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January 2026 started quietly for me in South Dakota. I am now off on new adventures in mobilization. At the end of January, the NAB International Missions Department team met for our first time in person. We spent the week strategizing and dreaming and praying together. We are looking forward to seeing God work mightily as he calls more workers to the harvest fields.
We also hosted the first ever Missions Pop-Up Event at First Baptist Church in Lodi, California. It was an evening of conversations about NAB international missions and sharing the vision we have for how churches and individuals can participate in God’s work around the world. I enjoyed meeting people from several Northern California churches who attended. Watch for future opportunities to participate in or host a Missions Pop-Up Event in your area!
NAB International Missions Team: Shan, Caryn Young, Joel David, and Randy Schmor.
In December, I had the unexpected surprise of meeting a group of Japanese women in Sioux Falls. I spent a fun afternoon with about 15 women who live in the area. What a lovely wink from Jesus to remind me that I can still have Japanese connections in Sioux Falls.
Learning about mobilization work continues every day. In early December, I traveled to Phoenix to attend a mobilizers’ conference put on by Missio Nexus. During the sessions, I sat with seasoned mobilizers who taught and encouraged me, and at meals I asked questions of as many people as possible. I appreciated learning about mobilizing the next generation of leaders from some experts in the field. God is at work around the world! Continue to pray and ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers.
What is a mobilizer? (from Café 1040).
This week, I am in Ontario for the second module of Blue Ocean, a missional learning community of NAB leaders. I am looking forward to a few days of fellowship and learning together. Our first module in Vancouver in October was about missional theology and how it intersects with our lives and ministries. This module is about spiritual formation, how God has formed our hearts and how they develop and grow.
Transition back to life in the United States continues daily. Winter in South Dakota has been an adjustment! Some winter driving muscle memory has surfaced, but the confidence is not strong. I am grateful for a reliable car and safety in my travels so far. I do miss walking outside in the mornings and to the grocery store and to the post office. Thank you for continuing to pray for my adjustment.
There will be lots of travel this year as I go to churches and conferences to talk about missions and church engagement. We will be providing new opportunities to join in prayer for NAB missionaries, for the world, for the unreached people of the world, and for the Lord to send out more workers. Watch for communications from the NAB or from me with more information.
Thank you for being people who love Jesus through your involvement in the global church.