Emily serves with our partner ministry Go To Every Nation (GoTEN) in Phoenix, AZ. GoTEN works among unreached people groups who have been legally resettled in the U.S. as refugees, meeting their immediate needs and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Her team lives in and around the apartment complexes where these refugees live, running life-skills centers, teaching English, and seeking ways to build relationships with families. As relationships grow, the team is able to introduce Jesus using Bible storying and Discovery Bible Studies as well as continuing to testify to Christ through their daily lives. The team's hope is to see people of unreached nations come to know, love, and walk with God, experiencing His goodness and life, and one day return to their home country bringing the Good News.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR WORK IN PHOENIX
It's incredible to reflect on all that has happened in this last year, starting with the fact that I am writing to you from Phoenix, Arizona of all places! The Lord has led in ways I never anticipated (or would have asked for) and yet I praise Him for His goodness and what He has done. In making a way to Phoenix and providing an abundance of relationships here, both with the Church and the unreached, His work is undeniable. In mid-November, GoTEN provided an annual impact report at our fundraising event. The numbers that were shared were a huge encouragement to me and my team, and I hope they are to you as well! GoTEN's Annual Impact Report Across all of GoTEN's ministry sites (Phoenix, Dallas, Colorado Springs, and Southeast Asia), 2022 held:
- 2,200 in-home visits
- 900+ Bible stories told
- 500+ refugees active in current programs
- 292 regular volunteers
- 31 English classes each week across 4 locations
- Four new Bible story groups started
HOW DID 2022 SHAPE YOUR ROLE IN ADVANCING GOD’S KINGDOM AND YOUR DEPENDENCE ON HIM?
2022 was a year with big, unexpected changes in life and ministry that completely altered the way I engage in God’s global work. I can only look back at it all with thanksgiving, recognizing that the Lord has been faithful to turn my heart increasingly toward Him in abandon, and so best preparing me to be used in the advance of His kingdom. I never thought I would get to tell stories of Jesus to Muslims, and yet that is an honor I get the chance to take daily! This year has shown me that as I fall into the Lord in dependence, He is mighty and good to work in and through me, calling people of all nations to Himself.
HOW CAN WE PRAY FOR YOU?
Pray for the building of relationships with the people I meet.Pray for the Spirit to move among and prepare the hearts of people to receive and respond to the gospel. Pray for the communities and nations that these refugees have left behind; that the gospel would be proclaimed and that the church would grow and thrive.
