An update from Mary Katherine Jauchen (now Hellings) and Ricky from east Texas. Such a GREAT reminder that now matter our place and space as we live SENT and on mission God is at work!
Ricky and I are still in Longview and loving it and loving each other - being married to him has been a total gift. Last fall, I was walking around our neighborhood (we live in an RV park) and just praying about what God would have me do, and I heard him ask me, “What would it look like for you to minister here in this park?”
Ricky and I had already been planning on wanting to live here in the park intentionally but then this just gave us direction for my “job." So, that’s what I have been doing for the past few months - just living and ministering her in the RV park with Ricky. God has done some really amazing things here already. Through just prayer here in the neighborhood, we’ve seen God open doors for us to love on our neighbors (and we’ve been loved on in return). And God has put together some really incredible moments of heaven meeting earth that I really had nothing to do with except I was there and available.
Every day is different. We got to love on a family that was going through a medical crisis after she burned her legs badly in her camper and got to be at the hospital with them. We’ve been in and out of people’s home and they in ours for dinners. Recently, a family invited themselves over for dinner (this is part of where I feel like God is just using our availability but really HE is the one putting things together). Another time, I just got a chance to pray with a neighbor who’s husband was going through some really difficult medical stuff (I had just come back from getting more toilet paper - another time I felt God just intersect my course with someone).
And of course, it’s been super revealing - there’s lots of hurt here…marriages that are not doing great and people who have run away from things. We just cannot be more sure that this is where God has us right now. It’s also been a time of rest and rejuvenation for me. My schedule is wide open and I’m able to just move as God leads.
Love to the Forge Dallas tribe,
MK & Ricky