Overcoming Barriers to Fulfill the Call
Hear from IM missionaries as they share their stories about the variety of ways they have each overcome different barriers to fulfill their call to the mission field. How is God calling you to take the Gospel to the nations or to those around you?
Ken and Jayne Cash share what led them to fulfill the call to minister in Bulgaria. They share how the burden of the need for the Gospel in Bulgaria caused them to shift their lives to live overseas later in their life.
Our relationship with Bulgaria began about fifteen years ago when we met Tim and Lydia Awtrey. Their stories and passion for Bulgaria touched our hearts and we became supporters of the ministry there. Not only did we give financially, but we also sent teams of people and traveled there ourselves. As we got to know the people in Bulgaria and formed ongoing relationships, the Lord pierced our hearts for the need for the Gospel in Bulgaria. We began to ask each other, “Do you think God would allow us to go and live there and serve the people? Are we too old? Is it too late?”
We saw the need in Bulgaria and realized that we were in a wonderful season to bring ministry experience, and hopefully, wisdom to a country that desperately needs workers. So, the question for us was not “Why go?”. Rather, the question was, “Why not?”
We began what felt like a long journey to Bulgaria. We resigned from our pastorate, sold our home, gave away stuff, and said goodbye to our daughters, our sons-in-law, and our grandchildren. As parents, we always said that we would rather see our children in God’s will on the other side of the world than be out of God’s will in our backyard. If that is true for them, isn’t true for us as well?
For years, I coached high school basketball. As a coach, I broke the game down into four, eight-minute quarters. Adjustments were made at half-time and one final adjustment at the end of the third quarter. The game plan at that point was to finish the game strong.
Psalm 90 instructs us to number our days so that we might apply our hearts to wisdom. I am 61 years old and in the chronology of life, I am beginning the fourth quarter. I have been in ministry for many years now, and I want to finish strong.
Job 42:12 tells us that, “…the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.” That verse keeps visiting our thoughts. We desire for our Lord to bless and use us more in this fourth quarter than at any other time in our ministry. We have seen our faithful God do amazing things in our 30+ years of ministry and are praying for Him to do even greater things in our lives for this season of our lives.
