It’s helpful to have an overview, isn’t it?

Spoke with ABWE's Mobilization team, learned about their process and positions in the field, and filled out official applications to become long-term missionaries.

As much as it broke my heart, once I knew that I would be moving on, I couldn't stay still in good conscience. I had a conversation with Pastor Greg to let him know that I would be moving on when my lease expires in September. He thanked me for the heads-up and began searching for my replacement.

I drove from Texas to Pennsylvania, getting to hear the heart of ABWE's ministries and meet many of the people making things happen. Here, I got some direct, hands-on advice regarding our next steps, and made some important contacts to reach out to. I came with 15 questions and left with 25 answers - the Lord moved!

The only major question left was regarding the church that would send us, as they are not directly Baptist-affiliated.

At the 24-Hour Demo, Joe learned about a pregnancy and women's health organization that recently came under ABWE's leadership. Upon returning to Texas, we scheduled a call with BFI's leadership, who expressed interest in sending Abbey to South Africa as a dual-role ABWE/BFI missionary. Joe may work with BFI's web and social media marketing strategies, but really, Abbey is the main event here, and it couldn't have aligned any more perfectly.

We moved our family to West Virginia, where we have graciously been able to stay with my family as we begin our training and fundraising processes. Texas was a wonderful home for six years. We are excited to visit again soon!

An ABWE Director had a ZOOM call with the Senior Pastor of our church, and they both fully agreed that partnering to send us to the field is viable!

Now that we're "on board" with their onboarding process, we had a call that walked us through the five major steps ahead before Orientation.

We got to (virtually) meet the missionaries currently serving in Durban, as well as their Director, to discuss the ministry needs in the area and how we might best fit in the ministry framework there. We also discussed how Beautiful Feet can integrate in ABWE's ministry in South Africa as a whole.

We had a dinner with our Senior Pastor and his family, discussing what the next year or so looks like, and how we can best be plugged into the ministry of our home church as we prepare to go. Joe made Sopapilla Cheesecake, which was a hit (as significant as John 20:4).

ABWE leadership put together a group of resources for us to begin working through in advance; usually we would not be assigned study work or classes until after Orientation, but some resources would need to be reviewed regardless of where we went in the future, so they encouraged us to get a head start on studying, which will help shorten our journey between Orientation and Departure.

We traveled to ABWE's International Headquarters for a stellar week of training, covering how to work with nonbelievers and how to grow believers' faith. We also became certified to teach this content at churches.

In efforts to contextualize the Gospel for different cultures, there is sometimes a tendency to compromise or dilute biblical doctrine. We absolutely must maintain theological integrity while adapting the Gospel to new cultural contexts. To that end, ABWE conducts interviews to make sure that we're all on the same page regarding the basic tenets of our faith, before committing to send you into the field. This is an excellent (though harrowing) step in assuring we all work well together.

Abbey was invited to Florida to participate in a training event that will cover resources to be used in the field. Joe will work with the admin team on their web marketing strategies. This will be our first face-to-face meeting with many of the BFI leaders we've had multiple Zoom calls with!

We visit Durban to meet the team serving there, and spend time working together to get a good sense what life is like serving in Durban and what the mission field's needs are. This is a critical step, as many pre-field missionaries either affirm their calling or discover that things are completely different than expected at this point.

ABWE does not send missionaries into the field alone with a "good luck and godspeed" mentality. We build teams that work together to serve local churches and communities. The Vision Trip helps the local team gather to pray and seek God's will, ultimately deciding whether or not to invite you to join the team serving there long-term. We will not be qualified for Orientation until the Durban team officially invites us to join them after our Vision Trip.

The major turning point is when we will spend a week at ABWE Headquarters receiving training and guidance on long-term missions work, including dedicated time working up financial plans and Individual Development Plans for the trainings and resources we'll need to be successful in the field. We will also spend time working with staff dedicated to our area of the world (e.g., the Director of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Regional Director of Southern Africa, etc.). This is when we will officially be declared pre-field missionaries and authorized to begin fundraising for all of the things.

The #1 reason missionaries give up in the first year on the field is financial instability/insecurity. ABWE will not let you get on the plane to go until you are fully funded, removing that obstacle.

At Orientation, we'll set budgets for two main numbers: (1) monthly support needed in the field, and (2) "Outfit & Passage" i.e. all of the one-time moving costs. We'll account for work visas & filing fees, whether we'll need to ship a few crates or a whole shipping container (absolutely not), whether we'll need a vehicle (or two) there, furniture and furnishings for our family, etc. -- then we'll begin visiting churches and speaking with people about supporting the ministry with clear, actionable numbers.

We will attend a few in-person trainings at ABWE's HQ, including Essential Missions Components, Departure Readiness Training, and Personal & Family Safety.

We will also have some theological training and studying to do: while we've read the whole Bible multiple times, we've never taken a New Testament or Old Testament Survey courses, so we'll have an opportunity to brush up on all of the questions we're likely to be asked by believers and non-believers alike.

We'll also have some books to study, such as "Let the Nations Be Glad" by John Piper and "The Covenant" by James Michener, a fiction work that accurately relays the history of South Africa.

With all training complete, all funds raised, and all blessings given by our sending church and our missions leadership, we'll fly away to begin our life's work on the mission field!

Because we can now!

Enter into our Savior's arms having accomplished the work He set before us, fully at peace, with our children working to spread the Gospel according to their own callings, and with disciples making disciples, churches planting churches, and the Good News being spread to all who have ears to hear.