Mustafa's Story

We had an appointment in this 10/40 window village, and no one knew but the Lord. As evangelism is illegal here, our team strategically separated into groups of two (to appear less obvious) as we walked around and prayed for people. Javen was paired with another believer, and while they had climbed to a high point, overlooking the little town to pray, Javen felt inspired to ask him, "What is the first name that comes to your mind as we pray here?" Without hesitation, he replied, "Mustafa". With excitement, Javen said, "Let's go find Mustafa." They didn't know who it would be, but God did. They came upon an open air market, and as they walked by one shop that had two men sitting in it, Javen said, "I think we need to go back to that shop. I feel like God is saying that Mustafa is in there." Upon entering the shop, the believer he was partnered with asked, "Which one of you is Mustafa?" One of the two men who was drinking tea said, "That's me. I'm Mustafa."

They proceeded to share with him how they had come to know that a man named Mustafa was in that shop, that the Lord of heaven had pointed them in his direction, as only He could have known. Many seeds were planted in Mustafa's life over the course of the next hour of conversation. And in a place where many are against hearing the Gospel, God made an incredible display of His love with one of His lost sons.

I am reminded of the beautiful words from Psalm 23, "You prepare a table before me in the midst of my enemies". We walk in the midst of hostility, yet the enemy of our souls is made to watch, as the Creator of our souls prepares the table of fellowship for us, His kids. He invites us to feast with Him, so that we may experience His love and restore us from our brokenness.

Our Vision

Immerse The Nations

Our team has a four-fold focus:

Following the blueprint of the early church, our goal is to minister out of a place of community with other believers and personal intimacy and communion with Christ, bringing the Kingdom to a lost world.

THE UNREACHED

Share the Gospel with and disciple those who have never heard

THE CHURCH

Pour into the existing worldwide Church wherever it needs to be awakened or encouraged

IMMERSE COMMUNITY

Lead a stateside group of believers who minister out of a place of intimacy with the Lord and unified ministry efforts through community together

IMMERSE INTERNSHIP

Equip missionaries-in-training through a three month internship program, leading them through a curriculum of biblical studies with a focus of hands on missions experience in a variety of global platforms

Our Team

Immerse The Nations 

JAVEN & CAITLIN

From 2011 to 2016, Javen and Caitlin served full-time in Touching Nations Today’s 'Team Tanzania', reaching the unreached in remote villages in East Africa. While serving in Tanzania, they created and implemented the Immerse Internship program for missionaries-in-training in 2016. Upon completion of their 5 year ministry commitment to 'Team Tanzania', they transitioned to a base in the USA to launch out to multiple continents, serving as Global Missionaries through evangelism and discipleship.

"... And with Your blood, You purchased men for God from every people, tongue, tribe and nation." - Revelation 5:9b

MATTHEW & MCKENNA

Matt and Mckenna were married in 2013, uniting their plans and dreams of pursuing the mission field. Since married, they have faithfully served as leaders in their church's youth group, leading discipleship and small groups. In 2016, the Lord gave them vision for serving on the mission field and in 2017, they joined Touching Nations Today as full-time Global Missionaries. As part of the 'Immerse The Nations' team, Matt and Mckenna are passionate about spreading the love of Jesus world-wide, along with their son, Avery. They are excited to see the faith at work in their son, and future children, as their family says "yes" to a world-wide call.
"He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.'" - Mark 16:15

JUSTIN & BONNIE

In 2013, Justin and Bonnie were married and have been serving as worship leaders and evangelists to both youth and young adults in their local church and community ever since.  Their desire has always been to bring the true heart and passion of worship to all believers in Christ, across the entire globe.   Towards that goal, Justin has ministered previously in Africa; Bonnie in Germany.  They have had two young sons, Maverick and Valor, who will grow up walking side by side on the mission field.  As a family, they are part of Touching Nations Today's team, 'Immerse the Nations', joining fellow missionaries Matthew & Mckenna and Javen & Caitlin.  Based in the USA, they will be sent out into multiple continents to touch the lost and the unreached people groups, preaching the gospel, discipling the body of Christ and leading them into the place of intimacy with God.

