Our Motivation

Why would a young family leave the comforts of home and to move to another country? What could motivate us to make a change like this? To put it simply, it’s because Jesus left heaven and came to earth for us. Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (ESV) We have both been changed by our relationship with Jesus and as we get to know Him more and more, we want to go serve as He did. 

We both grew up going to church but had different experiences in getting to know Jesus personally. I, Sara, had heard the Gospel explained many times and when I was young the simplicity of it clicked. I was a sinner in need of a Savior and I needed a relationship with Him. Though I only had a basic simple understanding of the Gospel, I do believe that was the moment God drew me to Himself and I became His child. Through those young years through middle school, my greatest struggle with sin was seeking to earn my way to my heavenly Father. He kept drawing me back to the truth that it wasn’t anything that I had done but His grace that saved me. One turning point in my journey was one night during summer camp. The Holy Spirit convicted me and I saw that I needed a deeper and more intimate knowledge of my heavenly Father. I started to voraciously dig into J.I. Packer’s “Knowing God” – turning to every verse that was mentioned. Seeing for myself the truth of who God is. There have been many low moments and trials as I continue to struggle with my sinful self, but daily I see the marvelous grace of God drawing me ever closer to the likeness of His Son Jesus. Lamentations 3:22–24, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (ESV)

As for me, Eddie, I was familiar with salvation from an early age. However, I would characterize my early profession of faith as “fire insurance,” Heaven just sounded a lot better than Hell. It wasn’t until Middle-School when I was at summer camp that the Holy Spirit laid the deep conviction of sin on my heart and introduced me to Jesus. It was then that I met Jesus Christ as the personal savior of my sins and the one who restored me to a relationship with my heavenly father. I realized the power of 1 Peter 2:24, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”(ESV) Since then I have faced many trials and dark moments of shedding my selfish sinful nature while God draws me into the likeness of Jesus. He isn’t done with me yet, but each day is a journey. Experiences at Moody Bible Institute, singleness on the mission field, and pastoral ministry have pushed me closer to a true friendship with Jesus.

We both have found a relationship with Jesus that is authentic, honest, and real. A relationship marked by a constant conversation with Him and perpetual meditation on His word. A favorite passage from the Bible is 1 John 4:10–12. This says, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (ESV) So what motivates a young family to make a move like this? It’s the love of Jesus we have experienced in our life.