The Pearl of Great Price: What Are You Holding Onto?

Hello, friends, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus.

Today, I want to talk about something that hit close to home when I read it in a book called "Destined to Soar" by K.P. Yohannan. He is the founder and international director of Gospel for Asia. 

It's about what we're holding onto. What we're trusting in. What we think we can't live without. Because friends, there's often one thing—just one thing—that stands between us and the fullness of life in Christ.

And today, I want to share a story from Scripture that illustrates this so powerfully. It's actually two stories—two men, two encounters with Jesus, two very different outcomes. One found life. The other lost it. And the difference between them might surprise you.

Let me take you to Luke chapter 18. A rich young ruler approaches Jesus with the most burning question on his heart: "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

Friends, this wasn't a trap question. This wasn't a religious debate like so many others tried to engage Jesus in. This young man honestly wanted to know. His heart was seeking. He came to the right person with the right question.

Jesus, knowing this man's heart, listed five of the commandments. And the young man confidently replied that he had a perfect record in keeping them all. He'd done everything right—at least outwardly. But then Jesus said something that changed everything: "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor... and come, follow Me."

And Scripture tells us that the rich ruler went away sorrowful. He couldn't do it. He had great possessions, and he couldn't let them go.

Now, let's look at the second man. His name was Zacchaeus, and he was also rich—but he'd gained his wealth by shamelessly defrauding others. Zacchaeus was a well-known crook, a tax collector who lined his pockets by cheating his own people.

When Jesus came to his house, something remarkable happened. Jesus said nothing to Zacchaeus about selling his house or giving his money away. Nothing! Yet amazingly, Zacchaeus freely made the decision to give half of his possessions to the poor and restore four times the amount he stole to everyone he'd cheated.

Two rich men. Two encounters with Jesus. One walked away sad. The other gave it all away with joy. What made the difference?

Here's what I believe happened: When Zacchaeus saw Christ, he saw the pearl of great price. He saw in Jesus everything—all things, completion. He realized, "If I have Him, I can easily give away everything. What else do I need?"

But when the young ruler saw Jesus, he didn't see the pearl of great price. If we could know what his thoughts were that day, I imagine most of them were focused on what he would be giving up, more than what he would gain in Christ.

Friends, that's the difference. It's not about how much you have. It's not about how good you've been. It's about whether you see Jesus as worth more than everything else combined.

And here's the convicting part: We very often make the same mistake as the rich young ruler. We truly want to follow Christ and experience His abundant life. We do! We're not faking it. But we focus on what we may have to give up, and we're afraid to let go of those things we have relied on for so long.

I believe the Lord looks for that "one thing" we grasp so tightly and depend on. It could be anything and it's usually not what you think it is. It's not always money or possessions.

It could be our strength—our ability to handle things on our own. It could be our education or our intellect—we've figured out how life works, and we trust in our own understanding. It could be a meaningful relationship—maybe you're holding onto someone so tightly that they've become your source of security instead of God.

It could be our years of Christian experience—"I've been a believer for 30 years; I know what I'm doing." It could be our connections, the good reputation we've established, our position in ministry or at work. It could be our extraordinary discernment and other spiritual gifts—we trust in our ability to hear from God rather than trusting in God Himself.

It could be our plans for marriage, our career path, our dreams for our children. Or yes, it could be the things of this world like the rich young ruler—our bank account, our home, our security, our comfort.

Whatever that one thing is, it has become our treasure. And where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.

In the book of Revelation, we encounter a group of people in the church of Laodicea who were convinced that they were rich and lacked nothing. They had it all together. They were doing fine. They were comfortable.

Yet the Lord told them something shocking: "You are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked."

Wait, what? How could they think they were rich when Jesus said they were poor? Why did the Lord think they lacked everything? It's because they had become self-reliant. And that self-reliance prevented them from experiencing the genuine life of Christ.

Friends, self-reliance is one of the most dangerous spiritual conditions we can be in. Because when we're self-reliant, we don't think we need God. We have our systems, our plans, our abilities, our resources. We've got this. And we completely miss out on the abundant, overflowing life that Jesus came to give us.

