We would love for you to take just a few minutes to watch this recap of the service and celebrate with us all that God has done! A big thank you to Jonathon Peterson for his incredible videography skills used for God’s glory!

And now I’m crying all over again. ❤️ What an incredible gift it is to have been sent out with so much love, prayer, encouragement, and support. We are so deeply grateful for the people God has placed around us and for the many ways He has provided for us through His Church.

If you’d like to watch the entire commissioning service, it’s available on YouTube: CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FULL COMMISSIONING SERVICE. We think you’ll be encouraged by this beautiful reminder of God’s faithfulness too!

Watch the Full Service Now!

And the best part? The story didn’t stop there.

Just two months later, we could already make another long list of the ways God has shown His faithfulness since we arrived in Spain. He has provided, sustained, encouraged, opened doors, answered prayers, and reminded us again and again that He is faithful.

One specific answer to prayer has been leading us to a Spanish-speaking church right here in Colmenar Viejo! As many of you know, finding a local church where our family could worship, grow, and become part of the community was one of our biggest prayer requests—and God has been faithful to provide.

We’ve been attending Sierra Norte, where we’ve already been encouraged and fed by the truth of the Gospel. The kids have also been attending the Spanish-speaking children’s class, which has been a great opportunity for them to hear and use even more Spanish. Please pray that their language learning comes quickly so that they can stay engaged, build relationships, and become fully involved in the life of the church.

We could keep going, but we’ll save some for our next updates! 😊 We’ll be sharing again soon with more praises and specific ways you can pray with us as we head into September.

Jesse & Emily

Not surprisingly, they also came ready to serve. During their time here, they helped us tackle projects - both at our house and at LIFE, took care of countless wants and needs for us and the kids, and helped our new house feel a lot more like home. Their love was expressed not only in the things they said, but in the many tangible ways they cared for our family.

Some of our best moments, though, were when we weren’t accomplishing anything at all. We had opportunities to slow down, take some naps, spend time relaxing on our beautiful new patio, and enjoy some of the incredible beauty God has placed right near our home—walking, exploring, and relaxing together in the mountains and national park nearby.

Their visit was also a sweet reminder to us of something at the very heart of the Gospel: love moves toward people. Jesus did not love us from a distance. He came to us, entered into our need, and gave Himself FOR US. Because we have been loved so extravagantly by Christ, we are freed to love one another with more than words—with our time, our presence, our resources, and our service.

In a much smaller way, that is what we experienced during these three weeks. After so much transition over the past several months, mom and dad stepped into our new life, learned it alongside us, and looked for ways to serve. Their love for us was tangible—and it continually pointed us toward the much greater love we have received in Jesus.

And then, of course, we had to say goodbye again.

We understand that goodbyes are one of the realities of moving toward God’s call to live far from people we deeply love. Saying goodbye to family was brutally hard. We don’t expect that part to become easy. But this goodbye felt different from the one we said when we first left for Spain. This time, there was truly a deeper peace and assurance underneath the sadness.

They had now seen our life here. And after several weeks of living it alongside them, we were affirmed again that this is where God has us. We can be sad to see them go while also being confident that we are not supposed to go with them. Those two things can be true at the same time: Hard and sad, yes. Confident in where God has called us, also yes! That confidence doesn’t make the sacrifice disappear, but it reminds us why the sacrifice is worth making.

We are deeply grateful for parents (on both sides!) who love us, believe in what God has called our family to, and demonstrate that love so generously - both here while visiting, and back home in the States.

We love you, Mom and Dad! Thank you for loving us—and, even more, for loving Jesus, and His work in and through His people. 😘

• Raising support

• Packing boxes

• Saying goodbyes

• Making travel plans

• Setting up a home

• Filling out paperwork

• Navigating appointments

• Learning our way around a new city and a new country

This past week felt like a significant step in that transition.

BIG NEWS - Today, ALL 5 OF US received our Spanish residency cards! We are officially residents of Spain. Praise God for His faithful provision and confirmation of our ministry here in Spain! We are humbled and SO SO grateful. ❤️

I (Jesse) also completed my first week of work at LIFE International School as the new Executive Director. Although there is MUCH to do to prepare for the upcoming school year, I am incredibly excited to serve - and be served by - a highly capable and qualified administrative team. We have already jumped into the deep end of planning and preparing for new teachers to arrive THIS COMING WEEK! It’s 0 —> 60 here in this new role - and I wouldn’t have it any other way! 💪

We are no longer preparing to go or talking about what ministry might look like. No, we are finally stepping into the work that God brought our family here to do. And that is very fulfilling.

There are still plenty of moments when life here feels new - and we feel out of place. But little by little, Spain is becoming less like the place we moved to and more like home. This is what we have prayed for. May God continue to knit our lives and hearts into a fabric of love and passion for the Gospel’s power and presence here in Madrid - and beyond!

This season of being here is still dependent on your engagement and prayers - THAT HASN’T CHANGED! We’d love for you—the people who prayed us all the way here—to continue praying with us as we begin to put down roots, build relationships, and step fully into the work ahead.

3 Ways to Pray

1. Please pray for ALL the work that needs to done for LIFE International to open its doors to students and families on September 4! The building still needs a lot of TLC to be ready - and we are actively working to prepare for new staff orientation (we have more than 20 new staff members!) next week and returning staff the following week. I am getting pretty giddy to get lots more bodies in the building!

2. We are really excited to host 50+ LIFE staff and their families at our home tomorrow for the solar eclipse! Our town, Colmenar Viejo, is the line of totality (just 43 seconds of it, but still! 😎). Please pray for deep and mission-rich relationships to be built with these staff partners. This is a HUGE priority for Emily and I. We strongly believe that our ministry fruit will have a higher yield with a strong team in our court!

3. The church that we have been attending for the past month has both an English and Spanish service on Sunday mornings. This past week, Emily and I had the opportunity to visit the Spanish service. Please pray that God would continue to provide clarity on where and how to minister in a local church body. The local church is the engine (fueled by the good news of Jesus) of our ministry motivation. We are continuing to pray for a local church that will become our primary source ministry and outreach!

Let’s Get Busy!

Paul’s encouragement in 1 Corinthians is a personal favorite of mine - and especially relevant to us in this season:

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:58

Our hope is not that we will accomplish something impressive here. Our hope is in the risen Jesus—and because He is alive, no work done faithfully for Him is ever wasted. 🙌💪

So we want to be here faithfully: loving people well, serving the local church, investing in LIFE, opening our home, building relationships, and sharing the good news of Jesus wherever God gives us opportunity.

Thank you for praying us through the season of getting here.

Now, would you pray with us as we jump into the work of being here?

Our first month in Spain has gone by incredibly fast. Throughout these past weeks, we have experienced God’s kindness through so many people—friends and family back in the United States as well as our new community here in Tres Cantos (where LIFE International School is located) and Colmenar Viejo (where we live). So many of you have generously given your time, your finances, your encouragement, and your prayers. Thank you. We are deeply grateful.

