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Ms. Kaitlyn’s Class Update

Since being here in Puerto, I have seen many of my students change in behavior–spiritually and academically. When I first started teaching my class of 6th graders in January, I had one student that was very closed-off and unwilling to listen at times. Over time, I really had it on my heart to start a relationship with her and show her Christ’s love in simple ways. I did not know exactly how this was going to work based on her not wanting to be around me all that much as well as not being able to get her to say anything to me even when asking her questions. Later on however,  I learned there were really big things going on in her home that would make anyone seem closed-off or sad at times. After praying many days over the situation myself and with other teachers, I knew that I needed to keep pursuing a relationship to share the Lord with her. I know I needed to simply check in on her everyday, no matter if I received a response or not.
After many months of asking simple questions like, “How are you today?How are you feeling? What did you do this weekend?”, I was able to finally get her to open up little by little. She has now started speaking up in class, coming to speak to us teachers at lunch, and even has started to let me just sit and talk to her about everyday life. Sometimes the things the Lord is working on in your classroom seem small and unnoticeable at times, but when it is something you have seen people pray over for months and you began to see the fruit of those prayers, it is absolutely amazing.

-GEM Missionary, Kaitlyn Summitt

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Intentionality Aids Love

Therefore, my beloved as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. -Philippians 2:12-18

Several years ago, Bob Goff wrote and released a book called Love Does. In it, he wrote story upon story that highlighted the power of what it means to do something because you love someone. He was writing on the belief that love forces someone to act rather than sit idle.

As Christians, we are familiar with the idea that love compelled Christ to die for us. Most of us would be able to explain several different moments in our lives when we “felt” His love, when we trusted in it, and when we chose to follow Christ because of His saving love.

When we look at the Gospels, we are able to see how the love of Christ compelled Him to continue to meet the needs of those around Him. Additionally, we can see how it affects us even now. As we look to the Epistles, we can see how the authors continued to encourage the Church to be attentive and intentional with the lives that they led. There seems to be an understanding that while Christ has done the saving work, we are encouraged to do–what I call–the responsive work.

It can be easy to lose sight of being intentional with our words let alone our actions. Life gets really busy and we get so caught up in what is “next” that we forget that the Lord wants us to enjoy whatever we find our hands to do (Eccles. 9:10). The Bible is full of expressions of that–I am thinking mainly of Ecclesiastes–and we should feel free to do what we want while being intentional in showing the love of Christ regardless of what it is (1 Thess. 4:11). Whether we find ourselves working in ministry or working in a retail shop, we are capable of working well enough to show the love and saving grace of Christ.

When we are able to understand the freedom that we have to do as we please (within reason, of course), we are able to live freer; we are able to love more freely, and, in turn, able to explain the love of Christ. We can bring people into the love of Christ, we can show them grace, and we can shine as lights in the world.

As a Christian growing up in America, it can be easy to compartmentalise our lives and think of our spiritual lives (or our ministry) as separate from everything else, but in reality, they are one in the same. We have a separation of Church and State in American but that shouldn’t be the way that we live our lives.

To be intentional is to be loving. To be loving is to be a vessel for Christ. Be encouraged. We have the means and we have the resources.

– Ashleigh Bender, Missionary Care

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Teacher Testimony – Bailey + Derrick

Bailey and Derrick are missionaries who serve with GEM in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. Right before they left their traditional lives to move to Mexico, they got married. They both serve at our Manantial school–Bailey serves as a 3rd grade teacher and Derrick teaches Bible at the secondary.

Bailey and Derrick saw serving with GEM as missionaries more as an opportunity to practice and live out the great commission rather than living back home. Not that they couldn’t have used teaching in the States as a mission field, but they saw the Lord calling them to something more and wanted them to surrender their comforts, their family, and to start a life living on mission together…that looked like Mexico. Bailey and Derrick knew that this was the calling that God had placed in front of them. They knew that either way, whether it was living and working as teachers in the States or in Mexico, they would have been obedient. However, because of the position they were in as a young couple with no kids, and no true ties that said they couldn’t move, they thought, “why shouldn’t we move to a different country for at least two years to experience what ministry is like outside of the United States?” They wanted an all encompassing view of the gospel.

