So, when are you moving to Africa?

...That's the question I've been getting a lot lately, and thought it might be helpful to quickly give a run-down of what Nate and I are actually doing when we say we're "going into full-time ministry."

1. No, we're not moving to Africa (at least not right now).
Worldwide Discipleship Association (WDA) is a states-based ministry that partners with churches all over the world (I think the tally is currently 60 countries or somewhere around there). WDA staff travel to these countries periodically and teach, train, and mentor local pastors and church leaders. That's what Nate is doing in Zambia right now. WDA's goal is to disciple these pastors and equip them to disciple their congregations.

2. Are you guys living on support, or is Nate working a job, or what exactly are you doing right now?
Yes and yes. This year, our main ministry focus is on building up our support team. This means we'll be spending a lot of time traveling and hanging out with people who we love and who we want on board with us. However, it takes quite awhile to build up enough support to actually live on. So, while we are in the process of raising this support to a sustainable level, Nate will be working a job to pay our bills. He will "report" to full-time staff duty once our support is at a level we can live on. In the meantime, however, we plan to be engaging in a lot of training with WDA and other things to orient us to the ministry. To be clear, we DO need monthly support starting immediately. I am still a fulltime student (as I will talk more about below), and whatever job Nate gets will likely be barely enough to meet our needs. And, the sooner we have enough monthly support to live on, the sooner Nate can devote all of his time to this ministry that God has called us to.

3. How does Debra fit into all of this?
Right now, only Nate has joined WDA's staff. This year, starting in August, I will be doing a 30-hour-a-week internship at Moody Bible College's counseling center to complete my master's degree in Mental Health Counseling. I graduate next May (YAY!!!). AFTER I graduate, I plan to apply for staff with WDA on either a part- or full-time basis. I want to work with their Restorative Ministries, and dream of doing a combination of counseling, Restore Your Heart groups, and writing/editing for Restorative Ministries' written materials.

4. So, where are you living and are you moving at some point?
For the next year we will be living in Chicago while I finish my degree. After that year is up, we will likely be moving to Atlanta, where WDA is based. The staff training process is three years long, and so we will likely be in Georgia for at least that long. After that, who knows?!?

5. So, what exactly is WDA?
In a nutshell, WDA is all about discipleship. They exist to serve the church in its disciple-building efforts. For more details, it's probably best just to check out their great website.

...Those are answers to the questions I have been getting most often. I hope this helps to clarify the general picture. Please don't hesitate to comment on my blog or shoot an email to Nate or me if you are confused about our ministry or have any questions at all! We would love to hear from you!

We are so excited about WDA and the way it marries Nate's passion for international ministry to my passion for emotional wholeness, all under the greater umbrella of discipleship - which is really at the core of both mine and Nate's passions. This ministry feels like a gift that is perfectly fitted to our hearts and our abilities. God's plans are perfect!