Stepping out of the boat

Caleb and Pip are ReachAcross’ newest workers, busy getting ready to give up their comfortable life for long-term service in Central Asia:

“We have three children aged five, three and one, and currently live in a small village in Norfolk. When Caleb is not at home, he works as a GP in a large medical practice. Pip (a trained nurse) is busy raising the family and is very involved in the local community.

Central Asia is a fascinating melting pot of different peoples and cultures and, although we are fully expecting our fair share of frustrations, difficulties and challenges as we find our feet in this new place, we found ourselves really loving the people. What a kind God we have to call us to a place like that! Central Asia is also one of the ‘least reached’ regions of the world with 91% of the country we are moving to completely unreached. So there is a massive need for Muslims there to hear the gospel.

We want to get to know our neighbours and those in our community and to share our lives and Jesus with them. Caleb will be helping to set up a network of primary care medical clinics to serve local communities – our hope is that this network will result in centres of excellent, evidence- base medical care and hubs for powerful Christian witness. There is also opportunity to help run temporary caravan clinics into more remote, harder to reach areas. Pip will be caring for our three children and, amongst other things, hopes to help in a women’s refuge for women and children who have had to flee abusive relationships; sadly an all-too-common occurrence in this region.

We feel there is a window of opportunity in Central Asia, to encourage and mobilise the small local church in reaching out both to their local community and further afield into parts of the region that would be otherwise closed off to a ‘western’ missionary. Our long-term hope is to help in this mobilisation.

The main priority at the moment is to raise the prayer and financial support needed for us to leave – we still have a long way to go. We are also raising the awareness of the needs of Central Asia among friends and local churches. We’re very thankful for the kindness and support that has been given to us so far; it is a great picture of God’s goodness and provision for us. We are both learning Russian so we have a basic grasp when we first get out there. There are also all the practical things that need doing like visas, packing, etc

• Pray that we stay close as a family and that we stay close to Jesus.
• Pray for our language learning (Russian is not an easy language!)
• Pray for organisational skills needed for all the practical things that need doing.
• Pray for the finances to come in so that we can go.
• Pray that we would be able to prepare the children wisely in preparation for the move, especially our five-year old who started school in September.
• Pray that God would continue to grow in us a love for the Muslims of Central Asia
• Please pray for us and get in touch if you’d like to know more or have any words of wisdom!
• If you or your church would be interested in partnering with us, we would love to hear from you.
• Support-raising can be tiring as we speak at different churches and groups, so we’re very thankful for our Christian friends who have drawn alongside us and asked us how it’s going, especially if it’s over coffee and cake!

It feels at times quite daunting to be moving half way across the world and leaving a lovely community and many close friends. We anticipate there will be pressure on us as a family and times of feeling alone but know it will be an opportunity to trust in a loving God who goes before us.”

If you would like to partner with Caleb and Pip, enabling them to go, please contact the ReachAcross office on: info.uk@reachacross.net, or ring 01732 885688 for more information. Thank you.

This article originally appeared in the March 2018 edition of ReachAcross News and is used with permission. ReachAcross is an Affinity Associate Member and exists to share the gospel with Muslims and serve them in practical ways throughout the world: in the traditional heartlands of Islam, in the west, and wherever they may be found. For more information visit https://uk.reachacross.net