"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. So the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love." - John 15:7-9

Behind The Gate

Terminal cancer.
Homelessness.
Hiding from imprisonment.
We had no idea what was waiting for us behind the gate.

Our ministry in the 10/40 window led us to encounter Greg, a watchman over the property that our fellow missionaries are looking to purchase for the expansion of their work. He was waiting for us behind the gate of the property to give us a tour. In a country where 98% of the population is Islamic and there is persecution of Christians, we were surprised to find out that he was a Christian.

The details of his personal story were astounding- growing up in a Soviet satellite nation, fleeing his position in the army after being tasked with an assassination that he refused to complete, alienated from his family for 20 years. Now granted political asylum in this current country, he was homeless with a body merely a shell of what it had once been due to brain cancer. Migraines, bouts of blacking out into unconsciousness, high blood pressure and so very much pain accompanied his terminal condition. Unable to retain employment due to both his "blackouts" and not being a Muslim, he could no longer pay his medical bills; he was now a man targeted for imprisonment, hiding from the authorities. The property owner allowed him to live on the vacant land as the watchman, so long as he would look after it. Two mangy dogs and a small stove were his only companions- no running water, no electricity. The well-spoken gentleman, who knew 5 languages, had an air of dignity about him that didn't fit his circumstances; yet, he quietly asked us to excuse his smell, as he had not been able to shower in 4 days.

Before inviting him back with us to shower and have his clothes washed, we prayed with our destitute brother. Javen had a word from the Lord for him- "I can see the fear in your eyes. I can see that you are afraid of dying. The devil has a plan for your death, but I hear the Lord saying not to focus on the plan the enemy has for you, because He still has a plan for the life before you. I believe that this was an ordained moment, not simply for seeing this property, but God knew you were going to be behind this gate today, and He wants to touch you. I believe He brought us here for your healing, and I believe that today you have received that healing."

The day before we left the country, we received a phone call from a weeping man on the other end. Upon our team members covering his medical debt, he had returned to the doctor. Astonished physicians found no trace of the tumor that had taken up residency in his brain nor the high blood pressure that had accompanied it- even the other conditions associated with his cancer had disappeared. The tumor had vanished completely. The surprised doctors didn't know what to do or where to go from there, so they said, "Come back if you have any relapses or major problems, but if nothing arises, just return for a regular check up in 2 years!"

Greg had no clue that a face to face appointment with Jesus was waiting for him; yet, as he opened the door to our team, an encounter with a living Savior was ushered in. May we never abandon our faith in the One who never forgets us. Even when we feel that we are in our last moments of being able to stand up under our circumstances, He is there. We never know what is waiting for us just "behind the gate" of our lives.

"But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:19

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." - Deuteronomy 31:6


*All in less than 3 weeks time, Greg is now reunited with his daughter, whom he had been separated from for 20 years. They now live in her home country of residence. Oh, what a Savior we have!

He Costs Too Much

Miniature houses for the spirits of his ancestors sat in his front yard.

He shared with us that when he erected the "houses" for the spirits of his ancestors to dwell in, he began losing his sight from that day forward. Soon, his family would come to sacrifice a lamb before them, that his ancestors might give him back his sight. He used to follow Jesus but he left Him for a different path long ago. The details of his coming back to the Lord are for another time, but in the end, we watched him burn those houses/altars to the ground. Then praying for the final time for his sight to return, he was able to tell us how many fingers we were holding up. Upon our return trip three weeks later, his smile was contagious as he explained that his sight had only continued to improve. Yet, it was his confession afterwards that is the fuel behind my writing.

He said that he felt despair. He realized that his way of making money over the last few years had been performing witchcraft for people in exchange for payment. Now how would he provide for his family? I imagine that my experience in talking to him must have been something similar to what it is like to talk to a man about to go out on the ledge. Like, he was internally pleading with us to give him a good reason not to go back to his destructive lifestyle.

"Jesus costs too much.'"

This is the essence of what he was weighing out.
Many of us have concluded the same, and I would agree.
Jesus does costs too much, but He only costs "too much" for those who are looking to hold something back for themselves after it is all said and done. Words like surrender, sacrifice and consecration have for many of us been categorized as a thing or state that we will continue striving to attain "one day".