This past Sunday we worshiped at Sierra North International Church here in Colmenar Viejo, where we were encouraged by 2 Corinthians 9:6–11. One verse especially stood out to me as I reflected on the generosity we have received:

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

2 Corinthians 9:8

We are undeserving of the generosity we’ve received. Yet, this is a reminder to me that the reason God blesses us so abundantly is that because we have all we need, we may also be abundant in every good work that He has prepared for us to do here.

That truth has been an encouragement to us as we settle into life and ministry here in Spain. Your generosity has allowed us to focus on serving, building relationships, and preparing for the ministry ahead instead of worrying about what we lack. God has used each of you as part of His provision.

Paul continues in verse 11,

“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”

2 Corinthians 9:11

May we – and you – continue to recognize and give thanks to the Lord for his generosity to us!

Thanksgiving

• Family together. Jesse’s parents, Dan and Jane Stout, arrived safely in Madrid last Wednesday and have already been an enormous help as we continue settling into our home. The grandchildren are especially thrilled to have them here! It even allowed Jesse and I to go out for a date night last evening! ❤️

• A smooth transition for the kids. Noah, Eliza, and Addelyn continue to adjust remarkably well. They are already counting down the weeks until school begins because they can’t wait to “meet their new friends.”

• Answered prayer for LIFE International School. The school’s new building has officially passed inspection and received approval to begin the school year in its new facility! We praise God for His faithfulness to this ministry.

Please pray this week

• Our house in Ohio. We received an offer on our house last week, but the inspection uncovered a long list of requested repairs. Please pray for wisdom as we navigate these decisions from across the ocean.

• The start of the school year. Jesse has begun spending several days each week on campus and is excited to learn the school, serve the staff, and prepare for the new academic year. Pray for wisdom as he listens, learns, and begins leading.

• Staffing needs. LIFE International School still has several important positions to fill, including a middle school English teacher and substitute teachers. Please pray that God would provide the right people so the school is fully prepared to welcome students—including many who have never heard the gospel.

Thank you for faithfully praying, giving, encouraging, and walking alongside our family. We truly could not do this ministry alone. We are continually reminded that God is using your partnership to accomplish His work here in Spain, and we are so grateful to have you on this journey with us.

With gratitude,

Jesse, Emily, Noah, Eliza, & Addelyn

It is evident that many have been praying for us. We continue to be overwhelmed by the kindness of God in the many ways he has answered prayer.

First, we can’t help but share a huge answer to prayer from last Monday at our first residency appointment at the police department. Our first residency appointment could have meant four separate trips to police stations around the Madrid area on different days. Instead, despite some understandable reluctance from the officers - and a lot of nagging from Jesse - they agreed to complete all five of our residency appointments in one visit! What an unexpected gift from the Lord. What a blessing! In a few weeks, we should be able to pick up our residency cards there at the police station. Praise God!

We know that many of you have been praying for our children as well. They have all had an easy transition so far and the moments of sadness are few and far between. They are pumped for school to start again (not until the second week in September)! We’ll go this week to order school uniforms for Noah and Eliza.

How you can pray for our family

• Pray for safe travels for Jesse’s parents, Dan and Jane Stout, as they travel to Spain (and bring a few more suitcases for us) this Wednesday! They get to visit and stay with us for three weeks this month!

• Our home (in Columbus) is on the market! We have had some showings and have already received an offer! Please pray for fruitful negotiations and ease within the upcoming inspection process. We are ready to get it sold - although sad to let it go. We have LOVED that home! 🏡❤️

• Pray that God would make clear which needs I (Emily) should commit to, whether at church or at school or with individuals. There are many opportunities to serve, but want to make sure I’m following the Lord’s leading as I make decisions on how best to use my time this coming school year.

How you can pray for the ministry of Life International School:

• Pray that every remaining staffing need would be filled so that every classroom is ready to welcome students who will hear the gospel through Christian education. Pray also for the staff members still waiting for their visas- that they will be able to arrive for the start of school.

• Pray for good favor with the final inspections of the school building so that students and staff can start Day 1 in the newly renovated building that will allow the school to grow three times its size!

• There are many new staff members at Life this school year (~22 new staff)! Pray for each of them as many of them are also moving to Spain this summer. Pray that the faculty and staff will have a smooth transition with new team members and new leadership. Pray that they would work together well as a team, united for the same goal of spreading the gospel to the unreached students and families of Spain!

Thank you again for faithfully praying for us as we continue to adjust to life here in Spain. We truly feel the impact of those prayers, and we’re deeply encouraged by your partnership in the gospel. Whether you’ve sent a note, a text, or simply lifted us up before the Lord, thank you. We couldn’t do this ministry alone, and we’re grateful that we’re serving Christ together.

Hope you enjoy your last week of July!

Jesse & Emily

One of the beautiful—and challenging—realities of an international Christian school like LIFE International School is that our teachers come from all over the world. Many are missionaries. Some are volunteers. Others have left jobs, homes, and churches to answer God’s call to serve in Spain.

It’s one of the things that makes LIFE such a unique and beautiful community.

At the same time, it creates a very real challenge each year. Because our teachers are coming from so many different countries, there are almost always a handful who aren’t able to arrive in time for the start of school due to visa delays, funding needs, or unexpected personal circumstances.

This year is no exception.

That means we are looking for people who would be willing to step in and serve as short-term (or even longer-term) substitute teachers while we wait for those teachers to arrive.

Maybe you’ve never considered something like this before...

But have you ever wondered what it would look like to spend a few weeks—or a few months—using your gifts or passions to serve students, encourage missionaries, and advance the Gospel in Spain?

It may be more attainable than you think:

• No visa is required for stays of up to 90 days for most U.S. travelers.

• Many people raise support through their church, family, or friends for opportunities like this.

• Housing assistance may be available, and in some cases housing may even be free.

• If you prefer your own place, fully furnished apartments within walking distance of the school can often be found for around $1,000–1,500 per month.

• Round-trip flights around the beginning of September are often around $1,000—or even less.

I’m simply planting a seed.

For many (or even most) of you, this may not be realistic because of family, work, or other responsibilities. I completely understand. But perhaps as you’re reading this, the Lord is stirring something in your heart. Or maybe someone immediately comes to mind who would be a great fit.

If that’s the case, we’d love to have a conversation.

And here’s the encouraging part: you don’t have to be a licensed teacher, and you don’t have to speak Spanish. What matters most is a servant’s heart, flexibility, and a willingness to love students and support a community that is sharing the hope of Christ in one of the least-reached countries in Western Europe.

If you—or someone you know—might be interested in exploring this opportunity, please reach out to Emily or me. We’d love to tell you more.

P.S. Yes, I am sending this during half-time of the World Cup… what an AWESOME time to have moved to Spain!

VAMOS ESPAÑA!

Life is moving 100mph right now - and we are seeking to soak in every minute of it. We are so grateful for God’s continued blessing, provision, and clarity.

