The Decision Process - May 11th

This journey of going to Mexico began back in February 2024, when Nathan applied for an unpaid leave from his job for the 2024-2025 school year.  He was really needing a change from his current position and was willing to take a leap of faith to get it.  He had various options locally that he wanted to pursue and felt that God could and would use him in our area of Southern Manitoba. After numerous doors being closed, and unexplainable disappointments, however, we felt rather discouraged.  We had prayed so much about these options, however – asking God for wisdom, discernment and His will to be done.  Who were we now to question God – just because things didn’t go the way we had hoped?  It was always our prayer that God would open doors that He wanted to open and that He would close doors that He wanted closed; that we would be obedient to where He led us.  It seemed every door was closing.  The one that remained open was missions – something we had always had a heart for.  Although I didn’t even want to think about the reality of leaving home and the predictability I loved, we began researching and pursuing mission options around the world.  I felt like a toddler, frustrated that this is where we were at, wanting to throw a tantrum about how things had not worked out.  In all our planning, I realized it had so often been about us and our accomplishments – what we felt we deserved and the plan we thought we knew God would take us on. Yet now as we began researching other options, I put all the ownership on God.  If this is what he wanted for us, if this was the path He had chosen, then He would need to figure it all out!...and figure it out He did.

God continued to speak to us through His word and those around us during this time. I clearly remember the message we had in church one Sunday in April – a message challenging us to ask ourselves what/who were we serving?  What did we value most and what did we need to let go of in order to keep God as first place in our lives? I felt extremely convicted – as if the message had been written just for me. I knew that I held on much too tightly to our home, yard, and the life we knew – loving the comfort and safety it brought and feeling as though I could never leave it.  It had become too high of a priority in my life and God was asking me to let it go.  I knew God was directing us in this way and that Nathan was willing to go.  I prayed that God would give me the same desire as my husband, peace about leaving home, and even joy. Something changed in me that week, and I finally stopped kicking and screaming, fighting the idea of leaving home.  I felt a peace about leaving that I can’t quite explain.

Our first job opportunities came from Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan, then Malaysia, Honduras, Uganda and Vietnam.  As tempting as these places all were 😉, one opportunity kept lingering in our minds – Mexico. Isaac and Annie Wiebe from our church had asked for prayer for their daughters, Amelia and Amanda, who were running a school in Mexico and needing help.  Initially, we didn’t give the opportunity much thought, thinking it wouldn’t work as we didn’t know Spanish.  Amanda sent Nathan a WhatsApp message one morning, kind of randomly, outlining what she could see us doing.  The list included things like: director to build up the ministry, training/mentoring teachers, administration of funds and resources, teaching classes, and developing policies/mission statement/vision statement for the ministry of Oaks of Righteousness. As we sat down together that evening, going over the list, we truly felt God had led us here – and for the first time, in a long time, we felt peace about an opportunity.  These were the things we had wanted to do and prayed about.  These were our gifts and passions and they could be done in English.  It may not have been the location we were expecting, but God began to grow in us, and our children, a sincere joy about going on missions and heading to Mexico.  On May 11th, we held an official Friesen family meeting, and with 6 willing hearts, the decision was made to go to Chihuahua, Mexico to serve there from September 2024 to June 2025.

So that’s how we got to where we are today….at least a shortened condensed version of a really long story, that ultimately could be summed up in one word – God.  He has guided us to this decision - answering many of our prayers these last few months, not usually in ways we had asked for, but instead challenging us to trust His plan and gently guiding us along.  These last few months haven’t always been easy, and yet what is faith if it doesn’t trust when it can’t see…. that really isn’t faith at all.  God has continually showed us that He has something more in store for us to do.  So we walk by faith not but sight – having more questions than answers but ultimately clinging to the One who holds our future in His hands and has every answer already figured out.

Written by Rose