Here's what happens: As long as we hold on to that one thing in which we trust, we will never be able to surrender fully to Christ. Consequently, there will always be a distance between the Lord and us.

Have you ever felt that? That sense that you're going through the motions, but you're not experiencing the closeness with God that you long for? That frustration when you pray and it feels like your prayers aren't getting through? That discouragement when you read your Bible and it's just words on a page?

Often, that distance isn't because God has moved. It's because we're clutching something so tightly that we can't fully embrace Him. Such lack of closeness results in frustration and discouragement on our part.

And here's another consequence: That one thing will be a constant hindrance for the rivers of living water to flow freely out from us and give life to others. Jesus said that out of our innermost being would flow rivers of living water. But if we're blocked up with self-reliance, with trust in our one thing, those rivers can't flow. We become stagnant instead of life-giving.

So how do we recognize the "one thing" still lacking in us? How do we identify what we're holding onto too tightly?

Here's the test: We will know it by the discouragement, tension, bitterness, frustration, and irritation that fill our hearts when that "one thing" is tampered with.

Think about it. What makes you anxious? What keeps you up at night? What causes you to lose your peace? What triggers an overreaction in you? What are you afraid of losing? What can't you imagine your life without?

When that thing is threatened, when it's challenged, when it's taken away—that's when you see what you're really trusting in. God will open our eyes, and we will recognize it if we truly desire to.

And here's the good news: We will then have the grace to surrender it to the Lord. But notice how this works—not by looking at what we are letting go, but by looking at all that we have in Christ, the pearl of great price.

You see, the rich young ruler looked at his possessions and couldn't let go. Zacchaeus looked at Jesus and couldn't hold on fast enough. The difference wasn't in their circumstances. It was in their focus.

If "our riches"—that which we value most—are the Lord and what we have in Him, then no raging storm can cause any disturbance. Amy Carmichael once wrote, "A cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, however suddenly jolted."

Friends, that's the secret. When we're so full of Jesus, when we've tasted and seen that the Lord is good, when we've experienced the pearl of great price—everything else pales in comparison. The things we were clutching so tightly suddenly seem worthless compared to knowing Christ.

I believe the Lord wants us to live in a continual state of seeing Him as everything and being content in Him alone. Not just in a crisis moment. Not just when we're at a conference or a retreat. But continually. Daily. Moment by moment.

Those whose life is full of joy and the unhindered presence of the Lord are the ones who experience a continuous feast on Him. They're feasting on Jesus all the time. They're tasting His goodness, experiencing His presence, drinking from His well. And when you're feasting on Him, nothing else will matter. Abandonment to Christ alone becomes the obvious choice.

It's not a burden. It's not a sacrifice. It's the only thing that makes sense when you truly see who He is.

So let me ask you: Will you believe that He is truly the pearl of great price?

Not just intellectually. Not just theologically. But experientially. In your daily life. In your decisions. In what you hold onto and what you let go of.

What's your one thing? What are you grasping so tightly that it's keeping you from the fullness of life in Christ? Is it your financial security? Your reputation? Your plans? A relationship? Your abilities? Your ministry? Your comfort?

God is inviting you to step out. To let go. To trust Him. And I promise you this—you'll find Him to be so much more than you imagine.

I can tell you from my own experience, every time I've been forced to let go of something I was clutching, I've discovered more of Jesus. Every time I've had to release my grip on my plans, my security, my understanding—I've found that His plans are better, His security is unshakeable, His understanding surpasses all knowledge.

It's scary at first. Of course it is. Letting go always feels risky. But friends, the risk of holding on is so much greater. Because when we hold on to our one thing, we miss out on the abundant life Jesus came to give us.

So here's my invitation to you today: Ask God to show you what your one thing is. Don't be afraid of the answer. Be excited about it. Because once you identify it, once you see it clearly, you can surrender it. And that surrender opens the door to more of Jesus than you've ever experienced.

Lord Jesus, help us to be like Zacchaeus. When he saw You, he gave away half his possessions joyfully. Not because he was forced to. Not because he had to earn his salvation. But because he'd found that You, Lord Jesus, were worth more than everything he owned. Help us to have that same experience; to know that same joy; to experience that same freedom. May each of us truly see You, Jesus, as the pearl of great price. We love You! And it’s in Your name we pray this, amen. 

