Update from Denis. The picture above is portrait painted by someone during a conversation 🙂

Chaplaincy

I started a new role as a chaplain in my residence hall at seminary (in addition to the Inspire work). It’s been an adjustment, and while I’m definitely not a fan of the administrative/event side of things, I’ve enjoyed meeting with residents in this capacity. Though I was already well connected in the community, having this title gives me even more ability to minster to fellow students. I’ve loved walking with students through difficult situations and praying with them and I’m honored to be trusted with those things.

Prophetic

I started meeting with a group of friends to prophesy over people weekly; we met about 9 times this semester on Fridays. Each time, we pray over 2-3 people; they get about 15 minutes each. I start those times by discussing Scripture like 1 Corinthians 14 that talks about the practice of prophesy in the church, giving some guidelines as well. I’ve seen a lot of friends grow in confidence that they can hear God’s voice on someone else’s behalf through these times. It’s been an easy way to greatly bless people in the community and my goal is to equip/encourage multiple people to facilitate times like these after I graduate!

New Testament

This semester, all three of the courses I’m in have been in the New Testament: Greek 2, NT Theology, and Inductive Study in Romans. It’s been my most challenging semester; every week I have multiple assignments in each class. Having said that, my classes overlap a lot this semester, which has allowed me to be go deep on certain topics that I might have only skimmed over in a single class.

One of those topics has to do with the Greek word pistis. Usually translated as faith, this word has a broad range of meaning, including allegiance and loyalty. Often allegiance is a better translation. That has serious implications for how we think about evangelism and salvation! (If you want to read more, look up “Salvation by Allegiance Alone”)

“Ingratitude is the root of all sin.”
Ignatius of Loyola

Ignatius of Loyola was the founder of the Jesuit order of the Roman Catholic Church in 1540. If you know church history, you’ll know this is just a few decades after the start of the Protestant Reformation in 1517. And if you know much about the history of Western Civilization, you’ll know this isn’t just “church history” but part of the story of how our world came to be as it is today. These two streams, Protestantism and the formation of the Jesuits are part of a much larger movement that was happening during the 16th century. 

One of the underlying currents resisting that larger movement was the belief that in order to be properly “religious” (i.e. devoted to the Lord through prayer, scripture, and service) one needed to be either a nobleman or a monk. Consequently, a major theme to come out of the Protestant Reformation in Europe was the recovery of the “priesthood of all believers”. In other words, every single follower of Jesus can serve in the capacity of priest and missionary. Similarly, it was possible (and necessary) to actually have a vital and living relationship with Jesus in the midst of an otherwise normal and busy life. 

In England, this idea took root in some unique ways as a group emerged outside the Church of England known as the “Puritans”. With zeal for purity in the church and commitment to the Gospel (among other things), they emerged as a powerful fringe movement that often ran afoul of the church establishment (and the government). So in the early 1600s, they pursued the dream of a colony in which they could practice their faith and evangelize a continent. Thus the “pilgrims” came to the shores of Massachusetts and the conditions were set for the first “Thanksgiving”.

Meanwhile, back in mainland Europe, the Jesuit order stayed within the framework of the Catholic Church. Much of the spiritual shift happening in Protestantism was present in the life of Ignatius and his followers too. As a missionary society, the Jesuits were self described “contemplatives in action” seeking to “encounter God in all things”. One of the pillars of Ignatian spirituality came to be known as the “Examen” which was essentially a series of questions designed to review what God was doing in the life of an individual over the course of a given day. 

What emerged was the conviction that gratitude was a central element of the spiritual life. If God is at work in and through all things, then ingratitude is a failure to recognize and worship God as he really is. Hence our fun quote from Ignatius at the top of this email! 

The broad point in all this is that Thanksgiving is the perfect reminder to take stock of what God has done, is doing, and will do in your life. All the mistakes, errors, and sin flow from a failure to recognize God’s gifts in all of life. As you think of it, take stock for everything in your life and consider how it’s a gift…the good, the bad, and the ugly…it’s all a gift pointing us to the source and author of life. 

From our family to yours, we want to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving! But even more, we want you to experience the joy of a life lived with God and an appreciation of his daily work in your life. We’re praying for you today and, as always, we’re grateful for your love, prayers, and support!

Stephen and Wendy are planting Inspire missional communities called ‘Houses of Healing’ in TN, USA’. Read more news and stories from the Hopkins HERE. Listen to the podcast HERE. Support Stephen and Wendy HERE.