In order to keep you in the loop with ways to be praying and providing accountability for us, we are going to seek to send regular, brief(er) updates with 3 simple ways to pray. I know… short is not what I am known for (Jesse), but I am confident that God’s grace is sufficient for me to accomplish such a daunting task. 🙃

We covet your prayers and encouragement - KEEP IT UP! Here are 3 specific ways that you can be praying for us now:

1. Please pray for an upcoming residency appointment (Monday evening) for Eliza and Addy! To make a long story short, there are 2 reasons that this appointment is kind of a miracle: (1) Spain LOOOOOVES their bureaucratic processes, yet are not always organized or efficient in the execution of them. It is very hard and confusing to get appointments like these scheduled. (2) Spain recently made a change in their national immigration systems that moved all of their immigration tracking to a new digital system. It was launched before all municipalities were ready to implement them, therefore, many places cannot accommodate the requirements (digital fingerprinting, connection to new system, etc.) for residency application. We have heard from people who have been trying for months to get this appointment and are still waiting - reaching the time when their visa will expire 😰. God provided an appointment opening for Eliza and Addy for Monday (Emily and I have an appointment scheduled for August and Noah in September 🤷‍♂️). Pray specifically that we may get an agent who is sensitive to the challenges of this process now - especially for a family - who may be willing to make an exception to allow all of us (or at least Noah) to get our fingerprints at the same time to avoid much later appointments. I also have a lot of paperwork and payments to figure out BEFORE the appointment, which are all confusing and complicated. Pray for God’s favor in that process!

2. I started my next doctoral term this week. I am in my dissertation writing and research, which is overwhelming amidst the transition we are in. I know that this is a luxury and blessing to be able to do and am grateful for the privilege of being in this position. Please pray for integrity and focus throughout this next term to complete my research and writing efficiently and thoroughly. I am more than half way done with my dissertation! Not only will this Ed.D. serve me professionally, but it can also open up other opportunities for sustainability in Spain.

3. God gave us an amazing gift of connection and community! Our neighbors on both sides of us have already been so friendly. God gave us one set of neighbors, however, who have twins (a boy and girl) who are 6 years old - right in between Noah and Eliza! The kids attend a bilingual school in Colmenar and understand quite a bit of English, although they are nervous to speak it. These neighbors invited us over for a Spanish BBQ this afternoon. This seems simple, but is pretty uncommon in Spain to invite neighbors who you do not already have a relationship with outside of the home. We spent 6+ hours in their home today - and it was a GREAT time. Praise God for: (1) resilient kids who don’t need to use words to make connections, (2) Spanish levels that allowed Emily and I to engage our neighbors in meaningful ways - and they did the same for us!, and (3) neighbors who are eager to build relationships between us and our kids. Today was mainly focused on learning about them (and them learning about us) and building bridges for relationship. I am hopefully pursuant of relationships that will allow us to both speak and live the free grace of Jesus to them (because it is FOR THEM!). Please pray for continued and growing relationships with them that would bear much fruit for the fame of Jesus! - and also fun friends would be great too! :)

Pray. We need it. We rely on it. AND, it’s totally free and guaranteed to be heard and valued because of Jesus! 😊❤️

Grace to you, friends! Hasta pronto!

Jesse & Emily

P.S. Feel free to reach out to us via text, email, or call at anytime! We can receive direct text messages and calls to our American numbers while we are on WIFI. If you download WhatsApp, you can find us using our American numbers and we can text, call, or video chat at any time using our Spanish data plans! Don’t be a stranger!

Emily and I are incredibly grateful for our sweet former student, and even sweeter friend, Claire, who traveled to Spain with us 2 weeks ago to help our family transition to a new home/culture/routine/etc. And what an HUGE blessing she was to us!

We wanted to take a few moments just to give honor where honor is due.

Claire spent the past two weeks changing diapers, cleaning up after kids, reading books, putting together IKEA furniture, giving piggy-back rides (LOOOOOTS of piggy-back rides!), and so much more! Her presence and care to our kids - and to us - allowed us to register for residency in Spain, purchase furniture for our home, buy a car, schedule meetings for my new role, meet new people, and frankly just catch our breath after all of the new things.

She saw us at our best and at our worst. She was here for all of our new excitements and witnessed many of the panics that come with figuring out new cultural processes and expectations. She never judged us. She never expressed disappointment or disapproval in our lack of understanding or knowledge of life in Spain. She simply and steadily cared for us and supported us. She provided needed encouragement and processing for Emily and I, as well as needed stability and comfort for the kids. She has truly been the “best part of our family” these past two weeks.

She didn’t come to Spain for sightseeing or a vacation - although we did spend our last day together in beautiful Segovia! She came to serve. She entered the chaos of moving, unpacking, tired kids, unfamiliar routines, and countless little needs, and she met them with joy, humility, and grace. Her willingness to inconvenience herself for the good of others has been a tangible picture of the love of Jesus to us.

As we reflect on Claire’s time with us, we want to leave you with two simple challenges:

FIND a Claire

Invite someone into your life who is willing to know the real you—not the polished version—and who will walk alongside you through difficult and uncertain seasons with encouragement, consistency, and love. We are SO grateful that we found a Claire!

BE a Claire

Ask the Lord to show you someone who could use your presence, your time, or your hands. Gospel ministry often happens not through grand gestures but through quiet acts of faithful, sacrificial service that no one else notices - or maybe even appreciates (like 7, 5, and 3 year olds 🙃). When we willingly lay down our own comfort to care for others, we reflect the heart of the Savior who “came not to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45).

Claire reminded us that the advance of the Gospel has always been served by people who quietly and joyfully serve behind the scenes. Claire will probably never preach a sermon in Spain (although I would go to hear her! 😊), but for two weeks she helped make Gospel ministry possible simply by caring for our family.

We love you and are thankful for you, Claire! You will ALWAYS be at home with the Stouts - plus, you have “premium piggy-back ride tickets” still waiting to be claimed by 3 kids!

Our flights couldn’t have been any smoother. The kids slept on the plane and all of our luggage showed up. We had several people meet us at the airport to help us get to our chalet with everything. When we arrived, we found that someone had stocked our fridge with dinner and lots of snacks. We continue to see God’s provision through the people He has already placed around us here. Throughout this first week, we’ve been reminded over and over that God has gone before us. From our travel to our new home to the people He’s placed around us, we have seen His provision in countless ways. It was so hard to say goodbye to our amazing community in the US - why would God not give us a rich one here too!

On our very first day, Jesse was able to open a Spanish bank account with Scot Musser’s help. We’re incredibly grateful for Scot and for the many others who have generously driven us to appointments and helped us pick up furniture orders as we unpack. We also praise the Lord for a smooth transition into our chalet in Colmenar Viejo. After many hours of assembling IKEA furniture (and maaaaaaany more hours to go…), our house is finally beginning to feel like a home! We’ve even had the opportunity to meet the neighbors on both sides of us. One of the families have children very close in age to ours, and we’re praying those relationships continue to grow. Plus… they have a pool. ;)

Claire Kester (a recent grad of NCS and a good friend) has been here with us and has been INVALUABLE to us as we set up our home. We’ve appreciated the tasks she’s helped us with, her babysitting the kids as we have had several meetings to get paperwork done, and her love and care and many piggyback rides for all three kids. We truly could not have accomplished nearly as much without her. We love you and are grateful for you, Claire!