Thank you for joining me today for this challenging but hopefully encouraging conversation. If God is speaking to you about something you're holding onto, don't ignore it. Lean in. Ask Him for grace to let go. And watch what He does when you open your hands and your heart fully to Him.

Until next time, keep your eyes on Jesus—the pearl of great price—and remember, He is worth more than everything else combined.

You can hear this as a podcast at Spotify podcast

Africa: From Mission Field to Missionary Force

Hello, friends, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus.

Today, I want to share something with you that absolutely thrills my heart. It's a story of how God is raising up missionaries from the very places that once received missionaries. Today, we're going to talk about Africa—and how the African church has gone from being a mission field to becoming a missionary force that's reaching the world.

When Europeans came to Africa in the mid-1800s, some wanted economic gain, but others wanted souls for God's kingdom. Those early missionaries were characterized by passionate mission fervor. They sacrificed everything to bring the good news of Jesus. Churches emerged and believers multiplied. But sadly, that mission passion wasn't initially passed on to the African churches.

Beginning in the 1950s, that changed. Major national initiatives aimed at birthing authentically African churches began. Then in the 1960s, African countries gained independence, and there was a major surge of indigenous leadership—Africans were now leading African churches! This new ownership sparked revivals in Burundi, Zululand, Zaire, and Nigeria. The 1970s saw full-blown national initiatives to mobilize Africans for missions, particularly in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya.

Let me give you an example that illustrates this transformation. In 1986, there were nearly 10,000 foreign missionaries serving in Nigeria and just over 500 indigenous Nigerian missionaries going out. But watch what happened: By 2006, foreign missionaries had dropped to about 860—because Nigerians were taking control of their own evangelism. But missionaries sent by Nigerian churches increased to over 5,200! That's a complete reversal in just 20 years!

And it hasn't stopped. As of 2025, Nigeria sends an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 cross-cultural missionaries to at least 65 countries around the globe—from Europe to Asia, from North America to South America.

Here's the bigger picture: In 1900, there were only 9 million Christians in Africa—just 3% of the population. By 2000, there were 380 million Christians, representing 50% of the population. As of 2024, there are an estimated 734 million Christians in Africa, growing at 2.59% annually—nearly three times the global population growth rate. By 2050, Africa is projected to be home to more than 1.2 billion Christians—more than Europe, Russia, and North America combined.

And these African Christians aren't just growing numerically—they're going! African missionaries serve as far east as Japan and China and as far west as Brazil and Bolivia. Some of Europe's largest churches are now led by Africans! Africa is sending missionaries back to the continent that once sent missionaries to them!

Kenya has over 1,500 missionaries serving globally. Ghana sends more than 1,000 missionaries internationally. Friends, the missionary movement is becoming polycentric—it's no longer just from the West to the rest. It's from everywhere to everywhere!

Now, challenges remain. There's still critical need for theological training appropriate to the African context. Infrastructure challenges, disease, wars, and unstable governments still affect millions. The relationship between Islam and Christianity remains a major challenge—in Nigeria alone, as of early November, reports indicate that an average of 35 Christians are being killed each day. Yet despite persecution, the Nigerian church continues to grow and send missionaries.

So what do we do with this? First, expand your mental image of what a missionary looks like. A missionary might be a Nigerian going to Chad, a Filipino going to Saudi Arabia, a Kenyan going to the UK. Second, partner better. Western churches often have more financial resources; African churches often have more people willing to go and sometimes better access to closed countries. How can we work together?

Third, support African missions. Give to African missionary organizations. Support theological training in Africa. Fourth, learn from them. African Christians have much to teach us about passion, joy in suffering, and worship. And fifth, celebrate! This is the fruit of faithful missionaries who went generations ago.

Friends, this is an incredible testimony to the power of the Gospel. Africa went from 9 million Christians in 1900 to over 750 million in 2024. From 3% Christian to over 50% Christian. This happened in a context of incredible difficulty—poverty, disease, political instability, persecution. Yet the church grows and sends. What an indictment on comfortable Western Christianity! We have so much and send so little. They have so little and send so much.

