The V-Team's Story

THE V-TEAM'S STORY

I often tell people I wish I was blogging, previously, because our story would already be written.  However, I wasn't, and so our story has not been written, until now...

• 1991
• Christy had responded to the call at the Wesleyan Youth Convention "Impact 90" to go into the world.  She was preparing to be a part of the "Isaiah 6 Project" by being on a team that would go to a city within the USA.  However, due to the start of Desert Storm War the missions' trips were canceled.
• 1995
• Barry and I met.  Barry was in his second year of a community college where he was studying to be a police officer.  I was a senior in high school. 
• Barry had plans to go to Michigan State or a school in Arizona.  I had plans to go to Indiana Wesleyan University to study elementary education.
• Both Barry and I were accepted at Indiana Wesleyan University for the fall of 1995 semester.
• During the Spiritual Emphasis Week we went to both the daily chapel sessions and the evening rallies with Tim Elmore as the speaker.  During one of the evening rallies Barry felt the Lord calling him into full-time ministry.  He immediately began pursuing a Christian Ministries degree.
• 1996
• Barry proposed. :)
• 1997
• Barry and I were married on July 19.
• 1998
• Barry graduated from IWU with a BS in Christian Ministries.
• 1999
• I graduated from IWU with a BS in Elementary Education.  
• We moved to Mississippi so that Barry could go to Wesley Biblical Seminary.
• Barry began working with the teens at Trinity Wesleyan Church.
• I accepted a teaching position at Bradley Elementary School (inner-city Jackson, MS).
• 2000
• We had our first son, Barry III.
• 2001
• Barry went on his first mission trip to Haiti.  It was life changing for him.  I stayed home and enjoyed Barry III.
• Our second son, Austin, was born.
• Barry was ordained as a pastor in The Wesleyan Church.  Pastor Tim Elmore was the main speaker for the conference time.
• After his ordination service there was a special missions service.  At the end of the service there was an opportunity to respond to the Lord if you felt called into missions.  Much to my surprise, Barry stood up.  I was quick to try to get Barry to sit back down.
• 2003
• Barry graduated with a Master's of Divinity from Wesley Biblical Seminary
• We moved to Radford, Virginia to answer a call to pastor the Radford Wesleyan Church.
• I began teaching at Dayspring Christian Academy.
• 2004
• Our third son, Seth, was born.
• 2006
• Caleb, our fourth son, was born.
• Barry was invited to go on a trip to El Salvador with his expenses paid.
• This trip was with other pastors and a church in our district.  One of the purposes of the trip was to see if our district would desire to begin a partnership with the churches in El Salvador
• Barry came back with a huge passion for El Salvador and the people there.
• The whole trip I was fearful that Barry would come back and tell me he felt called to be a missionary.  I was so scared I called his parents and asked if the boys and I could move in with them, if Barry came back saying he was moving.
• 2007
• I started to work on my Master's of Arts degree in Educational Leadership.
• 2009
• I graduated with an MA in Educational Leadership.  During my last semester I began wondering if I was getting my master's in the wrong field because I was beginning to wonder if I was being called into full-time ministry of some sort.
• I accepted a position as Principal of Main Campus at Dayspring Christian Academy.
• 2010
• I went on the Emmaus Walk (Barry went two weeks before me and had a great experience, my experience was not great, however, the Lord continued to speak to me about full-time ministry)
• 2011
• Barry and I went to a Minister and Mate Gathering in Jacksonville, Florida.
• The Lord challenged me to completely surrender.  He specifically laid the following on my heart, "Christy will you surrender your dreams, Christy will you surrender goals, Christy will you surrender your profession and Christy will you surrender your children?"
• During a worship time the worship leaders were singing the song "Your Grace is Enough," when suddenly the switch singing from English to Spanish.  They were worshiping in both languages and empowering others to worship bilingually.  During that time I felt the Lord call me to accept a position on a short-term missions team to Guatemala.
• In June I went on my first mission's trip to Guatemala with Cleaview Wesleyan's Team. 
• I brought a teenager I was mentoring with me.
• My eyes were opened to poverty, challenges women in different cultures face and different leadership building situations.
• I fell in love with the Guatemalan people.
• I felt led to lead a team from my church to Guatemala the next summer.
• 2012
• I began leading Radford Wesleyan's first ever mission's team to go out of the USA.
• Barry and Barry III felt called to be a part of the team with me.
• During that trip Barry and I were asked to speak at the Pastor's Congress in March of 2013.
• When we got home from that mission's trip we had a $400 donation already and childcare was already taken care of.
• 2013
• We went to The Pastor's Congress from March 2nd - 7th.
• Barry spoke to the male pastors from Nehemiah's life.
• On one of his last points he became overwhelmed.  "Nehemiah knew how to embrace God's new vision for his life."  Barry was moved to tears (in front of everyone).  All the people in the room began to pray over Barry.
• A pastor came to Barry and shared a vision he had of Barry teaching outside of the USA.
• I spoke to the female leaders and pastors about "Freedom Found in Christ."
• We left the Pastor's Congress, after making friends with Jarvis and Sue Fergusson, overwhelmed because we did not know how to explain what we were feeling (we didn't understand), we were unclear of what God desired from us.
• We returned to the USA promising the Lord that we would seek His heart for our lives.  We began that.
• We spoke to other pastors, mentors, and family about what the Lord was doing in our spirits.  It wasn't until we began speaking to Global Partners that peace finally began to come.
• We began the application process to becoming a Global Partner Missionary.
• Through the process we were honest, we did not know if we were "called" to be missionaries (but we knew we were called to be obedient to the Lord whatever that meant), we did not know where we were "called" to go (but we knew that God would guide and direct us where ever he desired us) and we did not know what the next several months would look like (but we knew that we could trust God).
• In October we were appointed as Global Partner Missionaries.  Our appointment is unique, in that we are appointed as missionaries to Central America (not a specific country).
• 2014
• Partnership Development has begun in full force.
• I am currently traveling to churches each weekend.
• Barry will be done at Radford Wesleyan Church on June 1st
• Details, timing, finances, etc...
• ...well we are finding that we have to do more praying and trusting than ever before in our lives.
• And God has been meeting our needs
• As well as, our desires
• Our friends paid for and took us on vacation with their family
• Another blessing (which I can't share, yet, has been given to us)