In Her Own Words: A Missionary's Story

As you read through this you'll notice that we have some words replaced with asterisks.  That's because as we said before, this missionary family is in a country where they and our brothers and sisters in Christ could get in serious trouble if it was discovered they are leading worship, evangelizing, baptizing and joining in communion.  So please forgive us for eliminating these words.  Also we've used pseudonyms for the missionaries themselves in order that no one in their host country can find this plea via google.  If you're curious about their story and would like more information including their names, sponsoring churches and the country where they are working please feel free to send us an email and we will be happy to answer your questions.

Enjoy reading Mrs. Flowers description in her own words and remember to scroll all the way to the bottom to read how you can help!

Our Story

By Jen Flowers

Before coming to teach in *******, *** had been a place seldom thought of by our family.  It was a place on the other side of the earth and truly not even on our radar.  We had gone through an unexpected job transition and had been earnestly praying for 18 months that God would show us His will for our family and open the doors for a new opportunity.  We were asked if we would consider coming to teach in ***- to which our family of five initially thought "No way" about.  We agreed though that we should pray and ask if this was what  the Lord had been preparing for us.  Our three children, ages 14.12 and 11 at the time,  were a primary concern as this is a pivotal time in their lives.  However, as we talked and prayed, we began to see that this was clearly a door being opened. They were excited and open to the opportunity, and God began to just turn our hearts this way.

There were, however, obstacles to overcome.  In May of 2013 there were no jobs available, especially ones with housing to accommodate a family with three children.  We were told that it was impossible for us to come in August without the Lord intervening.  We had our lives to shut down in the States and a lot of money to raise if we even wanted to get here in August.  We decided to attend the training in June and that is when the dominoes began to fall.  We were told then that a job had been found with adequate housing,  and after returning home, we began taking the necessary steps to move around the world.  God provided a renter for our  home, a caretaker for our dog and enough money for our first year, and did it in a very short time.  Then a short ten weeks after training,  we arrived at the doorstep of our new opportunity to fulfill the purpose for which we were created- sharing the good news with people who have never heard it.

Moving to a very different culture has provided our family with many opportunities to grow in our understanding of people and the big world that we live in.  It is also the place where each of us has experienced refining like never before.  We have experienced many challenges spiritually, mentally and physically.  Our middle son began losing his vision in his left eye last November, a problem which he had never experienced before.  He was diagnosed with bleeding behind his eye that, if not treated, would cause him to lose his vision.  The situation required us to make monthly visits to another city so that he could receive injections in his eye to stop the bleeding and restore his vision.  The hospital system in *** is very different and quite confusing if you are not a local, but every step of the way God has gone before us and provided what we needed.  He has shown himself faithful over and over again and our son's vision is almost completely healed.  He received a clear report on his last visit and we are extremely thankful!

Heading into our second year of serving, we are anticipating great things.  We are earnestly praying that the Lord will continue to work in us so that we can reflect him better, that He will work through us to further His kingdom, and that He will go before us to provide for our needs while we are here and when we return home.  We know that He is good and is able to do far more than we could ever ask or imagine. We are looking forward to what that will be!

Can you imagine being far from home, facing a child's medical crisis, and being uncertain of where the money to keep you there is going to come from?  The Flowers family has trusted all along that the money they need for their two year plan to reach the people in their area is going to be provided.  The question is who is going to be God's hands of provision in their life?  They will need money to fly the kids back to America at the end of their two years of service (the university where they work will provide the money for the adult tickets).  They also need help covering other costs like transportation and medical bills for their oldest son's eye care.  You can go to this gofundme page and donate to them*.  The smallest gift matters.  They got to *** by the help of churches and individuals who gave one time gifts and by God's grace we can help them stay!

*As we've said before this blog is 100% self-supported. All the funds donated (less the fees charged by the collecting website) will be given to the churches that sponsor these missionaries for their support!