The kids are doing so well - we are proud of them. I think they’ve adjusted to the time zone at this point and haven’t expressed fear or anxiety of any kind. They are trying new foods like gazpacho, paella, manolitas, and Spanish tortilla (definitely going to have this for dinner often!). They’ve also very much enjoyed exploring new playgrounds and they learning that getting around Spain means doing a lot more walking than they’re used to! 🚶‍♂️‍➡️🚶‍♂️‍➡️🚶‍♂️‍➡️

Another answer to prayer: We purchased a car! We are waiting for the a bank transfer to go through and then we can bring it home and start to use it. That will provide us with so much more freedom to get around and release a burden on many others who have served us so well with transportation requests! We are thankful to have found a good vehicle so soon. I (Emily) will have to refresh my manual driving skills… 🤦‍♀️

Today, we spent the day in Madrid. Taking the bus and train to downtown takes about 45 minutes. We are thankful to already be somewhat familiar with the city center because of all the study abroad trips we’ve taken to Madrid, so it was helpful to know our way around a bit and get to show the kids a bunch of fun, famous places! Noah’s favorite was the churros at San Ginés, Eliza’s favorite was the Royal Palace, and Addelyn enjoyed the playground in the Plaza de España.

Throughout the week we’ve found ourselves overwhelmed with gratitude to the Lord. There were so many opportunities for things to go wrong—international travel with three young children, 18 checked bags, moving into a new country, buying furniture, navigating paperwork—but over and over we have experienced God’s faithfulness. We know many of you have been praying specifically for these things, and we truly believe these smooth transitions are direct answers to those prayers.

Prayer Requests

Please pray for us for the next several weeks before Jesse starts to work full time. Here are some specific ways that we’d ask you to pray!

• Pray that we would use our time wisely as we settle in and prioritize helping the kids settle too.

• Pray that we can pick up our car soon, and for safety as we learn to drive here and learn our way around.

• Given the fact that we just moved our family internationally, the past 7 days have had to be very task-oriented. There is still a trillion more tasks to do, so please pray that God would give us discernment to be sure that we are prioritizing people over projects. Please pray that we would begin building meaningful relationships with our neighbors and with the families and staff at LIFE. Pray for good friendships for Noah, Eliza, and Addelyn.

• Pray that God would help us learn the culture well and continue to improve our level of Spanish as we seek to serve Him here.

Thank you for praying, giving, encouraging us, and faithfully partnering with us. We truly wouldn’t be here without you. We feel incredibly loved and supported, and we’re excited to continue sharing what God is doing here in Spain in the months ahead.

Much love,

Jesse & Emily

1. Provided 100% of our funding needs! PRAISE GOD! This is truly miraculous!

2. Provided a job at LIFE International School that I am really looking forward to jumping into – along with a highly competent team to partner with!

3. Provided a home with furniture waiting for us from a recent IKEA delivery (so, if you would like to come over and help me put together a house full of IKEA furniture, I will probably be doing that for the next 12 years… If you’ve ever put together IKEA furniture, you understand. 🤦‍♂️)

4. Provided a team of ministry partners that is made up of more than 125 individual partners and 15 churches – along with countless others reading our newsletters and praying for us!

Because of God’s faithful provision, leading, confirmation, and care, we know that we have nothing to fear. Although we do not know what the future holds, the One who holds it has showed us more kindness and grace than we can process. He WILL NOT and CANNOT fail us. Praise God for His mercy and power shown to us through Jesus!

Our hearts and minds are moving 1000 mph and in 1000 different directions, so I am going to keep this short to protect myself from rambling. 😊 Here are 3 ways that you can be praying for us today:

1) Saying Goodbye – we have had SO many hard goodbyes (we are truly blessed with community!) and we have more gut-wrenching ones today. We will be saying goodbye to both sets of our parents this afternoon. While we rest in God’s leading and provision, our hearts break to hug our family goodbye (and we have done that a lot over the past week). Please pray for tears and broken hearts that would be comforted by a word from eternity – Jesus is worthy! We know it… may the Spirit cause us to embrace it.

2) Traveling Mercies – Please pray for smooth travels today as we intend to arrive in Madrid tomorrow (7/2) at 12:00 CET. Pray for limited flight delays, merciful wait times through security and customs, and KIDS WHO SLEEP ON THE PLANE! But seriously about the kids… 😊

3) Settling into Colmenar Viejo – we have a flurry of things that need our attention when we arrive in Spain. In the first couple of days, we need to: (1) set up a Spanish bank account (July rent is due within the first week!), (2) buy a car, and (3) apply and receive our Spanish residency cards. All of these things will be new processes in a new culture amidst the hectic reality of a boxed-up house that contains about ½ of what we need for normal life and jetlagged kids. We have dear friends who are committed to helping walk through all of these things with us, but it is overwhelming to think about getting all of this done. We are not the first people to experience this, I know – I am confident that we will figure it all out!

The past month has been a whirlwind of emotion. We have not been able to process all that we have experienced, grieved, and rejoiced in. We will do that with you, I promise. Be patient with us – there is much more to come.

For today, we have one step to take. Tomorrow will be another. Although the step today doesn’t quite seem lit to our control-freak standard, we know that: (1) God is there, (2) He has ordained this, and (3) He promises our good (whether it feels that way or not) and His glory.

Jesus is our shepherd; we do not lack anything that we need. THAT is enough for us.

Hasta luego, USA communities… Hola, Spain!

We are now just 17 days from boarding a plane with all of our physical belongings to Spain! There are so many of you that we would love to connect with - and there is so little time to do so in a meaningful way. HOWEVER, we would hope that you would join us for our send-off service at Good Shepherd Bible Church on Sunday, 6/28, at 10:45am!

Our Commissioning/Send-Off Service will be held on Sunday, June 28, at 10:45 a.m. at Brookside Baptist Church/Good Shepherd Bible Church (590 Lancaster Ave., Reynoldsburg, OH 43068). Following the service, there will be a taco lunch and time for fellowship together.

We would love to fill the house with friends, family, prayer partners, and supporters who have walked alongside us throughout this journey. Whether you have been with us from the beginning or have recently joined our team, it would mean so much to us to celebrate God's faithfulness with you before we leave for Spain just three days later. PLEASE COME!

Financial Update

We also wanted to share a quick financial update: God has continued to provide in amazing ways, and we are now at 97% of our monthly support goal! We are praising God for His provision through so many faithful partners. THANK YOU!

As we prepare to depart, we are praying that the Lord would provide the final $275/month needed to reach 100% support BEFORE WE LEAVE for Spain. We have seen His faithfulness again and again throughout this process, and we trust Him with these final steps as well.

If you have been following our journey, praying for our family, or considering partnering with us financially, would you prayerfully consider joining our financial support team? Whether through a new monthly partnership or a special one-time gift, every gift plays a meaningful role in helping establish our upcoming ministry in Spain and sustain it for years to come. Click the image below to be directed to our GIVING PAGE.

Thank you for praying, giving, encouraging, and sending us. We truly could not do this without you. We are eager to see what God will do in Spain and grateful to have you as a part of our team!

Grace to you - and hope to see you on 6/28!