Both Bailey and Derrick have a passion for discipleship and they longed to be a part of a school that not only wants to build relationships with the students in the classroom, but a school that also invested in them outside the classroom. Moving to Mexico and serving with GEM was more of an opportunity that their hearts wanted to be a part of rather than just teaching anywhere. They wanted to make an investment in the community and learn the culture of Mexico.

Picking up your lives and moving to teach in a foreign country doesn’t come without its struggles. Bailey shared that one of the biggest and most apparent challenges was the language barrier. Any school that they could’ve been a part of would have most likely had ELLs (English Language Learners), but now teaching ELLs is her full-time job. She has been navigating learning how to teach the students and communicate in a way where both her and the students can understand. Through the language barrier, the Lord has taught her patience and love. As she is learning Spanish and the students are learning English, they are able to empathize with each other and support each other through it. One of the most difficult things that Derrick say he has come to learn is the difference in gospel fluency in the culture. In the United States, people at least know some of the books of the Bible. You can reference a story and they have some familiarity with it. In Mexico, it’s different. There are kids who have never heard the commonly known Bible studies before, nor do most of them know where the books of the Bible are. Derrick came in with much higher assumptions with how much of the Gospel they actually knew. He has even had students ask him what the Gospel is and what that word even means. This has restructured the way he has had to teach and share the stories of the Bible. He has to go into class teaching from the ground up, knowing that some of them have no knowledge of God and the Bible whatsoever. It has trained Derrick to slow down, break down the timeline, and dig into the context of each part of the Bible that he is teaching. This helps paint a much broader picture for the students who have never once heard the stories of the Bible.

In the midst of struggles and adapting to a new culture, the Lord does not hesitate to bestow His blessing upon those who step out in faith to serve Him. Bailey and Derrick share that they have been blessed in some of the most unexpected ways. One of the biggest blessings for the both of them has been the life change in each of their hearts. GEM gave them an opportunity to work and serve with the Lord in a way that they otherwise would not have had if they were just teaching in the States. The main thing that they have taken away from GEM is the fruit of their labor that they have seen and getting to see the impact that the Lord has on these kids through the work that the Lord has given Global Education Ministries to do. God has done a work in both of their hearts, and they feel like they have been challenged and pushed in new ways that they wouldn’t have apart from GEM. It has helped them grow a heart of gratitude and thankfulness in a whole new way as they have been living in a new culture. They express that they have realized all of the blessings that they have, even just in comparison to teaching in the States versus in Mexico. Bailey and Derrick also say they have benefited from all of the practical things they have learned through working within a ministry. They have learned how to steward God’s money well and how to function well with others who also serve within the ministry. They have had so many different life experiences that they never would have gotten without being a part of GEM. Getting to learn a different culture and at the same time growing significantly with the Lord has been one of the biggest blessings.

If you are inspired by this story and want to know how you might be able to serve with GEM, click the link below:

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Heart of a Child

For those of you who don’t know me, I am the Mission Advancement Coordinator at GEM. I am 22 years old and recently got married in October. After completing college, receiving a job with GEM, and getting married, I am beginning to feel and experience adulthood in its fullest. Now I know what you’re thinking, “she’s only 22 years old, she still has a long way to go.” Well you’re right. I have just stepped into this stage and it is only the beginning. But even in this early stage I am able to notice the difference in responsibilities, along with much more. All good things, just different. I have to be more intentional with my free time. If I’m not careful I can get caught up in everything I “need” to get done for the day and forget to spend time with the Lord. When I try to plan my life a certain way it becomes clear that I am not the one in control.  As most of you know, life is much busier and complicated when you’re an adult. If we aren’t careful, it can consume us. 

