a priority to pray for us as we navigate daily life & start to live in a foreign country.
We also have a significant financial need as we approach the start of our new journey. At a minimum, we need $10,000 more to make the transition to live abroad. Please pray about contributing to this financial need in the coming days. You can do this and keep up with our progress through the website (give button atop any page on a laptop/desktop or clicking the three bars on the top right of the screen if you are viewing on a phone), the donate button on the email you received, or through check, payable to IRC Ministries, mailed to PO Box 614, Buna, TX, 77612.
God Bless you during this Christmas Season and the celebration of the New Year!
Rodney and Trina