Jesse & Emily

For a week, we slowed down. We got spoiled by my family. We laughed - A LOT. We rested. We hiked. We enjoyed God’s creation. We swam. But most importantly, it gave us time to reflect, chat, and connect with my family in a meaningful way before entering what will likely be one of the busiest and most hectic times of our lives as we prepare our home for sale, pack our lives into 18 suitcases, and move to Spain.

During our family devotions last night, we were reading through the story about the woman who poured the priceless perfume over Jesus’ head (Mark 14). Scripture tells us that this simple bottle of perfume was worth more than a year’s wages - and she did something absurd… she broke the jar and dumped it onto Jesus’ head.

Immediately, everyone around did exactly what you and I would do - criticize and rebuke her for being so wasteful! Why would anyone do something so thoughtless and extravagant?!?!

This gave our family a good conversations around the question, “why would she do something so crazy?” The real answer to that question is the true heart of this story, I believe.

The woman did this because she believed that Jesus was more valuable than what she had. More valuable than her possessions. More valuable than her security.

The real beauty of this story, however, is not found in the greatness of this woman’s sacrifice, BUT RATHER, in the greatness of Jesus!

You and I do not easily let go of lesser treasures unless we have found something better - something greater. Am I wrong? That’s just what makes sense.

By God’s grace and kindness to us, we have so much that we love here in Ohio. We love our family (even those who live in the State up north - GO BUCKS!). We love our church. We love our friends and coworkers. We love our neighbors. We love our community that has walked with us, encouraged us, supported us, and cared for us through every season. These are not small things - these are gifts from God. We do not take them for granted.

Leaving all of these things behind is painful. Seriously heart-wrenching. It is not easy - even if we try to put on a good face in public.

We understand that moving to Spain involves real loss. There will be moments of loneliness. We will miss birthdays, weddings, holidays, and even just day-to-day moments with people we love. We will lose the intimacy of relationships that we highly value that cannot be truly replaced by Facetime.

Commiserating as a family around the our dinner table about all that we are saying goodbye to (although somewhat cathartic in a weird way) reminded us of one critical truth:

The Christian walk is NOT about calculating what we might lose or how much we are doing for God - it is, and always has been, about seeing and resting in God’s free grace to us through Jesus!

The woman in Mark 14 was not simply trying to prove her devotion to Jesus - if she was, Jesus would have rebuked her, just as He had to others. Instead, she was responding to who Jesus was - demonstrating the reality that He was infinitely more valuable than what she had or could offer Him.

As you pray, please pray for us and our kids in this way:

NOT that we would merely be willing to go.

NOT that we would merely be willing to sacrifice.

BUT FOR a growing conviction and resolution that Jesus, Himself, is far better.

Because Jesus died and rose again, we will NEVER lost what matters most - the object of greatest value. Because we belong to Him, every need we have - physical, emotional, relational, spiritual - rests safely is His sovereign hands.

We don’t know all that awaits us in Spain. But we do know that Jesus is there - and He is the king. Therefore, we will pack the next bag, we will make another donation trip to Goodwill, and we will board the plane on July 1 fully trusting Him for all that He is leading us to. He will not fail us. Praise God for Jesus! 💪

We would like to invite you to our Commissioning/Send-Off Service on Sunday, June 28, at 10:45 a.m. at Good Shepherd Bible Church (590 Lancaster Ave. Reynoldsburg, OH 43068). This special service has been organized by our church body to worship together, celebrate God’s faithfulness, and pray over our family as we prepare to begin this next chapter of ministry. Childcare will be available during the service for children ages 2 and under. Older children are welcome to join us in the service.

Following the service, the church will provide a taco bar lunch for a time of fellowship. We would love for you to stay and celebrate with us! If you plan to join us for lunch, please take a moment to RSVP using the link below so we can prepare accordingly.

RSVP

We are excited for the opportunity to gather with the people who have prayed for us, encouraged us, supported us, and walked alongside us throughout this journey. Whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or have recently joined our support or prayer team, we would be honored to have you there.

We hope to see you on June 28 (just three days before we leave)!

With gratitude,

Jesse, Emily, Noah, Eliza, & Addelyn Stout

In less than a year, God was gracious to provide:

• A mission agency for us to be a part of

• 94% of our total funding goal (see more on that below!)

• A job for Jesse at LIFE International School

• Enrollment into Kindergarten & 1st Grade for Noah and Eliza

• A new home in Spain (we got occupancy this week!)

• Updated passports

• 5 approved visas

• 6 plane tickets (we are so thankful to have our sweet friend, Claire Kester, traveling with us to support our family in the transition)

• Hearts burdened for the grace of Jesus to work its magic in the hearts and minds of Spaniards!

We are humbled by God’s leading of us in this way. We are completely undeserving - we have doubted, complained, and waffled. Yet, because Jesus’ finished work of grace toward us, we are free to still pack our bags and pursue meaningful Gospel work abroad. Wow. Who are we…???

Not Fully Funded Yet…

It is true, we are not fully funded yet. It is also true that there is some amount of “risk” associated with moving abroad without being fully funded. Our reasonings for committing to a move while being at 94% are:

1. God has brought in 94% of our funding in less than a year - and honestly, in some truly miraculous ways. We have 0 reasons to doubt His ability to provide for us.

2. Because of faithful partners who have already been supporting us for months now - and many generous one-time gifts - we have a sum of money in our ministry account that exceeds what we budgeted for upfront costs. Those funds can be stretched out to make up the lack in funding until we are fully funded (for at least a year).

3. We have prayed for God to open and close doors, and He has done just that. Every step so far has been an open door that He has pushed us through. By faith, we trust Him for this next door that He is pushing us through.

If you are led to become a financial partner with us at any level, CLICK HERE, click the yellow image below, or reach out to us to learn more! There are no insignificant gifts. There are no insignificant partnerships. Thank you for prayerfully considering!

Pray With Us

Would you please partner with us in prayer for the following requests:

• Family Time - We have 1 week scheduled with Jesse’s family and 1 week scheduled with Emily’s family in the next 3 weeks. Please pray that this time would be used for purposeful encouragement and connection with family. This is needed WAY more than time spent talking about Spain. We are SO blessed by the family that God has given us - the loss of proximity is a lot to process.

• Packing - With only 36 days until we leave, we only have about 15 of those to get packed to go. We need to condense our lives into 18-24 suitcases. Pray for clarity and discernment on what needs to go and what can be replaced when we arrive in Spain!

• Preparing - Pray for Emily and I as we continue to shepherd our kid’s hearts (and our own) into the grace of Jesus that compels us to leave our rich communities for the uncertainty of a new country/culture/community. We are confident that God will grow us into a new and rich community in Spain, but the thought of leaving what we have here (which is SO good) is scary and sad. God’s grace is sufficient for every one of our doubts, fears, and anxieties!

Even now - ESPECIALLY NOW - we need your prayers, encouragement, and support. Thank you for walking this path with us. We are thankful for such a full team!

Grace to you!

Jesse & Emily

God Gave us a House!

God has been abundantly kind to grant us a place to live when we arrive in Spain soon! This chalet (townhome) is located in Colmenar Viejo, which is a neighboring town of Tres Cantos, where LIFE International School is located.

