In 2020, we began to sense God stirring our hearts toward something that we couldn't yet name, but knew would be transformative for our family and the way we pursue the heart of God and communicate to and with others about Jesus.
Over the past several years we've been on a prayerful journey seeking understanding about how our family can live intentionally on mission and honor the passion of our hearts to see young people transformed by the love of God.
Meanwhile, in the midst of us praying internally, the EveryHeart movement was in its early stages in West Michigan. Founded in part by one of Josiah's cousins, we were hearing beautiful, Kingdom-shaking testimonies born out of a ministry seeking to see a generation "transformed and sent by the love of Jesus."
God really used these testimonies as a way to shift our gaze more intentionally toward missions. We began to pray and wonder if, when, and where God would call our family into full-time ministry and mission, together.
In the past year or so, we became really intentional about seeking God's heart for our family to be on mission and with many small (and some big) confirmations along the way, we are excited to prepare to move to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to take part in the EveryHeart School - a YWAM Discipleship Training School providing young people an opportunity to grow in their relationship with Jesus, receive practical missions training, and be sent out with the love and truth of the Gospel to see lives transformed.
Our hearts yearn to see a generation transformed by the love of Jesus.
WE'RE THE JOSEPHS: JOSIAH, RACHEL, JUBILEE, MABEL, & MALACHI.
JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING
I've grown up my whole life knowing about Jesus but it wasn't until I was 19 years old that I was fully surrendered to Him and His work in my life. Early on, I felt a call to serve in youth ministry both as a volunteer and professionally.
As I've grown older and as Rachel and I have started our own family, I see the youth that I once worked with transitioning into young adulthood and now, more than ever, I'm aware of the deep need for young people to know God's love in profound ways that lead to life transformation. Because of my own testimony, I have a heart to see young people transformed into the likeness of Jesus by practicing the Way of Jesus as modeled by the life of Jesus through Scripture.
I come from a strong family legacy of missionaries - both my paternal and maternal grandparents served long-term in Kenya and I grew up knowing the beauty of surrendering your life that others might know and experience the love of Jesus. Throughout my younger years of serving in short-term missions and, later, working in full-time church ministry with young people, I have long been open to God's call to full-time missions.
I'm so thankful that I get to serve now alongside my wife and partner together to see God's Kingdom made manifest here on earth.
Josiah's Testimony
Rachel's Testimony
I truly encountered Jesus in a personal way when I was 18 years old. I tasted the goodness of God and encountered the love of Jesus in such a profound way that you could say my life "did a 180." I knew I was all in for all of my days. My testimony has directly impacted my heart and desire to see young people, especially young women, find healing and freedom in Jesus.
Quickly, Jesus planted a seed in my heart for missions and for the Gospel to go near and far - so much so that I paused my college program and travelled around the world for a YWAM DTS in 2013. I eventually joined staff and served with YWAM for two years before returning to Fort Wayne to complete my degree. I always wondered if and when God would open the door for full-time missions again - it's something that I've never been able to fully picture my future without.
Part of Josiah and I's initial connection while friends and eventually dating was our mutual love for ministry and missions. We've always been open to the idea of shifting our family into full-time missions, but it wasn't until 2023, when we started to receive confirmation in numerous ways, that we decided it was time to take steps to pursue this as a family.
We are so excited and so humbled that God would honor our hearts to serve Him and make a way for our family to enter into a new season of serving Him full-time together.