This brings me to Luke 18:16-17 “But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’”

What a sweet reminder. Even as we grow up and get older, we are called to be child-like. When life feels too busy, take some time to rest in the Lord through His word. But do it as a child would, enthusiastically and eager to learn more. Or when things aren’t going the way you planned, be child-like, rely on God for guidance and have a trusting attitude toward your heavenly father. The world tells us to plan our own steps and rely on ourselves. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth. We are called to be child-like in our faith and our day-to-day lives. Children don’t try to plan their lives, they faithfully trust that their parents will provide and care for them. Likewise, we should do the same with our heavenly father. So whatever season of life you are in, remember that God calls us to receive the kingdom of God like a child. 

– Taylor Amey, Mission Advancement Coordinator

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Stopping to Seek the Lord

The end of the year is always a busy time! With the holidays approaching and end of the year campaigns in full swing, it is easy to feel like things needs to get done, decisions need to be made, and that there isn’t enough time to stop doing.

That’s at least how I’ve been tempted to feel these last few weeks.
But one thing I’ve learned over my few years of working with GEM is that when you’re moving into uncharted territory, taking breaks from doing to make time for thinking, praying, planning, and preparing is just as, if not, even more important.

One of the passages in the Bible God has called repeatedly to mind through my devotions and others, is in Joshua 9 when several members of the nation of Gibeon dress themselves up in rags and lie to the Israelites about where they come from.

In the book of Joshua, Joshua is the brave leader that leads Israel into battle after battle against the pagan people groups living in the Promised Land. Previously, in the book of Deuteronomy, God told the Israelites through Moses that when fighting against their enemies they should first offer peace offerings. However, he makes a clear distinction between general enemies and the nations they would fight against in the land God has promised them.
“However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes… Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 20:16,18 NIV)
When the Gibeonites hear that Israel has defeated several of the neighboring nations, they fear for their lives and decide that instead of trying to go up against Israel and their God, they would be better off deceiving the Israelites in order to become their servants. So, they dress themselves in old clothes, worn sandals and cracked wineskins. They even go so far as to carry moldy bread with them so that they can convince the Israelites that they come from far away and aren’t inhabitants of the Promised Land.

When they approach the Israelites at their camp and ask them to make at treaty with them, the leaders of Israel sample their provisions and use their own reasoning skills to decide whether or not they should make the treaty. But they forget one important thing – to inquire of the Lord. Because of this, they believe the Gibeonites and swear an oath by the God of Israel that they will not harm them.

The Gibeonites then leave to go back to their city and three days later, Israel, as they are conquering more nations, arrive at what they find out to be Gibeon. To their surprise, it is indeed in the Promised Land! They can’t believe that they were deceived, but they keep the oath they had sworn to Gibeonites and do not harm them. However, in Joshua chapter 10 they are forced to go into war to protect themselves and the Gibeonites from other nations.
This story is full lessons, but one lesson in particular caught my attention.
“The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord.” (Joshua 9:14 NIV)

The Israelites used their own reasoning skills and senses to see whether or not the Gibeonites were telling them the truth instead of stopping to see what the Lord had to say. This might sound logical and completely normal to us, but we can see in this story that the Israelites senses failed them. They weren’t a reliable tool to navigate through deception and truth. And, fortunately for the Gibeonites, the Israelites didn’t take time to stop and inquire of the Lord. They made a judgment based on what they thought would be best, while the Lord would have opened their eyes to see the truth.

As I’ve been applying this to my own life, I’ve been asking myself – How many times have I made decisions based on my own judgment instead of quieting myself and going first to the Lord.

The Gibeonites would play a significant role in Israel’s future history, even causing God to bring famine on Israel because Saul forsake the oath that Joshua had made with them.

How many times have we made decisions based on our own judgment whose consequences won’t just affect us in the present, but also in the future. Consequences that could and probably will affect our children and our children’s children.

But there’s also another side to this story.