While we would have desired to find a place in Tres Cantos, we were “striking out” in the search there. We found that homes are not only larger but typically more affordable in Colmenar Viejo. Colmenar has a much quieter and residential vibe, which is also refreshing. Although it there will be a trade off in regard to a commute to work/school, we feel at peace that this place will provide us with much more space and opportunity for hospitality. We are grateful!

The process for securing this home has been tedious and confusing (working through legal and cultural differences). We did have to pay much more money upfront than we had budgeted to do. Although I wanted to throw up after making a very large wire transfer to a foreign country as a deposit and guarantee for this place, Emily and I also rest in the faithful provision of God for us. He has provided ALL that we needed for this - His provision made it easy to decide.

The chalet has 4 bedrooms with more than enough space for visitors… start planning your trip to Spain! ✈️🌍

LESS THAN $500 NEEDED! 🤯

We continue to be amazed by God’s abundant financial provision for us. As of today (actually, like less than 1 hour ago 🙃), we are officially at 95% of our total funding goal to get to the field!

This means that we are less than $500/month from reaching our goal of being fully funded by June 1 (24 days away!). “Doable” is an understatement for this. We are SO close!

We know that we are taking a “risk” (theologically speaking, though, can we really take a risk on our futures that have been sovereignly ordained for us??? 😏) by expecting to move by July 1. We are still waiting on our visa approval and we just sent a large sum of money to secure a place to live. We are doing so from the abundance of counsel from many who love and care for us, both in Spain and here in the U.S., BUT we also do so in anticipation of the crystal clear ways that God has been leading and providing for us. He is doing this - we are along for the ride.

If you have been praying or thinking about partnering with us financially, your monthly or annual gift will make a HUGE dent in the remaining 5% of our total funding!

Click the image below to be directed to our giving page or reach out with any questions that you may have!

We are truly humbled by the love, care, support of God - but also from YOU!

The sprint is on!!!

Jesse & Emily

We continue to have some sweet times to reflect on the amazing community that God has given here in Columbus. We are so incredibly grateful for the people and ministries that God has put us in the midst of over this past decade+. Noah and Eliza wrapped up their second year of Awana, with the sweetest leaders each year. My schedule also allowed me to chaperone one of Eliza’s field trips to the zoo today. Our NCS community will be a significant loss for us when we leave. As parents, we are privileged to have so many others partnering with us in discipleship of our kids!

We are confident that the community of believers around us has not only been here to SERVE US, but has also been used by God to EQUIP US (including our kids!) for what He has called us to in Spain. We are humbled by God’s provision through people. May we be ready to serve our Spanish community in the same that we have been served!

Pray With Us Now!

We are in the midst of some complicated negotiations regarding a potential home for us in Spain. We LOVE the place. It is pretty large (compared to many of the other apartments that we have seen) and is in a comfortable, residential part of a neighboring town. We had intended to live in Tres Cantos (where the school is located), but this neighboring town (Colmenar Viejo) is much more affordable and more residential - a little less hustle and bustle - which may be refreshing. We are trusting God’s leading.

The house-hunting situation has been more challenging than we anticipated, but we have been SO grateful for some friends “on-the-ground” in Spain to visit places, talk with landlords, and give us counsel and insight into this process.

There are significant cultural differences in this process, which is easy to feel like we are being taken advantage of (which I don’t believe to truly be the case in this instance). I struggle with wanting to be in control, and without personally seeing/touching/experiencing everything in person, I feel uneasy. Please pray for:

1. Wisdom to make sound decisions on when/how to pursue and when to jump ship when something is not the best option.

2. Sensitive hearts toward us for Spanish landlords - it is easy for landlords to feel unsettled by us, as we are not in Spain yet and have not been issued official visas (we are still waiting). We feel secure about our upcoming arrival, but we need for them to feel that same sense as well. To be fair, we would have the same hesitations if the tables were turned…

3. Reasonable contractual requirements to secure a home - If landlords are willing to have conversations with us, they are significantly increasing contractual requirements to provide assurances for themselves since our case feels more uncertain to them. Some of these requirements will likely include: 3-6 months of security deposits, co-signers, multiple months of rent paid upfront, etc. We want to find a place that is best for our family, but we also want to be wise stewards of the resources that God has provided for us. Please pray for mercy in these requirements and clarity for us to know when to bite/negotiate (if the offer is made).

4. Continued unity for Emily and I in making these complicated decisions. We have been very unified on everything, praise God! All you married people out there know how the challenge increases when spouses are not on the same page. Not what we want!

When we rest in God’s sovereignty, we do not need to fear whether He will provide. We trust Him. He has never given us a reason to do otherwise.

Big Provision from a BIG God!

This week, we reached a HUGE milestone! With the commitment of support from a beloved local church body in Michigan, we officially reached 90% of our total needed support! This is huge! This means that we are now LESS THAN $1000/month of needed support to be fully funded!

I can’t believe that we are here. God did it! And he used SO many of you to make this a reality. Thank you!

If you have been considering or praying about partnering with us in support, THIS IS THE TIME TO DO IT!

Monthly or annual gifts of any amount will increase our percentage to meet this goal. We are still praying that God will provide 100% of our needed support before June 1 - which is 1-month from today!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you want to talk about ways to support. We are so thankful for our financial support team, made up of nearly 125 individuals and churches! We are so blessed - and SO close to our final goal! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW to be directed to our giving page!

We are humbled by your support, prayers, and partnership. Thankful to have you on our team!

Grace to you!

I don’t want to use this newsletter as a platform to vent my frustrations or annoyance with the visa process. I don’t think that that would honor the visa agency or the Lord. 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️ But, many of you reached out to us to let us know that you were praying for us - and I know that many more of you were praying as well. I think that a brief update on the process and updated prayer requests are warranted.

The Visa Appointments

We are so grateful for our visa consultant. She has been incredibly organized and insightful through this process. Because of her, we were MORE than prepared for the appointments. The kids did great, as we were in a tiny, quiet visa office on the 14th floor for about 4 hours. Total troopers. Needless to say, the rest of the day was filled with parks, treats, and subway rides. :)

The visa agent that we met with had never filed a religious visa before, which impeded their understanding of what was needed to meet the requirements. We were asked to provide documentation that was not needed for the type of visa we were applying for (thankfully we came with lots of extra docs) and many of the documents we brought that helped to prove qualification for the visa (i.e. financial sufficiency, documentation from the ministry, etc.) were not taken. We are by no means experts on the religious visa process, but I felt like much of the appointment was spent countering requests from the agent, clarifying the process with managers, and shushing children. So, not a preferred way to spend a Thursday. :)

After a lot of sweating, eye rolling (not my proudest moments, I am sure) and a large swipe of the credit card, we left and drowned our anxiety in loaded nachos and street tacos. THAT was win. 💪🌮

Did we walk away with any kind of assurance (other than verbal) that we all were submitted for the right visas? No.

Do we feel confident that everything was filed correctly? No.

Do we feel like we can do anything other than wait for approval or denial? No.

Did God reveal His mercy and grace to us through this process? YES. How?

