Dear Friends,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11:28
Every three years, the entire World Outreach community comes together for Family Gathering, a week filled with fun, encouragement, fellowship, and worship. This highly anticipated event provides workers and their children with an opportunity to reconnect, be refreshed, and spend meaningful time with one another.
One worker especially looking forward to the event was K, who serves in a Muslim country and is the mother of several young children. Summers where she lives are long, hot, and dry, and she and her family eagerly anticipated the reprieve that Family Gathering would bring. Hosted at a beautiful resort in Cyprus, the event conjured visions of the Mediterranean Sea, sparkling pools, and abundant food. Those expectations helped sustain the family through many long and grueling summer days.
When the long-awaited date finally arrived, K and her family checked into the resort and began reviewing the schedule for the week. What K had not anticipated was a program that included not only time to enjoy the Mediterranean, pools, and food, but also structured times of worship, teaching, and equipping. As she looked over the week ahead, her heart sank.
“I just wanted a break,” she sighed to her husband.
What K did not realize at the beginning of the week was that God was about to meet her and minister to her heart in ways she never could have imagined. The theme for the week was He is Our Firm Foundation, and as soon as she saw those words on the opening slide, she began to cry:
I suddenly had this overwhelming feeling that Jesus was in the room with me, and it was like He was saying, “You don’t need a pool. You need me.” The crying continued all week. I felt like a dry sponge soaking up every word each speaker said, every song that was sung, and every testimony shared. I came back to our host country with an intimate awareness of the Spirit that had dulled after a year of living here. These words are alive in me. He is with us, He has called us, He is real, and even though Allah is proclaimed king over a loud speaker five times a day here, Jesus is really King. And we get to proclaim that to the darkness. . . .
Everything in our host country is dry and shriveled up like a sponge without water, and only He can bring it to life again. For a while, I thought that conferences for workers were not really necessary, but I think that is the naivety of a first-year worker speaking, and I am super thankful for all the churches and the organization that made that week happen for us.
World Outreach workers carry many different burdens into Family Gathering, but for K and her family, the week became a source of true rest and refreshment in their Savior. She returned to her host country renewed and better equipped to minister both to her family and to those she serves. The Lord was present in this gathering, using it to strengthen and encourage those who are bringing the good news to people who have never heard.
Family Gathering and similar opportunities provide workers with the care, encouragement, and rest they need to continue faithfully in the work God has called them to. It is vital that those who pour into others are also cared for and poured into themselves.
When workers are refreshed, families are strengthened. When families are strengthened, ministries flourish. And when ministries flourish, more people have the opportunity to hear the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.
Would you prayerfully consider partnering with World Outreach through a monthly gift or a one-time contribution? Together, we can help ensure that workers around the world remain encouraged, equipped, and steadfast as they proclaim Christ where He is least known.
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