"One day I'll be at that place spiritually."
"One day God will be able to use me in that capacity."
"I'm just not at that place yet."
"Life is too hard if I can't have my ___."
"I have ____ going on right now."
"I can't change all at once."

We are all confronted with that day of decision. It is ugly. It is raw. It is painful.
Sitting on his log "couch", my heart broke for him. A familiar feeling crept over me, and a lump rose in my throat. I felt such compassion for the man. No person's circumstances are the same, and no one can make the decision for anyone else. I could relate to the look in his eye and the feelings he was expressing. I remember my husband and I quitting our jobs and becoming full time missionaries. I remember not knowing where the next paycheck was coming from. I remember using up every last bit of our savings to get out on the mission field, but I also remember the place where I found peace. It was that quiet place of prayer and worship, locking eyes with my Savior. Only He gave me a joy that literally made my burden light. No one can physically take us to that place. We have to choose to go there.

The ultimate expression of this has to be Mary pouring the jar of perfume on Jesus' feet. If she had looked at the sandy toes and smelly feet she was pouring her costly gift on (probably representing her security, life savings, etc), she might not have followed through. Dirt and perfume don't mix... and no one would have faulted her for feeling that way. But, thankfully, it wasn't the filth that she was focused on, it must have been Jesus' face. She knew what it was like to lock eyes with her Savior, and let her familiarity with His face lead her into that place of absolute surrender. After all, he had raised her own brother from the dead (Jn. 11:2).

Maybe your brother wasn't raised from the dead. Maybe you have no guarantee of what will happen next. Maybe it seems to some that it is unfair for absolute surrender to be required of us. Maybe we would argue that it is not unreasonable of us to keep something back for ourselves. And while this is an area that I am finding myself constantly tested in, I can say that whatever perfume I have found myself pouring out, He has ALWAYS taken care of me. And so, I would encourage all of those still holding onto their "bottles", Jesus doesn't NEED perfumed feet... but after you start pouring, you will instantly wish that you had more to give. He is worth every drop.

An Exchange

A black cord was tied around her neck.

Our eyes were immediately drawn to it. Usually, symbolic of a witchcraft agreement the person made. Little did we know that murder, pain and a broken family were all wrapped up in this simple black cord.

She originally came to us for prayer for physical healing, but afterwards, we could see there was such deep sadness in her face. When asked where her true pain was coming from, she told us the story of her daughter being viciously attacked and murdered by her own father with a machete.

All the while the black cord hung from her neck...

She said that she had not made any witchcraft agreement, when we queried about the necklace, but that it was a reminder to her of her daughter. She was literally "wearing" the weight of her death around her neck.

I felt the Lord Himself was looking to make an exchange with her. I looked to my own neck to see if I had a necklace I could replace it with. Death to Life. Bitterness to Love. As I realized I was wearing no necklace, Donna was already taking off her own and handing it to her. She explained that the Lord was giving her joy instead of her mourning. I held my water bottle in my hand and explained that if someone wanted to hand me a gift, I would have to put down the object my hand was already holding in order to receive it. Would she be willing to give her bitterness and unforgiveness toward her daughter's murderer to receive the gift of forgiveness, peace and healing the Lord wanted to give her?

One simple word will now forever echo throughout her eternity...
"Yes."

She is pictured above with her new necklace. Cheerful beads of blue, red, green, black and white, where once hung a painful reminder.

She would later say to a village pastor regarding our encounter with her, "Those people told me things about my life that no one could know."  Hiking back from her village, I had tears in my eyes remembering what the Samaritan Woman said about Jesus- "He told me everything I had ever done." And it's true, whether it is next to Biblical wells, beside African mud huts, in ancient days, in modern days and all the days and places in between, he is still meeting with his kids, waiting with open arms for us to make an exchange.

His beauty for our ashes. 

Along The Way

Our history with this village is more extraordinary than what can be expressed in one quick read. Death threats from witch doctors, vehicle breakdown after vehicle breakdown each time we planned our trip, delay after delay, yet God has had His perfect timing in it all-- this has been their year. 

Throughout scripture, we see a lot of "along the way" moments. While Jesus was on His way to Jairus's house the woman with the issue of blood was healed, the disciples on the road to Emmaus encountered Jesus as they walked, the blind man Bartimaeus on the road- just to name a few.

