Dear friends and supporters in Christ,
We want to take this time to thank you for your patience and constant prayer. It has been a difficult season and it has led us to make some difficult decisions regarding the future of our ministry.When we first started ministry, we had high ambitions. We dove headlong into training, sold most everything we owned, moved in with family, and worked part time while we tried to raise support. It has been our heart's ambition since before we got married to serve the Lord faithfully overseas, so it is with both heaviness and hope that we stand before this open door of change.
You may recall the many unexpected events that have plagued our road to full-time service over this past year. We had initially sold off all of our debt and were ready to hit the road, but with having to move three times, recovering from a car accident that totaled our vehicle, my failed medical treatments, and not being able to find a rental in our area, we were forced to slow down and pick up full-time work again so we could buy a small house and start over. It was hard, but we managed, working full-time while also getting more involved in our church, learning, growing, and serving. Our faith was tested time and time again, but we continued to press forward driven by our love for God and for the people who have yet to know Him.
This year has been no different. We went into it not understanding fully why these things were happening, but we were sure that things would turn around. The opportunity to serve in Paris gave us a lot of hope that it would. And we wouldn't be lying if we said it changed everything. We got back and our world seemed to fall apart. Our washer broke, our well went out, both our vehicles ended up needing extensive repairs. And on top of that, I was in the process of starting a brand new treatment for my autoimmune disease that required me to give myself a self-injection every week. We stood before all of this looking back at all the sacrifices, realizing that everything we had done to get ahead only put us more behind.
This past month is what really pushed us over the edge. We had recently had to get a loan to get our well redone at the house and they were scheduled to start it last week. But unfortunately things did not go as planned. While drilling, they hit something that caused our entire basement to flood, eight to ten feet of standing water that went all the way up to the ceiling. We lost everything. Water heater, furnace, sentimental things we had stored down there. And on top of that, we now have substantial water damage that will need to be assessed and repaired. Fortunately, the driller's do have insurance that will pay for all the damage, but regardless, it has been an experience that we will never forget. For the time being, we do not have a working kitchen, nor do we have any water or heat, but we are on track to get those things repaired in the coming weeks.
We have spent a lot of time going over our options with our pastor as well as our regional director at ABWE and it seems our only option is to temporarily step down from full-time support raising. While we work to pay off the debt we've accrued, we have decided after much prayer to take up the SEE Olympic ministry. We were offered a position of leadership in January, and knew as soon as we hit the ground in Paris that it was something God was leading us to do. What this means is that every two years we will be leading a small group of people to different locations for the Soccer World Cup and Olympic Games. We also plan to start leading short term trips out of our church, the first being to the Operation Christmas Child facility in Illinois this December. We believe this will give us the opportunity to learn skills we will eventually be able to use in Australia and/or anywhere we serve.
What does this mean for you as supporters and what are the plans for Australia? We have by no means given up on Australia. It has been our heart to serve there since before we were married, and we will continue to pray and serve in any context we can until the Lord allows us to move there full-time. We are anticipating the possibility of going back once every year to do some ministry as we move forward. While we will not currently be raising support to move to Australia, all funds that do go into our account at ABWE will automatically go toward both the short-term trips as well as our eventual move overseas. We will, of course, understand if you feel the need to no longer support us. That is between you and God.
The biggest thing we ask is that you keep us in prayer. It has been such a difficult few years and our hearts are heavy with the weight. But we are in high spirits, hopeful for the future and looking forward to seeing what God will do. We are hoping that some of you will join us on these short term trips so that we can get to know you better. As always, we thank you for serving with us, for keeping us uplifted during these times. Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have.
God Bless,
Hanna Shields
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