Ministry Partner Update - Jeff and Sarah

As we mark 11 years of official partnership with BCC (and countless years prior), it is an honor and a privilege to represent our church family in the South Caucasus. Thank you!

Studies show how economic independence is essential for individuals before they have the freedom to make other lifestyle choices, including who to marry, when and how many children to have, and what faith system to follow. Our project is designed to support those who have the desire and drive to run their own business but lack access to training and capital. Working with people of all faith backgrounds, a key distinction of our program is a commitment to long-term coaching as nationals work to implement the content in their context.

Part of this project last year included our team (our family and a national couple) owning and operating a small business: an English language teaching company. One purpose of this business was to provide a path to market for our business training program. Ultimately this was very challenging and those types of students did not materialize, and the company was not able to be profitable in the time allotted. Therefore we recently suspended operations. However, the lessons we learned were invaluable, and often as Americans the differences in legalities and culture were frustrating. We are thankful for our national teammates and staff who know how to navigate these paths

and we are prayerful toward the ultimate goal being completely self-sustained by nationals.

In the past year we also had new opportunities. Sarah had more spiritual conversations than ever and the Good News is being shared with students as they ask relevant questions. Our residency is established with Jeff’s professional engineering credentials, and he was able to work side-by-side with ethnic minority workers during a cutting edge solar project. Safety standards are not well enforced here and he was able to communicate that his team's personal safety is more important than the project, which is a unique message and not how workers are traditionally treated by employers. We continue to pray for these laborers and for their interactions with Jesus followers.

Please pray for the Lord to make our paths clear, for our marriage and children to thrive, and for many opportunities to show the love of Christ to those who have never experienced it. Our doors are always open to guests, and we would love to host you and your family for a visit!

Jeff & Sarah