We have seen a dramatic transition this year, and the frequency of our "along the way" moments is staggering and awe inspiring. This dear woman stopped us while we were hiking down the mountain leaving her village, calling out to us for prayer for healing. The Lord also gave us a word of knowledge for her (something only the Lord could know about her life's circumstances). Up until this point in life, she had not yet made the decision to follow Jesus but wanted to immediately.

People in our villages are seeking more than money or aid. Jesus has stepped into their every day lives, and they have been privileged to see miracle after miracle- neighbors getting healed, friends and family members, the list goes on and on. In our Mountain Village, we saw what the aftermath of Jesus "walking" through a village looks like, we were stopped over and over again by those we met along the way, each with a simple request, "Would you pray for me?". They have encountered Jesus, and they have no need to look for anything else.

Let me paint the picture for you. We are talking about people in mud huts who make their "living" by subsistence farming. People who deal with malaria on a regular basis and premature death due to simple things that we would NEVER see as life threatening in our world. Simply because we have relatively "easy" access to modern medicine, our children don't die of fever, our mother's don't die from tetanus due to a pricked finger, and a broken arm doesn't mean we will never be able to use it again. So, when they see us (foreigners), it is natural for them to flock to us with a litany of requests for medicine, clothing and so on, knowing we (at the very least) came from a town and possibly from a much more developed country. It is amidst this backdrop that we minister.

And now for the transition...

While doing hut to hut fellowship and ministry, we were hit with a tidal wave of awareness- Jesus has walked through the Mountain Village. He has been there. Every hut that we went to had at least one person in it who had been healed of something. Many times, we didn't even ask, they themselves excitedly told us their miraculous stories. People no longer stopped us on foot paths to discuss their sickness and ask for physical help. They stopped us to ask for prayer. There was no reason for the shift except for the simple fact that they had experienced the One who really had the power. Not the foreigner who might happen to have antibiotics on them, but the Jesus who had healed their friends and mended their hearts.

Our prayer has always been for the world to not remember a thing about us but simply remember the Jesus that they encountered through us. I feel like I have gotten to experience the fulfillment of that prayer.

"Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will become thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become a spring of water, welling up to eternal life.'"- John 4:13

What we have to offer is nothing compared to what you give, Lord.
May our faces, names and everything that is less than you be forever forgotten, lost in the beauty of your Presence that remains behind.

When you come to a town, a city, a village, a heart, they never "thirst" again. 

May we remember that at every moment of every day, you are looking to "break out" of your home within our hearts to invade the world around us... 

... And may we never cease to give you that opportunity.

Walking Among Lions

They walk among lions.
Literally.
These people are not of our world.
Bodies wrapped in red, blue and purple robes...
Gauged earlobes stretched almost beyond limit by white and metal beads...
We watched them herd their cattle through zebras and about a mile down the road, 12 lions were laid out in the sun.

They walk with spear in one hand, hit stick on one hip, machete on the other and "go to work" every day, meandering their cows and goats to the grasslands and waterholes... where every other African animal, hyena or warthog, lion or cheetah is headed as well. With walls made of cow manure and roofs made of grass, their houses and families await them back in the village, most of the time, behind walls of acacia thorns to ward of any determined predator. These are the ones we were sent to this past month.

Centuries of age old tradition cloak them in more than just unique outer adornments but a beautifully ingrained need to protect, guard and care for that which is theirs. This includes their tribal identity. It was astonishing to see an entire culture centered around "who they are", without racing to be on the cutting edge with the rest of the planet. They are who they are and are determined to remain that way, unmoved by the rest of the world, unapologetic for being "different".

Living in the national park "Ngorongoro Crater", they exist in a society where there is a group of people still given the title "warriors". Why? Because they are. It is their entire identity. Once they become a specific age, their sole job is protecting the tribe from the wild animals and in past years, any attacking tribe. They do not even share a meal with another member of the tribe who is not a warrior, for even their consumption of food is wrapped up in who they are. In years past, killing a lion was a huge right of passage for them, which has since been stopped by the government. They were known as "lion hunters". They are still allowed to kill a lion if it attacks one of them or their cattle, and when going on the hunt, no one will show fear. It would be disgraceful to be afraid, and that person would be labeled before the entire village as coward.

