The Journey Podcast

In 2009 we were living with one income and two mortgages.  Money was tight, to say the least, and mathematically, the numbers didn’t add up.  But God’s math is not our math.  We tithed to the church consistently, we put our daughter in cloth diapers, I couponed systematically, we made our own baby food and laundry detergent and somehow, we never missed a meal or were late on a bill.

The Lord used that season to teach us so many things about stewarding His money.  We went through Financial Peace University with Dave Ramsey and we learned how little we actually need.  This season of struggle taught us lessons that shaped our future.  Today, over a decade later, we are walking in the fruit of the hard lessons we learned then.

On February 5, 2010, Nathan was running on a treadmill during his lunch break, training for a marathon.  The Lord met him in that space and gave him 4 very specific instructions.  Instructions that sounded ridiculous at the time, but yet undeniably perfect.  Jesus did a happy dance that night as He finally revealed what He’d been working on in our lives.  Like a master artist, He had been shaping us…preparing us for a calling, a shift in perspective and purpose.  We would no longer be living for ourselves and our tiny American dream, but our eyes would be opened to the greater calling He had for us…a complete surrender to His Kingdom vision.

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We met Kathy in episode 2 and learned about how she met Jesus and He moved in her life.  In that episode, Kathy shared how she followed the Lord’s leading into strip clubs to love on the women there.  In 2017, Jesus brought a crazy idea across their path…what if they were to follow Him around the world, sharing the gospel and the love of Jesus as they go? 

After much prayer, Kathy and her family sold many of their belongings, put renters in their house, and took off for Asia.  God asked them to support and encourage missionaries serving overseas.  Only trouble is, they didn’t know any missionaries serving overseas!  The Lord stayed a step ahead of them the whole way, opening doors and connecting them with His Body.  They watched children, supported Bible studies, cooked meals, helped with events, and served as a friend to many on their journey.  The experience lasted many months, led them through many countries, and changed them forever.

When they returned to the US, they were not the same people.  They had grown and stretched in unexpected ways.  Kathy struggled to find her place again in a familiar city and is open about the depression and anxiety she battled in the months following their return.  But even then, the Lord was faithful to walk with them and lead them back to Himself and His Body of believers where they would find His healing and restoration. 

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Julie was adopted as a baby and the Lord planted a dream in her heart to pass on the gift of adoption. 

In college she hit a spell of rebellion which resulted in a disease diagnosis and estimated 5 years left to live.  She spent the coming months working through her relationship with the Lord and came to the conclusion that God is still good, no matter what.  He would later use that faith, grown in the valley, to carry her through a miscarriage, job loss, financial struggles and an 18 month wait to adopt her sweet baby from India. 

Julie is quick to give the Lord praise and share of His mighty blessings.  She is honest about the challenges and joys that have marked her life…all of which are etched with the goodness of God. 

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I had worked so hard to complete my professional goals before tiny Anna was born.  Being a stay at home mom was all I had hoped it would be.  When Anna was 5 weeks old, Nathan’s company wanted to move us from south Alabama to East Tennessee, 8 hours away.  I resisted the idea at first, but after making the move we learned that the company was preparing to shut down Nathan’s plant in Alabama.  His bosses were working hard to save his job before plans of the shut down became public. The Lord was looking out for us.

Once in Tennessee we spent our first few months with no schedule, no friends and no commitments.  We simply loved on our little family.  We bought too much of a house that put us further into financial strain and we found a church.  Not because it’s what we wanted to do, but because it’s what we knew how to do.

I still had my doubts about the whole church bit and toyed with the idea of walking away from it altogether since I didn’t have any self-made reputation to keep up in this new city.  The Lord sent a friend to push me to attend a women’s conference.  That weekend away changed my life forever.  When I was finally willing to be honest and confess my pride and my hunger, the Lord met me in the most amazing way.  He heard me.  He saw me.  And He poured out freedom and peace on me that I didn’t know existed.

That women’s retreat launched me into a season of insatiable hunger for Jesus.  He revealed Himself to me through worship and studying His Word. He taught me how to hear His voice and build confidence in His steps. 

I would never be the same again. 

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On February 9, 2020, our family got on a plane and left China.  Today I need to record my heart for posterity and for future generations. 

At that point, coronavirus was just a China issue.  We were going to spend a few weeks in the US while this virus business died down and then we'd go home. 

We made a decision on Saturday afternoon to return to the States.  I packed suitcases with 1 week's worth of clothes for everybody.  We left dishes on the counter and pajamas on the floor.  Before sunrise on Sunday, we headed to the airport.  We didn't know we were walking away for good. 

The 30 hours of travel from our city in China to the US were incredibly stressful, but the Lord cared for us each and every step of the way. 

