Matt Whitacre

(Matt) When we finally returned home last summer we had reached about 25% support. We were excited, but realized we had essentially exhausted our close contacts in Grand Rapids. It was a challenging time as we struggled to know what to do and wondered again if this was what God was calling me to do or just something that I wanted to do. We continued to press on even though we wouldn’t receive any new support, monthly or one-time, for over a month. At some point I mentioned to Leann that maybe we should just move to Colorado (without full support). It seemed like a crazy idea, but it was a seed planted in our hearts. In the meantime I went back to work part-time and Leann was also working about 20 hours/week. I used my extra time to pray and read through Spiritual Secret (links to a free e-book!), a biography of Hudson Taylor, and When God Provides, a collection of stories of how God has provided for OMF International workers. I also preached a couple sermons on Luke 11 and Galatians 4 which got me thinking about Abraham’s acts of faith. I noticed when God’s people take steps of faith, he provides for their needs at just the right time.

(Leann) In September, I had the opportunity to go to a women’s conference. Actually, I was stressed, so Matt lovingly sent me away for the good of all in our household. Husbands, sometimes you need to do the same for your wives. Since my main job was at home, and since we were trying to purge and prepare for our eventual move, and since I was still working for my other job from home, I was feeling like I should always be working, day and night. I didn’t realize I was allowed to take a break, let alone break for a whole weekend! And though we’ve tried hard to eliminate unnecessary spending, I realized that sometimes we just need to fork over the funds to refresh the mind and body (and family)!

While at the conference, I met a missionary and asked her about her experience raising support. She said “We don’t raise support.” Intrigued, I asked her to explain.  She then proceeded to tell the story of how she and her husband had just a few months between their wedding and when they needed to arrive at the field. God provided opportunities for them to travel and share with people their heart for missions. And the Lord started providing support. About a month before their departure they asked their mission agency to buy their airplane tickets. The agency pushed back because the couple didn’t yet have 100% support. The couple insisted because they were needed on the field and fully trusted that God would provide, but the agency didn’t buy the tickets. In faith, the couple went ahead and shipped their belongings overseas, still not having the required amount of support.

The night before they left they received the last $15/month of their needed support! God provided what they needed when they needed it. The agency reimbursed them for the difference of the ticket prices!

I felt like Matt had been waiting for me to move forward with plans to move, but I hadn’t known what to think or say. I think the Lord brought this missionary’s story to my attention to confirm that God would indeed continue to provide (shouldn’t I have learned that by now??) and to bring me to agreement with Matt that we should set a moving date.

I left the conference spiritually refreshed and excited to share with Matt what I had learned.

(Matt) As Leann and I talked about her conference experience and my thoughts from reading about Hudson Taylor, Abraham, and countless current and former OMF missionaries, we sensed the Lord was leading us to take the step of faith and move to Colorado in December so that I could start working with OMF International in January. We also realized that renting our house was not financially viable and that it would be better to try to sell. We went to the Lord in prayer and asked for continued confirmation that we were heading in the right direction. That was a Saturday in September.

And the Lord was faithful in confirming.

The following Monday we received an email from my home church that the mission board would like to have us present our ministry with the hope that the congregation would vote on partnering with us. We had been hoping for this sort of an email since May when we were part of their missions conference, but to receive it right after our decision to move was extremely encouraging. Tuesday we received an email from a friend who randomly asked us if we liked our neighborhood because she was in the market to buy a house. We took that as a sign, not that she would be the one to buy the home, but that God could bring along a buyer even during a slow market. Wednesday one of Matt’s coworkers asked for a brochure because she and her husband were thinking about partnering with us for at least a year. On Thursday our friend who is now a pastor emailed to ask us if we could lead music at his church in November and present our ministry to the congregation. On Saturday we received an email from our former church in a different city asking if I would be interested in teaching a class on unreached people groups as well as sharing our role with OMF International. In all these things God confirmed in our hearts that this was indeed the right move.

God provides again!