Although the Israelites disobeyed God’s original command to destroy everything and everyone in the land that they would inherit, God eventually raises up the Gibeonites to take care of the temple and at least one to be a prophet – God’s own mouthpiece – for the nation. Even one of King David’s most honored and respected strong men was a Gibeonite!

Just as God does, He uses even the disobedience of Israel to bring about good for the nation and glory for Himself.

So, for those of us who have disobeyed Him and feel without hope, let this be a reminder. Yes, our God expects obedience. Our disobedience will always bring about consequences, whether exterior or interior.

But where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more.

“God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.” (Romans 5:20 NLT)

– Maggie Addison, GEM Mexico Field Office Director

 

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Simple Truths

Every morning, I teach Kinder 1, 2 and 3 Bible class and it is often a highlight of my day. For some of my kids, it is the first time that they have ever heard about Jesus or heard the Bible read to them so it is a really unique opportunity for me. For others, it is a time for them to connect what the Bible teaches and understand how the stories are real and true in our lives today.  I love teaching these kids Bible because they look at the world with wonder, curiosity and often have a zest for life. They tell me stories about what is happening in their lives and their adventures in Spanish, even if I don’t fully understand them. They often ask questions about little details in the stories because they are so curious. They have their minds open to believing in God, most of them have not experienced doubt or the lies of the devil yet. They want to believe in Jesus and want to know more about Him and pray to Him. It is so encouraging to my heart to witness them growing in faith. 

It has also been a blessing to me to teach these stories again, as I am learning so many simple but profound truths about God and the gospel in each one. In the last quarter, we talked about the Creation story, Adam and Eve in the garden, Cain and Abel, Noah’s ark and the Tower of Babel. I grew up hearing these stories so they are very familiar to me, but teaching them in a simple way that the kids will understand has been challenging and so encouraging. For example, when we talked about Noah’s ark, we weren’t only talking about how God had a plan to save Noah in the flood, but we also talked about Noah’s obedience to God when others were unfaithful and doubted. We talked about why God flooded the earth – because he needed to wash the sin. I related that truth to the previous lesson when we talked about confessing our sin with Adam and Eve in the garden. We did an exercise where we drew a heart on a whiteboard, and then wrote down sins in the heart. I asked the kids if there is enough room for Jesus in this heart with all the bad words in it and the answer was no. I told them that the solution was to go to God and say, “I am sorry. Please forgive me” and that God wipes away the sin, as we wiped away the words of sin in the heart. The kids understood the concept of asking for forgiveness and being forgiven and then we saw a clean fresh heart again. The following week, we talked about Cain and Abel and how we need to obey God with a joyful heart. After that, we learned about Noah’s ark and how Noah obeyed God with a joyful and trusting heart, even when others did not. We talked about why God needed to flood the earth – to wash away all the sin in the world. And we finished talking about how God always keeps his promises – He promised to keep Noah and his family safe in the ark, and he promised to never flood the earth again with the rainbow. God promised that instead of flooding the earth to wash away sin, he would send a Saviour to earth to wash away sin once and for all. The following week we talked about the Tower of Babel, and how the people could not get to heaven by their own work. The people didn’t need a tower to get to Heaven, they needed a Saviour – Jesus. 

All of these lessons are so profound but also simple enough that a child can understand them. Praise God for the magnificence of his Word! Teaching these gospel truths has been a blessing to me and to the kids and I am so grateful for these opportunities. I pray that God will use these lessons as they grow older, that they will treasure these simple truths in their hearts and continue to yearn for Christ.

– Lorissa Van Gurp, GEM Missionary

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Lap Lesson

At some point every day, without fail, I’ll sit down to take a breather. Between the busyness and activity, how refreshing it feels to stop and be still for a few minutes. Sometimes it’s on the couch, other times in a bedroom, and with this beautiful spring weather lately, it’s on the grass outside. And every time, without fail, my toddlers quickly find me.