1. SO many of you reached out to let us know that you were praying for us! THANK YOU!

2. We had the best weather to explore Chicago with the kids!

3. God has provided financial stability for us (through our current employment) to be able to do fun things while visiting a new city with our family.

A Spiritual Gut-Punch

More than that, God punched Emily and I in the gut (in the best way possible) through our family devotions last night. NOT DUE TO MY PLANNING OR WILLINGNESS, God lead us to meditate on and explore Matthew 6:25-34 as a family:

That’s annoying, right? Like, why couldn’t God just lead us to a passage that validates our feelings of deservedness or superiority?!?! 😏God is so kind to us, y’all.

When we do devotions as a family, we rehearse with our kids the reality that we need the Holy Spirit to help us: (1) understand what’s true, (2) believe that God’s truth is FOR US, and (3) obey what He has called us to today. And you know what, God did what He promised to do…

He led us to understand the realities of His sovereignty and provision - which are not dependent on my opinions or feelings of deservedness - and convicted our hearts of sinfully forgetting these truths.

He led us to believe that His perfect plan supersedes our experience of discouragement and caused us to rest in His provision (spiritual and physical) - in the past, present, and future.

He led us to obey His call to repentance of sin - and then immediately reap the reward that He offers… FREEDOM! We were free to admit to our kids that dad and mom’s attitudes and actions were sinful and then remind one another that all of our sins are ALREADY forgiven through Jesus, and we are free to rest in His unending grace and love!

Praise God! Totally undeserved, yet totally ours because of Jesus! ✝️❤️

So, moral of the story… if you are looking to learn from missionaries who are relentlessly at peace and trusting God perfectly, then keep scrolling Substack (but if you find someone who says that they meet that category, you should probably keep scrolling too…). However, if you are looking to be reminded of God’s UNDESERVED and UNMERITED grace toward us through His son, you are in the right place.

This week was a bit of spiritual fail for us, if we are honest. We were short-tempered, anxious, and overwhelmed. But through Jesus, God has chosen to declare us as righteous, pure, and forgiven. That’s the greater truth. We rest in it - “not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (1 John 4:10).

Updated Prayer Requests

1. Pray that our visas would be approved by the Spanish consulate.

2. Pray for continued peace and trust as we wait through for the determination of the visa process - and contentment if the decision end up being what we fear.

3. We need to reach 100% of our total funding goal by June 1 - which is coming up fast! We are less than 12% from that goal!

Thanks for letting us be brutally honest with you. Our hearts and souls need that too!

Grace to you!

Jesse & Emily

To give you a brief update, there are 2 Gospel realities that I want to affirm (more for myself than you, to be honest):

1) We are insufficient.

That may not sound like good news to you, but the reality is, it is life giving. We are in the midst of a season that is throwing more at us than we can keep up with. We are:

• Working

• Ministering with our church body

• Spending time with our families

• Clearing out and fixing up our house to sell

• Preparing for our upcoming visa appointments (gathering, notarizing, copying, organizing, etc. hundreds of pages of documentation for our family!)

• Scheduling final appointments for our family before we move abroad (this month, we have had more than $12,000 in unbudgeted expenses for various appointments 🤦‍♂️)

The type-A planners in both of us has led us to moments of feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and discouraged. We want so badly to be in control of our lives, but the reality is, we are insufficient to effectively manage it all. We try - we try hard. But we just can’t seem to keep it all straight.

Although we want to be diligent to honor the Lord with our intentional planning and stewardship, we can rest in the kind and abundant care of God toward us. If we were banking on our own sufficiency to save and protect us, admitting insufficiency would be really bad news.

BUT JESUS, rich in mercy, proved His love and provision for us by sufficiently meeting God’s perfect standard FOR US and granting us grace and forgiveness freely. Resting in Jesus’ sufficiency grants us freedom to boldly admit our own insufficiency. Emily and I are FREE to plan, work, and prepare to our hearts desire without fear of failure in maintaining God’s favor. Jesus secured this for us. We have nothing to fear.

So, we are not afraid to admit that we are not sufficient. Doing so actually magnifies Jesus’ sufficiency for us. That’s what we want. Now we just get to rest in His freedom - He has been SO good to us.

2) God is faithful to provide.

I have had some people advise me to be less open/transparent about God’s abundant provision for us through this season of support-raising. I understand their advise - from a support-raising standpoint, we need to be sure to communicate a sense of need and urgency for support. That is true. I am sure that I need to take that to heart more.

But on the other hand, God HAS been so incredibly abundant in His provision for us! I just can’t help but brag on Him for it!

We are currently at 88% of our total support needed to maintain our established budget! This leaves us with only around $1,100/month left to raise! GUYS - this is a literal miracle. We just started the deputation process in June… 10 months ago! God is faithful to provide!

So, the advice given to me is legit - I receive it. We still have a legitimate and urgent need. Sustainable ministry will come with fully-funded missionary support. We need God’s people to step up in partnership with us to financially support the work that He has called us to. If you are not doing so already, please consider partnering with us a monthly or annual level to increase our percentage goal to get to the field. There is NO insignificant gift!

PARTNER WITH US!

So yes, there is a need, but God is faithful. We do not doubt His provision - His calling has been too clear. Just wait and see… He is going to do this! 💪

Urgent Prayer Requests

Please commit to praying for 3 urgent prayer requests with us:

1. We have a friend who is visiting an apartment for us in Tres Cantos today (4/22) - it has probably already happened by the time that you are reading this. We have already been in contact with about a half dozen other apartments so far that have fallen through for various reasons. The reality is that we cannot wait until June to start looking for a place to live. We need to be willing to begin renting soon to ensure a decent home for our family when we arrive. There is a lot to process through with this to ensure that we are being wise stewards of the resources that God has given to us. Please pray for a clear door (either opened or shut) for us on this apartment. We need God’s wisdom and discernment to make the best decision.

2. We have our visa appointments THIS WEEK! We have a series of 4 visa appointments scheduled in Chicago over Thursday and Friday. The Spanish visa process is tedious, to say the least. God provided us with an AMAZING visa consultant, who is worth her weight in gold! She has coached us through gathering hundreds of pages of documentation and carefully organizing it for our upcoming appointments. We are confident that we are prepared, however, in full transparency, the one concern that we have is whether they will grant our visas without having commitments for full financial support. Please pray for success in the visa process (for all 5 of us!) and contentment with God’s sovereign plan for us, whether we get our visas or not. We are trusting Him - please hold our feet to fire with that!

3. As we already mentioned, we need to reach 100% of our needed support before we leave. We are anticipating leaving for Spain on July 1. If our visas are approved, we are hopeful that we will get them before that time! However, raising support will be much more challenging from Spain. We need to make final connections with individuals and churches in the next 2 months. If you or your church would be willing to chat about potential partnership opportunities, PLEASE MAKE A CONNECTION! We have over 100 individual/family financial partners and 13 church partners - we would love to continue to see that grow. Our team will be life to us when we are on the field! We need you! Thanks for considering a partnership with us!

As we step into these final months before Spain (wow, it’s getting real…), we are seeking to walk forward with open hands—fully admitting our insufficiency, while remaining deeply confident in God’s strength. He has carried us this far, and we trust that He will finish what He has started.