The year that followed has been full of unknowns and every emotion under the sun.  But on this day, one year later, I can see with so much more clarity.  We are choosing to be grateful for what we received instead of being bitter over what we lost.  It's been quite a journey.

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For Glenn and Mary Beth, one phone call changed everything.

One night the Lord laid a specific country on their hearts, challenging them to share the love of Christ there.  Trouble is, they had no connections to this country.  A while later, a customer service phone call busted those doors wide open.  Through simple obedience, a connection was made and a relationship was built.

Over the last 16 years, Glenn and Mary Beth have traveled to this country in Southeast Asia well over a dozen times.  They’ve established a bible school to provide on site training to local pastors, helped to plant numerous churches and have seen countless lives restored to Jesus, changing the fate of generations.

While you listen to their story, remember these promises from the Lord: 

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10 ESV

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.  My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
Psalm 139:14-16 ESV

Glenn and Mary Beth’s story so beautifully captures these promises and brings them to life in the most amazing way!

You can learn more about their work or offer your support on their website – Double Portion Ministries.   

You can hear the first part of Mary Beth’s story in episode 16. 

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“Some years you just feel like you’re battling through, but God is using it for His purposes.”

When I hear Rianne’s story, I can’t help but think of Abraham when the Lord said, “I want you to leave your homeland and go to a place where I will show you.”

As a young woman, she left her home country of the Netherlands, her language and her culture and followed the next step the Lord had for her.  She spent a few years in the UK, met her husband, spent time serving the Lord in Brazil and then found herself in yet another new culture in Belgium.  Often, she headed off to a new country without language skills or finances.  Yet fear is not part of her story.  She is so confident in the Father’s great love and plan for her that she has boldly followed Him anywhere.  Each turn brought it’s own set of challenges, but our God met them each so beautifully, because when we are weak, He is strong.

Our time together concludes with the story of her youngest daughter’s birth.  She faced many challenges, but the Lord met each and every one of her requests, big and small, to bless her with a life changing birth experience.

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All my life, all I wanted was to have babies and stay home.  That was about the biggest dream I could dream for myself. But first, I had to get through the blasted CPA exam.  In 2007 I busted my butt to study 5 days a week, on top of a full time accounting job, to make sure I passed that test on the first try!

To my surprise, I passed the exam and came up with a positive pregnancy test at Christmas 2007.

During my pregnancy, unbeknownst to us, God was casting vision for our future by sending Nathan on a business trip to Singapore.  Even though it would be years before we boarded a plane to move abroad, the Lord was already planting seeds.  What a kind, patient Father He is! 

After a rocky, emergency delivery, we were overjoyed to welcome our first baby into the world and kick off the incredible chapter of parenting.  My dream of becoming a mother had come true and I couldn’t be more thrilled.  

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Suzaene grew up in South Africa, went to church and even sang with a traveling gospel children’s choir, yet she didn’t fully accept the Truth of God’s great love.  After watching her parent’s marriage struggle, she walked away from the faith and looked for the answers to life’s questions in psychology.  As an adult in the workforce, she openly mocked Christians while her coworkers diligently prayed for her for years. 
 
 At last, she was able to accept the love Jesus offered and now she is a whole new creation, full of life, peace and joy.  Today she enjoys her passion of teaching while loving all those in her path. 
 
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This episode is full of confessions: We had no idea how to buy our first house, we made a horrible financial investment, and I started having doubts about God.  One year into our marriage, we weren’t too confident about adulting, but dang it, we were doing it!  We bought a house and we got super involved in our church.  That’s what we were supposed to do, right? 

 Even though our first steps in adulthood were a bit rocky, I can look back now and see the Lord guiding our path.  He led me to a job that not only grew me professionally, but introduced me to Sara.  Sara and her husband, Drew, taught us the value of relationships, taking us a step deeper in our relationship with the Lord.  We made a terrible financial decision, disobeyed the Lord’s promptings and bought a flip house.  It would take years and many thousands of dollars before we were freed from that decision, but God taught us a lot about His Fatherly role, allowing us to walk out our consequences, while never leaving our side.  

 My greatest struggle in this season was whether God was even real.  I’d read about this “abundant life” in the Bible, but I wasn’t seeing it.  We were pouring ourselves into leading high schoolers and working fall festivals, but was this really the abundant life the Bible talked about?  The people around me looked just the same…box checkers.  Where was the supernatural peace and joy?  Was this whole Christianity thing some pretense, like Santa Clause, and I was on the butt end of a sick joke?  We were so engrained in this church culture that I didn’t dare voice my doubts, not even to my husband, but they were there…and they were growing.  

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