It starts off cute with one climbing into my lap. Yet as soon as the other finds me, the cuteness quickly disappears. They both want the lap, but definitely NOT with the other in it. Each comes wanting ALL of my attention and affection. I try to let them both sit with me, but neither one is content. With a gentle encouragement, I’ll say “Ava you sit here and Hudson, you sit here. There’s plenty of room for the both of you.”

But no matter how I present it, the result is always unhappy kiddos. They do not want to share, they want ALL of Mama, and are not at rest until they get their hearts desire.

God’s been showing me lately how similar our lap is to our heart.

How quickly we allow God PLUS something (whatever that may be) to consume the center of our hearts. Could be comfort, worry, people pleasing, satisfying the flesh. Could be family, activities, ministry, even church. Anything that creeps in to pull our attention and gaze from Him. Anything that becomes of greater importance than He Himself.

Just as my toddlers are jealous of my attention, God is jealous for not only our attentions and affections, but our very lives. He deserves the seat of sole importance in our hearts. We were “created BY Him and FOR Him” (Colossians 1:16) and “in Him is fullness of joy.” (Psalm 16:11)

Many times, my kids will shove each other out of the way to get my entire lap. It isn’t pretty and often ends in tears. Although God won’t smack us or give us a physical punch, He will strip us of the things that pull our attention away from Him. He isn’t content until He has ALL of our heart.

Why? Is he a mean God? No, but He knows what will bring our hearts the greatest joy. A life surrendered fully and completely to Him. A heart that is singular focused with one pure and holy passion. A heart that knows ONE thing is necessary. “One thing I have desired, one thing I seek. To dwell in the house of the Lord, to behold the beauty of the Lord.” (Psalm 27:4).  Nothing else can truly satisfy.

So let’s be people who push aside the things that vie for our hearts affections. Lets continually examine ourselves to make sure that He is on the throne. And let’s desire to make our Father’s heart soar with joy as we center our lives on Him and Him alone.

– Meg Herring, Co-Founder of GEM

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Science and the Bible

A question I like to present each class with at the beginning of the year is, “What is science?” I then have students copy our class definition which says that science “is a way for us to observe, study, and understand our world, the living things on Earth, space, and the matter and energy that make up our incredible universe.” While our class definition for science includes some helpful terms, I explain that it doesn’t really explain the whole picture.

Science, simply put, is one way to truth. It is an investigative and methodological way to. We discuss in class that there are other ways to truth as well. Using an example by UC Davis Chemistry professor, Bryan Enderle, I explain that there are at least two ways to explain liquid water turning into gas when heated up. One involves the mechanism of molecular thermal energy. Liquid molecules, when heated up, continue gaining energy until they stop increasing in temperature and the properties change. It is also true to say that the water boils because I want coffee and am boiling the water for that purpose.

Science helps us understand the mechanisms of nature (the how). But science cannot answer questions about purpose or “why” something happens. The way to truth that does not compete with science is the Holy Bible.

As Christians, we take scripture as more than just another way to truth. It is God’s infallible word. Professor Adrian, the other science teacher at Manantial reminded us in devotionals this week that science is a fallible discipline. It is subject to change and constantly includes errors. In the scientific method, we even negate the concept of something as proven true. We either prove our hypothesis wrong or we fail to prove our hypotheses wrong. Scripture, on the other hand, is not subject to change or error. As Christians who love to study science, Adrian and I both affirm that God created the world, designed our complex genetic code, expanded the universe beyond comprehension, and ordered all matter and energy. God also gave us the scripture narrative that is the gospel. Science invokes wonder and curiosity in students, but the scriptures tell them the true story of God’s work in humanity and the name of the author of both creation and the gospel: God our creator and savior.

Psalm 19 Reclaims the idea that the creation points to our creator God:

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

– Tanner Whetzel, GEM Missionary

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A Call to Remember

Recently, I have been reading through the book of Exodus. In Exodus, I have seen over and over the Lord providing for the Israelites and then the Israelites complaining and growing discontent. This happens many times throughout their time since leaving Egypt as they wandered in the wilderness. 

