By AS, Serving in Wellspring, East Africa
I encountered Team Expansion in college at the International Conference on Missions (ICOM), in a way that seemed accidental at the time. I was exhausted, looking for rest on the final night of the conference and Team Expansion happened to have some of the softest chairs at the event (praise the Lord). I was joined by a Team Expansion representative who turned out to be the internship coordinator. He struck up a conversation to get to know me, share about what God is doing around the world, and he told me how I could be part of it. I was already wanting an internship for the next summer with adventure, school credit, and new experiences. When the internship director told me about the Pathways program, it was exactly what I was looking for. I thought I could use my gifts and abilities with one of the teams, with the added benefit of serving God – I started the application that night.
Called
When I was accepted into the program, I was excited, but I had no idea that I was about to embark on a life-changing, heart-transforming experience living in a city in Southeast Asia boasting Buddhist temples on every corner that held serious spiritual strongholds over people in our city. I did not expect to return to the United States telling my family, “I want to live my life overseas multiplying disciples and churches among the unreached.” I didn’t realize that God had used a comfortable chair at a conference to call me into missions. I mean, when I applied to the internship, I didn’t even know what an Unreached People Group (UPG) was!
I emerged from that first summer sure of my calling. Wanting to remain faithful, I worked another internship with Team Expansion the next summer. Some of my fellow interns were talking about their calling, and it seemed like God was giving them a specific country to go to or a specific people group to work with. I, however, never received that same call and wondered where I should go. Years later, while working with international students at the large public university I attended, an opportunity was presented for me to move overseas as part of a new team.
Wellspring
I wondered, “Could this be my people group?!” I began crying out to the Lord asking for clarity, visions, and dreams to confirm this was the opportunity. After fasting several days with no visions, dreams, or audible voices coming from heaven, I continued to sift through God’s Word for answers. On the final day of my fast I cried out to him, “Am I supposed to go overseas now, Lord?!” That night, in a quiet, still voice, He impressed upon me a simple word: “You have surrendered to my every will and Word, obey it.” At that moment my heart, soul, and mind were one, obeying that simple word.
I was going to Wellspring, East Africa.
As I enter my late 20s, God is teaching me more about faithfulness — no matter where I am, I must be faithful to His call given to all who follow Jesus, “Make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:18-20) It seems crazy I did not know anything about Unreached People Groups five years ago, but I am thankful for the privilege to have learned at a young age. I now get to teach others about Unreached People Groups while spending a lifetime laboring to see them transformed by the Good News of Christ until all have heard (Matthew 24:14). Join me on this adventure doing everything He commands, anywhere He says.
About AS
AS serves as the team leader for the field codenamed Wellspring. Wellspring is a sensitive (and dangerous) land in East Africa that is desperately unreached with the Gospel. The people of Wellspring have many needs and this team is seeking to meet physical needs (like providing clean drinking water) in Jesus’ name. Team Expansion is also partnering with a sister organization in a nearby land in Africa who has sent several teams to Wellspring to make disciples who make disciples. Learn more about AS and the many exciting efforts to offer hope in Wellspring.
