To Know God and Make Him Known

_{“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8}

Aloha McCalls on Mission Community!

Following Jesus

Have you ever felt like you’ve ended up in a situation that feels like it is too big for you to handle? So many times for me! There have been pivotal moments in my life that God has led me to and asked me the question, “will you trust me over your own good thoughts?” Sometimes, in the flesh, I’m tempted to respond that my ideas make more sense than His.

But! Each time, I’ve known, without fail, that God knows way more than me. I can look through scripture, and through my own life, and tell you of the faithfulness of God over and over. I need to be reminded again and again that God’s ways are higher than mine; that His thoughts are higher than my thoughts.

I’m really grateful that God continually calls me into deeper relationship with him. Deeper revelation. Deeper vulnerability. It was easier to “risk” for the Kingdom of God when I was single, it’s become a whole other level of trust with a wife and five kids.

He has never failed us and I know He never will. Here’s the thing, going deeper with God takes vulnerability; which feels risky. There will be substantial personal cost. Jesus, our reward, is worth every bit of ‘risk’ we could ever take.

Where, in your life, do you need to resist the temptation to quit and press in a little deeper? Give that burden to God and rest in the fact that the hands that made the universe are also holding you.

Thank You 🙌🏼

The other day, I was struck with how simple gratitude is and yet how powerful it is. Saying thank you does so much in my heart. I was thanking God for His friendship, for the ways He’s Fathered me, and I was overcome by a love so deep I began to weep. Each one of you has sown into this missions work and I’m profoundly grateful for that.

Thank you for standing with us. We recognize and understand that it’s not simply our family doing this thing called “missions” but all of us, together on one team, united to see the Kingdom of God advance across the earth. What an amazing privilege to partner with Jesus, as His body, to see his plans and purposes come to pass.

Paris

In about a week, I (Chris) will be heading to Paris to teach in the School of Worship at YWAM Paris Connect. This base has had a special place in my heart for many years now and I’m excited to pour out my life into those students. My topic for teaching is “Developing Worship Teams and Leaders.” Pray for me as I prepare.

I have many teachings on this topic, but I always want to be sensitive to what the Spirit wants me to teach because He knows best what the students need. Also, I’m so excited to take Moses with me on this trip. We do our best, as finances allow, to bring our kids with me on trips like this.

Moses is old enough and able to do something like this with me now. Pray for Mo and that his heart will be prepared for this trip. I want to give him opportunities to minister with me as the Lord leads. He’s also very excited to see the Mona Lisa and the Eiffel Tower. What a precious time this will be.

Nepal

The beautiful thing about being willing to stick around for the long run is that you get to see the fruit of faithfulness. As we’ve poured into countless students and staff, God has assembled many who are uniquely equipped to carry the great commission into the future with the School of Worship. I had a chance to debrief with one of my staff, this week, who went to Nepal on a scouting trip for our OMT Scripture Song (Oral Mother Tongue Bible Translation and new songs from Scripture in newly translated languages) initiative.

The report was amazing but also convicting! We take for granted (at least I know I do) the ability to read the Bible in multiple versions in our own language and to sing songs from scripture in our own language. Those parts of the world are hungry for the word of God and what a shift it brings when it is in their Mother Tongue.

The biggest identified need that our colleagues in Nepal have is songwriting training and ability to make the work sustainable. We have now begun setting dates for a trip in mid-October to bring a bigger team and go deeper into training for a week. We plan to capture the songs they write at the end of that week.

Those dear brothers and sisters in Christ are so excited to have songs to worship God in their own languages. We are grateful for the opportunity to help facilitate the multiplication of songs in Nepal as a starting point.

Kona

Our current School of Worship is about half way through lecture phase. This week they are up north at our “sister base” in Makapala. This week’s topic is “Redeeming Culture”.

Pray that the students will grasp how they can partner with God in His redemptive plan across the earth through song and native instruments. There is such maturity in this group of students and a hunger for God that I haven’t seen in a couple of quarters. It’s fascinating watching the ebb and flow of who God brings to the school.

With that said, I’m very expectant for how God wants to use these students on their outreach to Papua New Guinea.

Canada

And what about Canada? This week we will be commissioning a few of our School of Worship Staff to Canada for a short-term trip. They will be partnering with a ministry in Hamilton to lead worship and to run a School of Worship conference.

It will be a full weekend of worship and training for the local body of Christ. It’s a true partnership and I believe it will be a tipping point for collaboration and unity between local churches.

Prayer Point

This past week has been full of love and laughter but also big trust in God. We celebrated 15 years of marriage, Liz turning 39, and Mothers Day! In the midst of it all we found out that our rent was going to be raised by $600.

That’s quite an increase and now above what we can afford…well really, it’s always been above what our budget was but we’ve hustled in different ways to cover the difference. However, a couple weeks ago, we were doing yard work and God impressed on our hearts to bless the owners and thank the Lord for the opportunity to steward this land and home for the past three years. It has been such a blessing to us.

The thing is, God has spoken clearly about a “roots down deep home” and as much of a bummer as this could be, it feels like movement in our journey of landing in that long-term home. Pray for our continued willingness to take huge steps of faith with God, for the finances behind it all, and for the next step. We’re still trying to work out what the next step is and we would love your prayers. 🙏 

Final Remarks

I’m excited to report that there is some new music brewing that will be released later this year. One of the songs may or may not be a song I helped translate from German to English…God is so GOOD! 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and may the Lord give you peace. Amen.  🙏

Grace and Peace be with you in Abundance,

-Chris, Lizzi, Kai, Laila, Rhema, Moses, and Zion ♥️-