One Step at a Time

By Danny Schrock

In a book I’m currently reading, the author gives his definition of a missionary:

“A missionary is someone who allows the Lord to interrupt their life.”

I had never thought of a missionary in that way.

The definition of the word ‘interrupt' is quite interesting: “(to) stop the continuous progress of (an activity or process).” Google gave me a list of similar phrases:

To intrude on.

To interfere with

To bring to a halt. 

…And the one that really made me chuckle? 

To barge in on.

Yikes. Let’s rephrase the author’s definition of a missionary using some of those phrases:

“A missionary is someone who allows the Lord to intrude on, interfere with, or bring to a halt the continuous progress of their life.”

It made me pause… and reflect.

I’m currently writing this newsletter in my sister’s spare office space in Walnut Creek. The weather is absolutely gorgeous – one of those crisp mornings followed by mid 60s sunshine. The leaves will soon be turning vibrant colors and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. Perfect.

Yet I didn’t expect to be enjoying this beautiful autumn weather. What I did expect was that my family and I would be in Recife, Brazil as we knew God was connecting us there and asking us to build a “spiritual bridge” from Holmes County to Recife.  

At the end of last year, Jalisa and I began to pray about how much time God wanted us to spend in Brazil in 2024. Our plans were that we would be there at least from June to November, possibly even the entire year!

As we sought the Lord, there was zero peace about spending that amount of extended time in Brazil. “But Lord, we thought…” Honestly, it was confusing.

It was confusing until one night at home, Jalisa yelled for me to come upstairs. With wide eyes and a pregnancy test in her hand, she made a beautiful announcement: 'I’m pregnant.' AH! Thank you Jesus! It wasn’t what we expected, but now we know why we didn’t have peace! (By the time you read this, that little blessing may have already been born :)

A few weeks after changing “our” plans, someone from church gave me a prophetic word of encouragement: “You’re still a missionary; that doesn’t change… you’re just not in the location you thought you’d be.”

I learned a valuable lesson: When God leads you to take a step, take it! But don’t think you know the entire plan. Just take the step God is asking of you and go from there. The scripture from James 4:13-15 came to life for me: 

“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”

Since the “interruption” of our plans, the relationships in Brazil have continued and the spiritual bridge continues to be built. We are excited to go back, Lord willing, with a team from The Well in February 2025!

As our family is here in Holmes County, we long for your prayers. Earlier this year, Jalisa and I opened our own 501c(3) ministry, “Proclaim Ministries”, where we will continue to preach the Gospel, train others in evangelism and outreach, and lead mission trips – focused specifically on the Anabaptist youth. The ministry is submitted under the covering and blessing of The Well Global.

I find it odd that I am not the only Well Global missionary who has had their plans interrupted. Caleb was expected to be in training school this year, but he will have an unexpected gap year and remain in Holmes County. Mary Beth Yoder was expecting to be in a different nation, yet God has kept her in Amish Country.

What is God up to? We’re not sure, but I am positive that God didn’t bring these 3 missionaries, who were “supposed” to be in the mission field, back to Holmes County at the same time by chance. He’s interrupted our plans and that gets me excited.

How about you? Have you considered allowing God to interrupt your plans? Take courage and give Him permission to do it. He sees the entire picture but simply asks you and me to go one step at a time.

Take the leap, obey Him, and see the wonders He will work in your life!

It takes the whole church to fulfill the whole Great Commission. Whether that is going, sending, receiving, or mobilizing, I encourage you to ask God what part you play in His mission of proclaiming the Gospel to the nations! 

Lord Jesus – intrude on, interfere with, and even bring to a halt the continuous progress of our plans so that we can wholeheartedly obey your Great Commission!

I will leave you with this quote from CT Studd.

“Let us not glide through this world and then slip quietly into heaven, without having blown the trumpet loud and long for our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Let us see to it that the devil will hold a thanksgiving service in hell when he gets the news of our departure from the field of battle.”

-Danny & Jalisa Schrock