a guest post by Cathi Ortiz
Kossuth is a church that loves partnering with global partners who are doing the frontline work in advancing the Kingdom. Because many of our partners are in sensitive locations, we don't often get to share too much about what they are doing. So just imagine with me for a minute as you read along.
Imagine that you move to another country, far away with your family. When you arrive, you do not yet know the language, nor the cultural customs. How do you greet someone: with a bow, kiss, or hand shake? Do you smile at people on the street, or keep your eyes down? Do children engage in conversation, or stay quiet? You dive in, eager to learn and build relationships while also studying the language. One of the daily challenges is getting from point A to point B. After all, you don't yet speak the language and cannot read it either. So when using public transportation, it is a little tricky. But how would you communicate with a cab driver if you can't take the bus?
After a few years, you finally feel like you have mastered these skills and have made great progress in the language. That means it is time for more change! You move farther from the city to help a smaller group of believers (maybe 3-5 total people). But this means that there is no longer any public transportation. Now you are faced with a dilemma as you try to learn how to get around as a family. Do you get bicycles and child seats?
This is a very real dilemma that our global partners can face - and one such partner had a similar situation this year. They determined that the safest option was to own a vehicle - no easy task in their country. So they prayed, and then reached out to supporting churches. Churches all the way around the world who have never seen what is actually going on, and cannot yet speak much of any fruit from the efforts in this region were asked to help.
Church family, this is where we want to express a deep thank you for your faithful giving. We have received gifts in the recent past from people who wanted the funds to be used for the advancement of the Kingdom in other countries. Because of this, we had a sizable amount that we were able to immediately send to a family in need. As someone who has personally dealt with the very real safety risks of not owning your own vehicle in a foreign country, I knew this was no small matter. The missions team met at a regularly scheduled meeting and all agreed that we should use the entirety of these specially designated funds to help this family. In a matter of a couple of weeks, we had sent more than $4,000 to help with the purchase of a reliable vehicle.
This work might seem trivial - a vehicle in a foreign country. But rest assured, these are the moments that global partners feel seen, valued, and loved. When they can simply state a need - knowing all too well that they have to be extra cautious with their resources - and they know we will step in and help, they are greatly encouraged and feel edified to continue in the difficult task ahead of them. So from all of the missions team, thank you to those who give to our global partners fund! Thank you for those who give extra for special needs so that we can simply use those resources when the need arises. Keep praying for all of our global partners, and specifically for this need of a new vehicle as they are still raising funds.