We truly believe the Lord is building something far bigger than us—and we are grateful to walk in it together with you.

Grace to you, friends!

If you are in the Columbus area, this is the one gathering we would love to have you join us for!

After 12 years of ministry and community in Columbus, we are preparing to say goodbye—and we would love to do that with you.

This will be more than a presentation—it will be a moment of reflection, clarification, and shared vision.

• ☕ Free coffee and donuts

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Kids are welcome! (Emily will be leading a fun Spain-focused activity just for them)

• ❤️ A chance to hear how God is calling us to Spain

• 🤝 A meaningful opportunity to connect one more time before we go

Our heart is simply to share what God is doing and invite you into it through prayer, encouragement, and (if the Lord leads) partnership.

We would genuinely love to see you there! Please consider joining us for that!

Let us know that you are interested or coming by RSVPing below!

RSVP for April 11 HERE

Ways to Be Praying For our April Calendar!

We have a jam-packed month coming up, and we would appreciate your prayers for a number of important things:

1. Our home church was gracious to organize a WORKDAY AT OUR HOUSE TOMORROW, 4/11, to help do some yard work and painting as we prepare our house to sell in couple of months! Please pray for a productive work time AND for good fellowship and engagement with those we are sending us off!

2. The leadership team at LIFE (currently serving the school ministry) have a LEADERSHIP RETREAT SCHEDULED FOR 4/10-4/11 as they pray and prepare for the upcoming school year. I wish that I could join them in-person, but will seek to play a part virtually as much as I am able. They are an amazing team of leaders and I cannot wait to partner with them in ministry soon!

3. As we shared above, please pray for a strong turn out and engagement at our upcoming COLUMBUS MINISITRY PRESENTATION ON 4/11. We are so grateful for the community that God has built for us here! RSVP ABOVE AND JOIN US FOR THAT EVENT!

4. We are really looking forward to some upcoming TIME WIITH OUR FAMILIES. Please pray for meaningful and focused time and conversation with our families as we prepare to leave the country soon:

   1. We will be spending a long weekend with my (Jesse) parents and sister/bro-in-law in Gatlinburg this month - this area is pretty sentimental to me, as I have core memories from regular trips here growing up! ❤️

   2. Emily’s parents will be coming to spend the weekend with us at the end of the month - this is especially important for us, as Emily’s dad is coming off of a VERY busy tax season! We will be grateful to spend time with them away from the busyness of a crazy work schedule!

5. We have our VISA APPOINTMENTS SCHEDULED FOR 4/23-4/24 N CHICAGO! The process is a doozy to get ready for these appointments, but we are hopeful that we have everything that we need to get our visas before we intend to leave - July 1!

We Are So Grateful For Columbus!

This season has been full of both excitement and emotion - and we know that both of those will only build as we move closer to heading to Spain.

We are incredibly eager for what God has ahead in Spain—but we are also deeply aware of what we are leaving behind. God is far more kind to us than we deserve!

Columbus is not just a place we’ve lived - it’s a place where God has shaped us, grown us, and surrounded us with people who have faithfully walked alongside us.

If you have been part of that story in any way, we would be honored to see you on April 11!

RSVP for April 11 HERE

You know, we have found that there is a unique tension in ministry life that we don’t often talk about.

This tension can be found in full calendars, back-to-back travel, lots of new faces and introductions, and constant new environments. It is felt through an awareness that we are, in many senses, always “on”. It’s a bit of a reality of ministry life or leadership in general, really.

However, what we have found is that sometimes the ones who feel it the most, may be the ones who never really chose it for themselves… our kids.

Recently, we have really felt this at a deeper level - the fatigue, the meltdowns, the pushback. Sometimes this feels like it comes out of nowhere.

Now don’t get me wrong, we are FAR from believing that our kids are angels, but we are seeing what seems to be the weight of a life that asks and expects a lot of them.

They must travel when they’d rather stay home.

They must meet new people when they would rather be with their own friends.

They must sit quietly and wait for dad to shut up when they would rather be playing.

Honestly, I wouldn’t trade this for them - the reality is that this is what God has called us to... all of us. And If God calls us to something, we know that He is in it and will use it for our good and for His glory. We bank on that. We find hope in that.

But two things can be true at the same time, and we can admit that it has been too easy for us to focus on reaching 100% of our needed funding to get to Spain by July, that our kids have become, in some ways, casualties of ministry. (dramatic emphasis added 😊)

This post is not intended for you to feel bad for us OR to be self-deprecating in any way. Honestly, this is just a raw reflection on Gospel realities that God has spoken to Emily and my heart as imperfect parents - yet parents who want our kids to see the glory of Jesus through the often challenging work that He has called us to - whether we choose it or not.

God’s Kid > Ministry Kid

Ultimately, God’s heart is not just for our kids to go to the mission field. His heart is for our kids to KNOW of His grace - shown to them through Jesus’ death and resurrection for them - and to REST in His love as they share that love with their neighbors.

A pastor and friend at a church we visited recently proclaimed:

Spot on. Our kids need to understand (just as we do) that being a missionary, regular church attender, or simply obedient is NOT SUFFICIENT TO SAVE US! We are sinners in need of grace - something that Jesus has a passion for distributing!

This is true for our children, but also has clear implications for the kids that we will be serving at LIFE International School in Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain.

A Christian environment is a gift - but it is not salvation. Being surrounded by truth is not the same as believing it.

As parents, teachers, mentors, or spiritual shepherds, we need to be honest and clear with our children to speak Gospel truth and urgency in ways that builds their Gospel-fluency, such as:

• “You don’t belong to Jesus just because mom and dad do”

• “God has called you to trust Jesus’ finished work for you to have a relationship with Him - dad can’t do that for you”.

• “God hasn’t called us to Spain because we are better - He has called us because His glory can be seen through people just like us. Don’t you want to part of what God is doing?!”

For the sake of eternity, let’s be honest with our kids.

May God grant us boldness and clarity to communicate the Gospel with power to our kids!

“What’s Size to a Giant?”

Not sure about your family, but our kids are currently OBSESSED with the new David movie (and not gonna lie, Emily and I are too). :) If you haven’t seen the movie, DO IT… Maybe what your heart needs right now is just to crank the volume to the soundtrack and have a family dance party to some Phil Wickham. Just sayin’… We may have done that last night. 🎵💃🕺🎵

In the movie, when David goes before Saul, he says, “what’s size to a giant?”. Cliche, yes, but it stuck out to me as relevant and applicable to our kids in this stage.

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example…” (1 Tim. 4:12)

“Let the little children come to me… for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 19:14)

Our kids are not too young to reflect Christ. No, actually, they are being actively invited into a present relationship with Jesus - along with participation in His work!

So, let’s make Jesus big to our kids, extend God’s open invitation for grace, and then help them find the freedom of finding identity in Christ - without fear of having to get it right in ministry. Grace, friends. That’s it. And it is sufficient for all that we need - and all that our kids need too! Praise God!

If Jesus offers a free invitation of grace to kids, who are we to withhold it?!?!