News from the Marshalls – November 2024

2+ years of paperwork culminated in a sudden trip to Denver, Colorado in November. Now, Mary is a U.S. citizen. Thank you for covering this entire process in your prayers! 

Having U.S. citizenship is a big step for our overseas ministry. Mary is now free to serve in Ukraine long-term without being required to return to the States annually. 

Mary writes:

Many pieces came together for this to happen and that is how we can testify that God was the One making it happen! I want to reflect on the latest experience of this 2-year journey.

I was getting closer to the “no-flight” weeks of pregnancy when I received my invitation to the naturalization interview in Denver. We had a very limited travel window. As we arrived in Colorado, we had several car issues that God resolved one step at a time. I also struggled to breathe and generally felt terrible due to cold, dry air and our baby girl pushing into my lungs.

We came to the USCIS appointment on time. After two hours of waiting, we learned that the front desk lady made a mistake and hadn’t checked me in. Amazingly, even though we wasted those two hours, the Lord answered prayers for favor. He made a way for the federal officer to apologize and invite me to still have my interview and tests. I was scheduled to have only the interview that day, yet the Lord did a miracle and I was able to give the oath of allegiance and receive citizenship right that day. 

This experience had a miraculous outcome but left me exhausted. I was tired of complications that seemed to arise at every single corner. I was crushed when I learned that the front desk lady messed up what I thought was under control. When the federal officer invited me to the interview, I was about to start crying from how unfair it was that I had done everything possible for this to work out and it was seeming to collapse right in front of my eyes. Have you ever felt that way? It makes you realize how powerless you are.

As Andrew and I were driving back from Denver, I remembered that we specifically asked God to make this trip smooth and free of stress. Ha, irony? Later, I chose to be thankful for the complexity of this story. It reminded me of the importance of walking in honest intimacy with God one step at a time. Later, as I processed, I chose to accept that it was important for Andrew and me for this journey to happen this way. And I am thankful that we could share this journey with you!

Andrew writes:

I have continued serving at the OMS Asbury student center, engaging with students and helping facilitate a men’s discipleship group. Some of our conversations this month revolved around the idea that everything God created is good (1 Timothy 4:4) and God can reveal his goodness and truth to us amid the everyday stuff of life. Instead of compartmentalizing and only making room for God at church or during devotions, we can practice his presence wherever we go. With the college guys—I shouldn’t be surprised—this conversation turned to movies. I was encouraged as they started sharing how they witnessed the gospel message in movies they had been watching. 

Outside of the student center, God is continuing to provide me and Mary with one-on-one spiritual conversations with Ukrainians and Americans. We are always encouraged to witness how God is already at work in each person’s heart and how our role is most often simply being available and drawing attention to what God is already doing. 

PRAYER: Please continue praying for these spiritual relationships. Pray for God’s continued work in hearts, for Mary and me to be faithful, and for wisdom and grace in these conversations. 

Ukraine Fellowship (online)

November was full of encouraging and challenging moments in our fellowship.

We are very encouraged to witness group members living out their faith. Two members from our group felt prompted to serve kids in their local church, and both shared how they enjoyed that experience and want to be more involved!

There are a couple of members who are on their journey to receive Jesus and His salvation, and we want to invite you to pray for them. Please, ask God to give them eyes and hearts to notice His work and presence in their everyday life.

We also ask you to keep praying for our discussions. We encourage our fellowship members to always share their real questions, wonders, and struggles regarding their walk with God. One example this month was wrestling with questions of evil—where does it come from and why does God allow it? Sometimes conversations can get heated as they get personal. We love it when it gets very personal. We also want the Holy Spirit’s wisdom for each group member to know how to engage with one another’s difficult questions and emotions. 

PRAYER: Please pray for God’s continued work in each heart, and for each group member to take their next steps in faith.

Preparing for our Baby Girl

We are officially in nesting mode, and we love it—I (Mary) think?! It is still crazy to think that very soon we will meet our baby girl face-to-face. So far, we’ve had great conversations with her through her kicks and movements. We are praising God that she is consistently growing and staying healthy!

PRAYER: Please, continue praying for us as we prepare for our due date, both physically and mentally. Also, pray for the Lord to provide a good (read: our favorite) midwife on call for “labor” day! Ask God to prepare us to meet our baby girl! 

Andrew and Mary are Inspire Missioners and OMS missionaries in Kyiv, Ukraine. They are in the USA for a season studying at Asbury Theological Seminary. Read more of their news and stories HERE.