Falling asleep that night in my tent to the sounds of the nearby hyenas, I couldn't get over the feeling that I had walked among lions that day, not the animals in the near vicinity but these incredible people. A people who have had to be so fierce for so long. They have fiercely held onto their identity, despite the efforts of an outside world to "modernize" them, fiercely guarded their families from harm, fiercely combated drought and long journeys with cattle to grazing grounds, lion-like in their intensity.

We had the opportunity to pray with a man from this beautiful tribe going through a difficult time. Before we prayed, we talked about the value of surrendering ourselves to a God who loves us. When we allow Jesus access into our lives, it requires surrender of ourselves to Him. Explaining that if there was someone coming into your house with a gun, you would instinctively throw up your hands to show him that you will not fight against him. We suggested that as a sign of what was taking place in his heart between him and the Lord, he could choose to lift up his hands as we pray- a sign of surrender to the love of God. While we prayed, he stretched his hands up to heaven as far as they would go, even his shoulders lifted. Before leaving, Javen's dad hugged him, holding him as a father would. And that was when I saw a lion hunter cry...

Jesus is inviting a group of people, who have had to be lion-like in their strength through the centuries, to surrender to His strength. His grace can carry them. His love can uphold them. Without changing who they are, He is revealing Whose they are... a realization that will cause even the fiercest of warriors to bow their knee to the One who has been fighting for their hearts all along.

Never Alone

We were showered with gifts upon arrival in the Maasai village (as you can see by my heavily ladened neck), but the greatest gift to us was this precious man to the left (in red). 

In the days leading up to our journey to the Maasai village, our team gathered to lift the expedition up in prayer. Taking time to listen to the Lord's direction, we asked Him to reveal anything specific to us that was on His heart for these people. Javen's mom, Donna, shared with our team that she felt like the Lord said there was someone out there who had been standing alone and crying out to the Lord. She felt that our arrival in that village was largely due to their prayers. We didn't know who it would be, but we knew that our being there would be a confirmation from the Lord to them.

After showing the Jesus Film in the village, the man (to the left in red) came to us saying, "Someone came to me early in the morning telling me that missionaries had come. I ran as soon as I heard! My people have been held down by the devil for years. I have tried to share the Gospel, but they haven't listen, and now you have come!" This was our man that God had showed us. Standing alone. Praying alone. But with the Lord, we are never alone! His heart was so encouraged to see his people warmly accepting the Gospel. We had brought one of our Bibles written in Swahili, just in case we met someone out there who could both read and knew the language (few in that area speak anything other than their tribal language- "Maa"). Guess who can both read and speak Swahili?? Our new friend! He was overjoyed. As we were packing up to leave, the people were already talking with him about him coming through to their village to teach them on a regular basis.

Just when we have run out of our own strength, He clothes us with His own. Thank you, Lord, for caring so deeply about each and every one of Your kids and for reminding us that, with You, we are never alone. 

"After you have done everything to stand. Stand, therefore..." Ephesians 6:13b

Welcome Home: A Humorous and Slightly Gross Peek At Our Lives

When you see things like this, you realize that your comfort zone really is as far away as it feels. What is this, you may ask? These lovely little naked creatures are the spawn of our much detested and very recently discovered rat family, or "The Rat Pack" as they have been renamed, because the names first given to them like, "demons" and "children of the devil", seemed a little harsh. Why do we think of them so fondly? Let me back up a little...

We arrived in Tanzania after 33 hrs of travel. Upon our arrival, ALL our luggage was missing, and we had only 1 day of staying in the city that it was supposed to be arriving in before catching a smaller plane early in the morning to our home town. Missing luggage is nightmarish enough when it is in a 1st world country, it is ten times more stressful in a 3rd world country lacking in rules, workers eager for bribes and many "system breakdowns". In other words, if it doesn't show up, don't get your hopes up. Not to mention that theses bags are carriers of the supplies that are intended to get you through the next 9-10 months of your life- truck parts, bush supplies, clothing, supplies for other missionaries and the absolutely golden items- SNACKS!