In chapter 15, Moses and the people of Israel were singing a song to the Lord, praising Him after crossing the Red Sea.

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously, the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him….“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?…” 

Exodus 15:1-2; 11

They are praising God for how He triumphed over the Egyptians. They praise the Lord for His steadfast love for those He redeemed (the Israelites). Then we see just a few verses later, the people begin complaining again. 

“And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?””

Exodus 15:24

Despite the Israelites seeing the Lord provide over and over again for His people, they are still doubting that He will meet all their needs, and this leads them to complaining. They doubt the character of God and His heart for them. As people, we are so quick to forget God’s faithfulness in the midst of the wilderness. We allow ourselves to believe lies about God and His character. 

Oftentimes, I have to examine my heart to see where I am doubting or not believing that the Lord will meet my needs or the needs of others. However, as I look back over the course of my life, I can see time after time where the Lord met my needs and often didn’t just meet my needs but provided abundantly more than I could imagine. It did not always look like what I wanted it to or like I thought it would, but He has always provided. 

In the midst of many uncertainties in our world right now, it is easy to forget who God is or His heart for His people. However, I am reminded that the Lord is good. He cares for those who take refuge in Him (Nahum 1:7). He is the same today as He was yesterday, and He will be the same forevermore. I need only to remember the character and heart of my God is for His people. As we remember, it allows us to trust and rest in our Heavenly Father who cares for us.

 

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?​​ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Matthew 6:25-34

– Rachel Hill, GEM Missionary

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Prayerfully Guided

My partnership with GEM came about as most life-changing things with the Lord do: quietly and unexpectedly; with the details unfolding in time and the only way to notice them was through prayer. 

I have worked in full-time ministry before but I had a few years where I took a step back. Those years were spent in a lot of prayer; prayer unlike I had ever done before. 

At the time, I lived just an hour from the Blue Ridge Parkway. I spent several weekends driving up and down it, stopping at specific overlooks, and praying. Praying for guidance, praying for understanding, praying for what is next for me. Additionally, I started praying about what I loved to do: writing and photography. After all, what better way to learn how to pray than to pray about what tugs at the heartstrings the most?

My life had taken an unexpected turn and I was really unsure of where to go next– both literally and figuratively. But, as I prayed I began to learn so much. I learned about prayer– our selfish desires even in prayer– I learned about my expectations, I learned about how truthful Scripture is, and I learned more about myself. Mainly, I learned how grounding it is when we take Him at His Word; when we decide to trust that not only does He know best but He also knows what we’re going through, and that just being present with Him really does change everything.

I have nothing to offer that Christ has not already given to me. I learned that whatever gift / talent I possess was given by the Giver, Himself, and that anything worth doing was something that I could give back to Him. 

So, I started asking Him about my love for writing. For the first time, I started praying about how to use it. 

I started thinking about Wilmington, North Carolina. The town has some old history in the creative arts and I was drawn to it because of that. I figured that I could get involved in that scene somehow and, at the very least, live a fulfilling life in the town simply because I was around creativity. I started really praying about it and began to watch how the Lord directed my steps to where I am now. 

After a visit to Wilmington at the start of the new year, I ended up connecting with GEM via LinkedIn and the process of our partnership began. 

The process took several weeks and I was so encouraged and blessed to talk with the team so many times. It was healing for me to be able to talk with them about where I had been and where I felt the LORD was calling me into. 

Not only was I able to experience such an answer to prayer but the team at GEM expressed how they were experiencing such huge answers to prayer as well. 

I’ll be working with GEM to build the Missionary Care Department as their Transitional Care Coordinator. In this role, I will write devotionals for our missionaries as well as meeting with them to encourage spiritual growth as their year progresses. 

I am humbled to be in this position and eager to see how the Spirit works within it. 

It is a joy to be able to offer my gifts and talents back to the Lord to uplift and edify His Church.

– Ashleigh Gyatt, GEM Missionary