Learn more about the places we've lived the last 2 years, and what we've been doing.
Prayer and Thanksgiving
- Thanks for a good orientation week at ITeams and confirmation of our decision
- Pray for strength as we get into fundraising in two countries and make preparations to visit Athens
Why ITeams...
Allie first met and collaborated with a mobilizer from ITeams while at Judson University in 2011. This Spring we met with him again and were very encouraged by his openness to talk through our situation and explore the options together.
We discussed our passions and ideas: the importance of art as ministry, leveraging Henk’s skills in water and land development, our love for refugees, and our desire to gain experience in doing ministry together. We also wanted to be part of a team that is well established but open to new ideas.
As we discovered more about ITeams' Vision and Mission, and how it plays out through their strategy of Integrated Community Transformation (ICT), we became confident that this is where God wants us.
We were introduced to teams in different countries with various ministries, and spent a lot of time talking over skype, thinking and praying. In the end, we felt God directing us back to our passion to work with refugees, which led us to our decision to work at the Athens Refugee Center in Greece!
Dear Friends and Family,
You are receiving this email because you have been a part of our lives in some way over the past several years. We are writing because we would like to update you on what is going on in our lives and how God has been leading us. We hope that you will continue to be connected with us.
As many of you know, we got to know each other while volunteering at an Amsterdam youth hostel ministry, The Shelter, about 6 years ago.
The multi-year, across-the-ocean relationship was tough. That all changed when we got married on a warm summer’s day in July 2014 in Illinois, and had a second wedding celebration in the Netherlands a month later.
The following year and a half we lived in four different countries -- the Netherlands, Burundi (East Africa), United States and Aruba. This was primarily to allow Henk to complete his master degree research in International Land and Water Management.
You can read more about those adventures on our blog
By January 2016 Henk finished up his degree and we found ourselves back in the USA.
This Summer we have officially joined ITeams and are excited to announce that we will be going to Athens, Greece to work at the Athens Refugee Center!
Since we first met, we shared a dream of a life of cross-cultural service. At the hostel, we both really enjoyed serving the refugees that came through. It became a growing passion of our hearts. Allie also began to discover ways that her art could directly serve refugees -- and that became part of our life dream.
These different threads came together nicely at International Teams (ITeams), an organization that pursues an integrated approach to serving the world through food, freedom and forgiveness.
For the year ahead, we will be dividing our time between the USA and Europe as we gather our support. In late July, we will be flying to Europe to attend the wedding celebration of Allie’s brother, Ryan.
After the celebration, we are excited to have the opportunity to travel down to Greece for a few weeks to visit and work with the team at the Athens Refugee Center!
In Autumn we will also spend a couple months in the Netherlands reconnecting with Henk’s friends, family and church. We plan to be back in the United States by late November and spend the winter with Allie’s family in Elgin.
We hope to reach our required financial support goal by Spring 2017, enabling us to move to Athens and begin working that summer. We'd love to see and hang out with any of you if you are in the area. Please connect with us!
Will you Join us on our Journey?
To do so, first click on the button below to find out the many ways in which you can join our team.
Now that we are on board as part of ITeams, our next step is to gather committed partners who will join our team. This is of course a daunting task, but we are excited about the possibility of seeing many of you, our friends and family, come on board with us through prayer and financial support.
Second, consider inviting us to share our story and mission with you individually or in a group setting... invite your friends (and us) over, and we’ll share the stories. Or arrange for us to tell our story at your Bible study group or church.
Thank you so much and have a wonderful day!