We were assured at 11pm standing at the lost luggage counter, despite very jet-lagged comprehension skills, that our bags would arrive at 3pm the next day in time for our final flight at 6am the following morning. Guess what happened at 3pm the next day? A big fat nothing. Gotta love it. By 7:30 that night, we decided to leave our hotel and drive the 30 mins to the airport to discuss how they were going to get our bags to our hometown, since we were leaving at 6am and wouldn't be there to facilitate the process. Why is it such a process, you may ask? The small plane has massive baggage fees and does not even allow extra baggage past a certain point (for this reason, we were going to have all our baggage shipped via bus across the country). But the ride to the airport did not take 30 mins, try 2 1/2 hours. Easter is 3 day celebration here in Tanzania, so the city streets were overrun with partiers, cars and buses. The good news? Along the way, we received the call that the luggage had arrived. I'll spare you the rest of the saga, as our night was filled with customs officials looking for bribes in exchange for our luggage, broken, exploded and leaking items in our bags, repacking all of our bags and washing items covered in various substances (including Marshmallow "Fluff") until 12:30 am. Waking up 2 1/2 hrs later at 3am to leave for the airport, we made it on our flight, bags sent on the bus and finally arrived in our hometown that morning.

The final chapter of this saga is where our beloved "Rat Pack" enters the scene. The more the 7hr. time change took effect on us, the more setting foot in our house and collapsing into our bed became an anxiously awaited event. The leaking roof which had led to a molded, bowed ceiling in our dining room was a little disheartening, but barely dampened our spirits. We moved to the closet in our bedroom to find white mold throughout its entirety, spiders in every nook and cranny, as well as a nest of at least 100 spider babies that broke open. As I pulled items out, they scurried off into the rest of the items still sitting inside. Yet, the storeroom discovery wiped the excitement out of the moment entirely. Rescuing a load of laundry from the mold filled closet, I carried it to the storeroom where my washing machine is kept, only to meet the greatest nemesis of them all. Rat feces everywhere. All over the washing machine and every item in the room and upon opening the storage cupboard inside, the feces were layered an inch high. The smell was just what you would imagine it to be. This was our introduction to the "Rat Pack".

So, forget the laundry, the ceiling and the molded closet. Lets just go to bed, right? We are too exhausted to deal with this now. Tomorrow is another day.

Oh naive little missionaries... today is not yet over.

I have a mosquito net that hangs over my bed and tucks in around the mattress, to ensure that nothing can get in. *Ahem* NOTHING can get in. Well, as we pulled off the old sheets to put on the new (so that we can finally collapse in bed and be done with our travels), we made a discovery. Nestled in the sheets was a lovely pile of unidentifiable poop. Not rat, not gecko, maybe mouse, we still aren't sure, but it was there, in all its glory. Beloved friends... there are no words.

Later, in the middle of the night, we were awakened out of the delirious slumber of the sleep deprived to a "sumo wrestling match" taking place in the ceiling above our heads, the "Rat Pack", alive and well, welcoming us to our... I mean... THEIR home.

It's like the chilling part of "It's A Wonderful Life" when Jimmy Stewart's character is discovering what life would be like in a world created by his absence, except that he was never forced to make a forever life in that world. We, on the other hand, aren't so lucky.

The end of this epic story culminates in this darling picture (above) of the "Rat Pack" offspring discovered last week, as we gutted out our storeroom. Amidst the discovery of the disabled washing machine, truck and generator due to the rats chewing on the wires, the covering to our bush tent eaten, the empty skins of our baby chicks found on the floor (the guards had to stop incubating chicken eggs in the incubator Javen made, because the rats were going in and eating the baby chicks alive) and rats running out between Javen's legs while clearing out the room, we found this group of baby rats.

So, thank you, little Rat Pack, for your interest in our home, but we will be needing it back now. You can consider this your eviction notice. Thank you!




We just thought that you might like a little peek into some of the nitty gritty, not-so-glamorous aspects of our daily lives. All joking and "Rat Talk" aside, we are thrilled to be back and are so excited for all that this season holds in store. Thank you all for praying our bags through! They arrived on the cross-country bus, a little rained on, but none the worse for wear. Thank you!!