My dad and I were recently discussing the remaining trips scheduled for 2020. With all the differing opinions and ever changing strategies for the States to open up again, it’s hard to say when we will be able to return to the fields. It is challenging to maintain patience in what has felt like an endless season of waiting; a season where we’ve been forced to surrender control to God. This time has required us all to slow down and regroup. Don’t get me wrong, there have been some aspects I have really enjoyed. AC and I have been able to spend a lot of time together, I’m a natural introvert and appreciate the excuse to stay home, and the Lord has definitely used this time to recenter me. With that being said:
I am ready to head back out.
I think that we have gotten too comfortable living in assurances from people and other things that are not God. If you look back in history at the men and women who we know as heroes of the Faith, and even great humanitarians, you won’t see any of them shying away from doing their work because of fear of a virus.
What if Mother Teresa only helped the healthy orphans because she was afraid of getting sick? What if Corrie ten Boom kicked sick Jews out of her house because she didn’t want to risk infection? Even more so, what if Jesus saw the leper and said, “Hey bro, don’t get too close. I’ll pray from six-feet away”...?
If we always live in fear of the unknown, unseen or uncontrollable circumstances, how are we ever going to proclaim the love of Jesus? I’m not at all saying that everyone needs to rush outside and evangelize right now, or that this virus and its horrific impacts aren’t real. What I am saying is that God sometimes calls us to move forward despite the fear of what’s happening in the present.
In short I don’t know exactly when I will get to travel again, but hopefully it will be soon. Whenever the Lord calls me, I will be ready to go. This pandemic has brought tremendous suffering to our brothers and sisters in the fields where we work. Especially in the Nuba Mountains. We know that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). We also know that whatever evil he does, the Lord will redeem and restore. I look forward to seeing the works of the enemy destroyed and the Kingdom of God further restored.
I ask that you’d continue to join me in praying that the Lord would protect our friends in the field. I also ask that we’d keep praying for each other in the States, and that we would all be able to discern what the Lord has for us in this season. I invite you not to succumb to fear, but walk in the peace He has given us.
JAKE FULLER | FIELD COORDINATOR
Jake never thought he would follow in his father's footsteps, but after stepping in to lead an emergency relief trip to the Nuba Mountains in the fall of 2017, he knew God was leading him into missions. After graduating from Virginia Tech with a degree in Agricultural Science and a minor in Social Change and Leadership, Jake accepted a full-time position as ATC's Field Coordinator. When he's not leading trips or coordinating projects, you can find Jake working on the family farm or hanging out with his wife A.C.