Twice a year The Church at Brook Hills sends men and women from our faith family around the world to serve on a Mid-Term basis. This week we have the privilege of sending a new group of Mid-Termers out to different parts of the world. A Mid-Termer is defined as someone who is serving and sharing the gospel in a different culture and context for 2 months to 2 years. Each day this week we will introduce you to a few of these Mid-Termers and give you specific ways to pray for them while they are away.

 

DREW – East Asia

Drew grew up in the small town of Appling, Georgia where his family home is quaintly situated between a cow pasture and a horse field. Currently Drew is a sophomore at Samford University where he is studying Accounting. Drew also is intentionally involved with international students at Samford and feels like he has received a crash course this last year in how to relate to and share the gospel with people in other cultures. While at Samford, Drew has been attending The Church at Brook Hills since 2011. Brook Hills has been a home away from home for Drew and a place where he feels pushed towards obedience in missions and support in this obedience. After returning home from a Short-term trip last summer, Drew knew he wanted to spend more time on the field. So he began to pray and start the process of going Mid-Term with Brook Hills. Drew will go with Matt, another Brook Hills’ Mid-Termer to East Asia. Their goal is to meet with believers and encourage them by worshipping together and spending time in the word as well as to engage non-believers with the gospel through friendships and time spent on the university campus. Drew says, “I have a desire to be a Mid-Termer because Mid-Term opens up many opportunities to develop friendships over time and really engage with people. There is also time to live with the local church in an area and to really disciple new believers”. By using his background and love for sports, Drew feels like he will have a unique opportunity to engage other athletes and make friends easily. When asked about what his greatest fear in going, Drew said, “I fear all the unknown aspects. How will I be accepted? Will I be effective? What is it like to spend long periods of time where there isn’t a church on every corner?” These are the things that he is praying through and trusting God to work out for His glory. Drew’s biggest hope is to share God’s love and truth of Christ with people who have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel before. Drew will leave with Matt on May 30^th and serve for three months in East Asia.

Drew’s perfect Saturday would consist of mountain biking at Oak Mountain with friends, eating his mom’s famous taco salad and playing ping-pong with his dad.

Ways to Pray for Drew:

- Pray for God to give Drew patience as he serves with his partner, the people and unfamiliar situations.

- Pray for swift and effective language learning for Drew.

- The harvest is plentiful in East Asia and more workers are needed. Pray for God to call more to come after Drew to serve and continue God’s work in East Asia.

 

 

 

MATT – East Asia

Matt grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He is currently a sophomore in Communication Studies at Samford University. By God’s grace, Matt ended up at Brook Hills his first Sunday as a new freshman at Samford and has been attending ever since. When asked to describe his time with our faith family Matt says, “At Brook Hills I’ve been challenged to look beyond my personal faith…the gospel is good news only if it is heard, and it’s only heard if it’s shared. Brook Hills has helped me realize the tremendous blessing of having the gospel and need for Christ-followers to share their faith with a lost world”. In the fall of last year, God began to press upon Matt’s heart the desire to pursue missions. Having no idea where to begin this process, Matt started praying about opportunities to go. Without knowing Matt’s interest in missions, his friend Drew asked him if he’d be interested in going with him this summer. Four months later, they are both going to East Asia for the summer. Matt will have the opportunity to engage university students by taking language classes on campus. Outside of class they will connect with local believers and disciple college students in a local church. Matt is well equipped for this, as he has been involved with international students at Samford. Matt has been able to develop strong friendships with students from East Asia and begin to engage in their culture. This will be valuable as Matt begins his journey this summer. Matt’s desire is to do life with people, build relationships, learn a new language and share the gospel with people who have never heard. “Going mid-Term gives me the opportunity to do all of those things and gain direction for whether God is calling me to go Long-Term” says, Matt. Matt and Drew will leave May 30^th and serve for three months.
Matt’s perfect Saturday would be going to the park with his American and International friends, complemented with Frisbee, fellowship, food and conversation. Usually best concluded with dinner together and staying up till ridiculous hours of the morning. And where a Waffle House run after 2am is always a possibility.

Ways To Pray for Matt:

- Pray for Matt to have patience in travel, relationships, learning a new language, living with others and adapting to a new culture.

- Pray for confidence in God’s sovereignty regardless of the situation.

- Pray for God to give wisdom in who and where to invest the limited time Matt will have once he is in East Asia.

 

 

SARAH – West Africa

Sarah Witkowski is a native of Peachtree City, Georgia. Currently she is a student athlete studying public relations at UAB. She has been at The Church at Brook Hills since 2011 where she is involved in leading a small group. Sarah began to pray about going Mid-Term this past fall. She knew her summer would be a great opportunity to serve for longer period of time. While she has been excited about going, it has been challenging convincing others that this is a good idea. Sarah will be going to a difficult area in West Africa that will require great physical and spiritual strength. There, she will be living in a hut in a village engaging the Hausa people. The Hausa are one of the largest unreached people groups in West Africa. Sarah said, “I desire to be a Mid-Termer because one of the best ways to share the gospel with people to is live life together. It is what Jesus did with his disciples and I will have the opportunity to live among and share Christ with the Hausa in this way”. While Sarah is in West Africa she will be living among the Hausa and sharing recorded gospel stories in the Hausa language. She will leave at the end of May and serve for 2 months.

Sarah’s perfect Saturday is going to Crestline bagel shop, hammocking in the park for the afternoon armed with a C.S. Lewis book and a cup of hot tea.

Ways to Pray for Sarah:

- Pray for the physical health of Sarah and her team.

- Pray for the Spirit to begin to soften the hearts of the Hausa people who Sarah will come in contact with to hear the gospel.

- Pray for Sarah to have patience as she learns a new language.