When God makes plans

Christian and Jocelyn’s* journey into the mission field was very different to what they’d ever imagined, but God made it clear he was calling them to serve overseas in a difficult place, where local believers are very much at risk.  

“We’ll never forget finding ourselves on the other side of the world and unprepared during a global pandemic, but we’ll also never forget that through that time, we experienced a deeper sense of God’s presence, peace, and complete faithfulness,” recalls Jocelyn.  

“We’ve also discovered how crazy this journey of faith is, and yet how beautiful those times of faith-stretching can be,” she adds.  

Jocelyn first felt God’s calling while a teenager in Northern Ireland and dedicated her time to periods of Bible study and short-term outreach trips, alongside working as a midwife.  

Her medical mission trips took her all over the world to places including Poland, East Africa, South America, and the Caribbean, and she became convinced God wanted her to serve him in a less developed part of the world.  

“I want to be someone who loves and cares for women who are not cherished like they should be and remind them of the outrageous love that God has for them,” she explains. “Now God has provided the opportunity to serve him doing the job I love and to use my midwifery skills to build relationships with women and their families.”  

Born in communist East Germany and growing up in West Germany, Christian had tried to be a Buddhist for several years before coming to faith in 2009, aged 28. He’s lived in Ireland, The Netherlands and Italy, where he shared the good news with migrant communities, especially among the boat refugees. 

In 2018, the couple met while they were both students at Cornerstone Bible College for Missions Training in The Netherlands.  

“Our two years at college were significant for us,” recalls Jocelyn. “It was there we’d come as single people with a passion to serve God wherever he would lead; and we left as an engaged couple, grounded in our vision and even more enthusiastic about serving God among the unreached, poverty-stricken peoples of the earth.”  

The couple say God gave them a common sense of calling to a large country in Southeast Asia, but early on, Covid meant their ‘Asian adventure’ didn’t go how they expected, and their plans were engulfed in a whirlwind of turmoil and emotion.  

“Our travels to several countries were cancelled just as we arrived and the trip was filled with chaos, disappointment, and uncertainty and we couldn’t help feeling very defeated,” recalls Jocelyn.  

“However, the trip was unexpectedly blessed too,” she adds. “Even though lockdown made it difficult, we got involved with several ministries and made valuable connections for the future. We were also able to explore the culture and pray for the people.”   

When the couple were advised to return to Europe immediately, Jocelyn was told she couldn’t fly to Germany as the borders were closed to non-German citizens.  

“It was one of those moments where I held my breath and prayed like I’ve never prayed before!” she admits. “Eventually, after some discussion, I was able to fly, but God’s timing is amazing because it was only because Christian and I had got engaged just the week before!”   

Despite the disruption and chaos of a global pandemic, Christian and Jocelyn graduated and then married in 2020, before starting married life in Northern Ireland.  

Christian joined Jocelyn as a member of SIM UK and they made plans to move to their desired country. 

In January 2022, Jocelyn was able to experience the joy and intensity of midwifery from a quite different perspective when she gave birth to their first daughter! 

Even though this happy event now made moving to the other side of the world more daunting, the couple remained determined to follow God’s leading and SIM helped them to prepare for the field and move to their desired country, where 93% of the population are ‘unreached’ or minimally reached with the gospel.  

“There are 60 entire people groups that remain unreached by the gospel to this day, and many don’t have a Bible in their mother tongue,” says Jocelyn. “The vast majority has never heard of God’s free gift of salvation, and most have never met a follower of Jesus.”  

The couple soon adjusted to a new climate, culture, and language lessons, but they weren’t expecting to have to survive a typhoon, tropical pests, and the house flooding in their very first month!

The couple are now settled in their new home that’s big enough for a family of four since welcoming a precious second daughter in 2023.    

Jocelyn says she’s amazed that midwifery opportunities arise naturally and she’s increasingly able to make use of her skills to bless people, while Christian works in a missional business as project manager for a software company.    

“I enjoy the growing relationships and cultural understanding that come with being so closely involved with so many locals doing work together,” he says. “Nearly every week, I have significant conversations with different colleagues.”  

There are now plans to set up a SIM base in the location through missional business that will aim to cater for the local needs, practically and spiritually and Jocelyn’s particularly excited that midwifery, health, and wellness will also be an integral part of SIM’s future involvement here. 

Meanwhile, the couple continue to grow in their delight as parents: “Our children are such a fun blessing and the best ministry partners ever as they open so many doors and hearts with the locals, especially during our regular road trips to rural, mountainous villages.  

“Our trips are to take a holiday and explore, but also to show the people we meet some love and care and then leave them with the message of hope in their language. It’s wonderful to have some small conversations and then hand families gifts of food, books, and a few audio Bibles in their language. These brief encounters thrill our hearts and we know they’re what our supporters pray for.  

 “God had led us on an interesting journey that’s been quite different to what we ever could have imagined, but we see his hand in all we do and thank him for many open doors and opportunities. 

“Our churches, family, and friends in Northern Ireland, Germany, and Italy have been a wonderful support to us, along with many mentors from Cornerstone and the leaders within SIM, who’ve guided us with so much wisdom, prayer, and experience in our journey of faith and we thank God for them.    

“We also thank God for his leading as we feel blessed to be part of this community, but we’re only one small link in his chain. While we have the privilege to ‘go’ and build relationships, we believe he wants to use his whole church to reach the least reached.”  

*Names changed to protect their identity 

By Kerry Allan

Pray   

  • Pray for the couple as they seek to be salt and light in a place where there are very few Christians.  
  • Pray that their family road trips will have a lasting impact as they share the love and truth of Jesus.  
  • Ask God to raise up more workers to join the current team of only five currently living in the country.  

 

This was posted on 10 July 2024 in Ministry stories.

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