Sarah and I have some exciting news
to share! Yes, we are expecting a baby, but that’s not the news- it’s that we
are also expecting to join the staff of Tri-Grace Ministries as full-time
missionaries, and that we are beginning the process of building a support
network. You may know that our little boy (due in August) owes his existence to
Tri-Grace, because that is where Sarah and I met almost five years ago while
working as assistant staff. When we left Utah after the 1-year program, we were
in love, both with each other, and with Utah. As we spoke about our hoped-for
future together, returning to Utah was always part of the conversation. Today
we are pleased to announce that Tri-Grace has invited us to join their team as
full-time staff as soon as we are able.
One big question is “when?” The
main determinant of that is paying off student debt. With a return to Utah in
mind from the beginning of our relationship, we have been steadily paying off
student debt for over three years, and are about 75% done. Although our current
rate would forecast us being debt-free about a year from now, there is also a
baby coming, and little Funnell’s impact on our finances is difficult to
predict. We need this time, though, to prepare for the new roles we’ll be
filling, and to build a network of supporters before we can go.
The other big question is “why?”
Answering that question could be an all-day conversation, but the simple answer
is that Sarah and I are convinced that the truth Jesus Christ taught is
essential for all people to know, and the people of Utah have been uniquely
disadvantaged in hearing it. For over a century, people in Utah have been sheltered
from the outside world by a cult which misrepresents and distorts what Jesus
taught, and replaces it with a system of performance and self-glorification that
leaves people hopeless. The culture of Utah presents a façade of success and
wholesome living, but there is very real turmoil under the surface. Utah is a frontrunner
in the US for antidepressant use, high stress levels, suicide in all age
groups, pornography consumption, prescription substance abuse, and other
heartbreaking statistics.
Sarah and I have seen the way this
can play out- a person has a thin veneer of perfection they are attempting to
hold up as their church and culture demand, but inside they are full of
repressed questions about why they exist, who they are, and what the truth really
is. 21st century technology has made answers available to many
through the internet and media distributions, and the LDS church is in a crisis-
people are losing their faith in their man-made religion en masse: either
actively denouncing their association with the church or slowly losing their
faith and fading away. We are ecstatic to see a false church crumble, but are
also keenly aware of how this affects its members. When a person’s entire
worldview has hinged on one thing- a prophet, a church, a conviction- and that
thing crumbles, it is devastating. What will happen to the people of Utah,
already struggling with in incongruity between the expectations of their faith
and reality, when the primary thing holding their culture together collapses?
Tri-Grace has seen an influx of
ex-Mormon traffic in their ministry, and have a need for additional staff to
help handle the changing situation. God has done so much in little Ephraim,
Utah, where no light shone 25 years ago- there is now an active and growing
church of 110 with a coffee-shop outreach ministry to the small college in
town. Sarah and I want to go there and put our shoulders to the wheel to save
those who have never known true hope.
We are taking first steps to
partner with Tri-Grace Ministries in Ephraim, Utah, but there is still quite a
lot of work left to do. Expect to see more news and information from us in the
months to come. We will be establishing a separate blog to share our journey
and hope you will follow us.
