Being entrepreneurial is an important quality to have in business and commerce. An entrepreneurial mindset involves being a self-starter, having vision, and always being adaptable. It turns out that it is also a valuable characteristic to have in missions. Without it, for example, Nehemiah may have never noticed the big problems in Jerusalem and petitioned the king to go on the great mission of rebuilding the city walls. God can work big through entrepreneurial missionaries because they dream big and roll with the punches.
We are thankful to God for our business background. Between the two of us, we have much experience in planning, innovation and execution. When combined with our passion for taking the gospel to the lost and with our faith in God, these experiences are making our planning and preparation for missions much less intimidating. For example, with less than a year before graduation, we remain positive and productive, despite the lingering uncertainties of global travel. As Elon Musk said, “If something is important enough, even if you are scared, you will keep going.”
Recap of last year’s accomplishments
In business, it is good to look back at what was accomplished in the past. Let’s see what God accomplished through your support and our first year at Bear Valley…
1. We learned a lot of Bible. We haven’t just been told what the word of God teaches, but we were shown how to study it and interpret it for ourselves. I believe Bear Valley is in the Ivy League of Bible colleges for this reason. The instructors have shown us how to arrive at Biblical answers through contextual self-study.
2. The gospel was preached. We’re not waiting for graduation to apply what we’ve learned! Every week we travel to an area congregation to preach and teach Bible class. In addition, we have been conducting Bible studies with a young couple, Johnny and MaKayla. Johnny, who was already a Christian, asked us to study with his girlfriend who was raised in various denominations. We studied the truth with her and baptized her! Now, we have continued regular studies on Christian fundamentals.
3. We started homeschool. A year ago Alexis was saying she could never do it. Now the kids are thriving more than ever. Especially with their focus on God time every day!
4. We encouraged younger students. Being in class with 20 somethings can make us feel old sometimes, but we’ve embraced the role! We regularly try to find ways to encourage and mentor the younger students. We want them to be successful in their ministries and not give up.
5. We progressed in Chinese. Last year, we had the goal of being at least conversational in Chinese before leaving Bear Valley. Scott is well on his way toward that goal, having completed HSK level 2 competency and well on his way to achieving level 3. Alexis and the kids for their part will have no issue navigating life in Taiwan with ease!
Looking ahead to this year
With just 10 months of school remaining, we are excited and anxious with all we have to do in preparation.
1. More of the above.
2. Go on a survey trip to Taiwan. We plan to travel to Taiwan for a month or more over the summer in order to get to know the different congregations and to plan what life will be like once we move there. The challenge is that Taiwan is currently not allowing visitors. We have applied for a 3 year visa. So prayerfully, it will be approved and we’ll have free entry to visit.
3. Find a sponsoring congregation and raise support. After returning from our survey trip, we will finalize our plans, and it will be a mad dash to visit with all current and potential supporters. In a perfect world, we can do that all before starting school again in the fall. However, we realize we may need to continue meetings during our last semester as well.
4. Pack and move. School will be out in early December. We hope to move right after the holidays. So that means we will be packing and selling whatever we can during our last semester in school. Whew!
In order to make these goals possible, we need your continued help. We appreciate your prayers, encouragement and support, more than you can know. Please continue enabling our work! We love you and pray that God blesses you in all your efforts as well!
Love,
-The Ihle Crew
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