Tuesday, August 10, 2010

How will they ever hear?

Jeannette's story of grace

I was blessed to grow up at Calvary Baptist Church in Holland, MI where missions was always a focus and priority. Every year we would have a missions conference at which some of our missionaries would come and share what God was doing on the fields they were working in. I remember specifically in high school for the first time feeling overwhelmed and burdened to see people come to Christ and receive Him as their Savior.

After high school I attended Moody Bible Institute where God placed a real desire to serve in missions in my heart. The summer after my freshman year my home church provided me with an opportunity to experience foreign missions by sending me on a 2 month trip to Slovakia.  My junior year God brought a certain linguistics major into my life, whom I eventually married :). Ben introduced me to Wycliffe and the need that exists for Bible Translation. I was ignorant of the fact that there were people who didn’t have Scripture in their own heart language. I believed that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” I began to ask the question, “how will they believe if they never hear, and how will they ever hear if they don’t have the Word in their own language?”

Well, Ben and I have been married for almost 9 years now, and have served in different ministries, but the desire to serve the Bible-less has never left us. Over the past year God clearly showed us that it was time to begin this journey with Wycliffe. This past winter we were able to visit the Wycliffe headquarters in Orlando and meet with some of the missionaries that serve there. This had a huge impact on me personally, and it was through those conversations that God really brought peace to my heart that this was what we should be pursuing. I loved their hearts. They were genuine and transparent. They shared with us many of their fears when going into missions but also how faithful God had been throughout their lives and the deep joy found in seeing others come to Christ through having the Word of God in their heart language.

I see my main role in going to Tanzania as being Ben’s helper and supporter. I feel very strongly that my greatest ministry right now is to make our home a haven for our family, where Christ can be clearly seen and come to be known. I love my role as wife and mom and am excited to continue this role as we venture out to Tanzania. I also look forward to encouraging and showing Christ to other women that I meet. I pray that God will use us as a family in this goal of bringing the Word to those who have no access to it!

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