Attention… I believe in you! This is a long post but I believe you can make it to the end! I have full faith in you. Don’t give up! You can do it! If for no other reason, do it for me 🙂
Eric (my husband) has been accepted to the University of Cambridge! Cambridge is one of the top universities in the world, so getting in is a big deal! Now I don’t doubt his level of “smartness” at all, but I fully believe our family’s impending journey to Cambridge has more to do with God’s plan than it does Eric’s brain. I believe so strongly that God wants us there that if I would have applied God would have made a way for this below-average student to get in.
Ok… I am kidding! Here’s the point: This is a big deal! They don’t just let anyone into Cambridge and the favor of God is on Eric in this season. Not for our gain but for His glory!!!
So if we believe this is God’s leadership in our lives, then the next natural question is, “What is God leading you to do? What is your mission?” The answer? People! People is the simple answer. I have learned over the years that people feel comfortable with me. They open up. They share. I stand in awe of what God does when I make myself available. I have no doubt that there are some world-changers out there who are in need of what God has put in me and my family. I want to open my heart and home to these students and faculty members of Cambridge. I want to share the hospitality of the Gospel with them by sharing our lives with them.
Eric will be right alongside me, only he will be having a bit harder job. He will be spending a lot of time inside the university. His calling is to learn deep stuff about the Bible, break down all that knowledge so others can understand it, and give it away. He blows me away with his ability to take the Word and help others see just how powerful it is. He will be talking daily with big thinkers who study the Bible (among other subjects). Not all of those thinkers will be believers. Our heart is to meet people right where they are. We believe there are people at Cambridge who are ready to follow Jesus and we believe that God is sending us their way. Eric feels called to eventually teach at a seminary or university and I have no doubt that his time at Cambridge will prepare him to leave a lasting impression on those future pastors he longs to teach. But in the meantime, God has a lot of work for us on the other side of the pond.
So I am here asking if we can take you along with us. We cannot do this alone. We are going to need support team. Not only for financial support, but for friendship, guidance, mentoring, and visiting. Eric is only allowed by the university to work a few hours a week due to the intensity of his studies and commitment to his academic work. I hope to work a part-time job in the local community to get to know the people. Even though the five years we will spend in Cambridge feels like a long time, it could be easy to get distracted with work a job and put God’s call to love people aside for the sake of making a wage. We cannot afford to do that. We cannot afford to coast. The weight of this opportunity and the call is too big. We are so thankful that God is trusting us with this, but we CANNOT do it alone. God does not intend for us to do it alone.
We are believing that if God is sending us, he is also preparing a team for us. We count this open door as a blessing and we are willing to go. We have said “Yes!” Now we are being humble and embracing the fact that we cannot fulfill this calling apart from the body of Christ. This is an area that God is growing me in. I am all for the call to Cambridge, but it has been hard for me to get comfortable with the call to invite others to participate by supporting us. Honestly, it has me on my knees. That’s right where God wants me… humble, broken, and desperate to see this plan through.
So brother, sister… will you be part of the Team Hyphen, sending the Hyphen Nation to Cambridge?
Our greatest need is monthly support. Could you do that? No amount is too big or too small.
One-time gifts are helpful to cover costs for visas, plane tickets, moving expenses and taxes for the national health care system there. (That’s a story for another day!)
We are selling our home! We need a buyer.
I need people to call and text this sister!!!
If you know me, I will be posting on social media and I need all your love there.
I also need people willing to get on a plane and come see us… for real!
So who’s on board? Come join the Team Hyphen and let’s make this happen!
If you would like to support us financially, it’s really easy to do! Our church is sending us and administering our funds. 1) Go to heritagelife.org/give 2) Change the “Fund” dropdown to “Missions” 3) Select Eric’s name and set up your contribution however you prefer.
We are looking for people to join our team today and begin contributing. We are already saving funds to pay for visas, plane tickets, and tuition this summer. It’ll be here before you know it! YIKES!!!
Want more info about this crazy adventure to Cambridge but from Eric’s perspective? Check out “Called to Cambridge” and “Why Cambridge?” on his blog.