When I look at what God is doing in Africa, I am filled with hope. By 2050, the typical Christian will likely be African, Asian, or Latin American—young, passionate, and on fire for Jesus. Africa is leading the way, and we get to partner with them!

Heavenly Father, we praise You for what You are doing in Africa! Please bless the African missionaries serving in difficult places. Provide them with theological training and protection from persecution. May we, in the Western churches, humble ourselves and learn to be genuine partners. We love You and thank You for all You are doing around the world. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Friends, remember—some day, we will all rejoice around God's holy throne together. Christians from every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. And there will be multitudes from Africa who are there because African Christians said yes to God's call. What a glorious day that will be!

Thank you for joining me today. I hope this has expanded your vision for global missions and filled you with hope. The Gospel is spreading, the Church is growing, and it's happening through missionaries from everywhere going everywhere.

Until next time, keep your eyes on the nations, celebrate what God is doing globally, and remember—the best days of missions are ahead of us!

Listen to this as a podcast on Spotify podcast

Dreams and Visions: Jesus Awakening Afghan Hearts (Part 3)

 Hello, friends, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus.

This is Part 3 of our Afghanistan series, and today I'm going to share stories with you that still bring tears to my eyes every time I think about them. Stories that prove beyond any doubt that Jesus is moving powerfully in the Muslim world.

Before I dive in, let me read you a verse that has become so real to me. It's from Joel 2:28:

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions."

Friends, we are living in the days when this prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes. God is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh—including Muslims in Afghanistan and across the Islamic world. And He's doing it through dreams and visions.

I had been praying for the 10/40 Window for years. After September 11, 2001, God spoke strongly to my heart to pray specifically for Muslim people. As I prayed and learned, I began reading reports of Muslims having dreams of Jesus. It fascinated and encouraged me so much!

But before 2021, I never thought I would actually know Muslims who had dreams of Jesus. I thought these were amazing stories that happened to other people, through other missionaries. I had no idea that God was about to give me a front-row seat to see it happen myself.

When I started helping Afghans during the evacuation crisis, I told every person I spoke to that I was a follower of Jesus Christ. I explained that it was His love for them that caused me to want to help them, and I told them I would pray for them. And I did pray for them—by name, regularly, fervently.

Each person was kind and thanked me for praying. The praying hands emoji became a frequent part of our online conversations. I wasn't pushy. I simply told them the truth about why I was helping them, loved them with the love of Christ, and let God do the rest.

One of my contacts seemed interested in Jesus, so I began sharing more. But then this person became fearful and asked me to stop. Of course, I respected that and stopped immediately.

But friends, two days later—just two days—I received a message that this Afghan had a dream of Jesus Christ. Two days after asking me to stop talking about Jesus, Jesus Himself showed up in this person's dream.

Over the next couple of years, this Afghan had two more dreams of Jesus. We had conversations, I prayed and shared Biblical truth. And then—praise God—this Afghan became a Christian under Taliban rule, where conversion is punishable by death. But the story gets even better: This Afghan went on to share their new faith with a friend, and soon that friend trusted Jesus as well! One dream led to one salvation, which led to another salvation.

The next year, I had another Afghan contact so desperate for food that he was planning to sell his kidney. But Jesus showed up in his dream. This man had an encounter with Jesus while sleeping, and soon after, he put his faith in Christ. A friend in Pakistan helped disciple him in his new faith. Jesus didn't just save this man's soul—He met him in his moment of greatest desperation.

I've also become friends with a Muslim from the West Bank who had a dream of Jesus at age 10. Years later, after much study of both Sunni and Shia Islam, he encountered the Holy Spirit supernaturally, and put his faith in Jesus Christ. The next day, he heard singing and found a church in Jordan—and they were singing the exact same song he'd heard in his dream as a 10-year-old! That's divine orchestration. That's the fingerprints of God all over a salvation story.

Yet another brother came to Christ through dreams and now helps many Afghan pastors online through the underground church network. Do you see the pattern? Jesus appears in dreams. People come to faith. Then those new believers help others, disciple others, and strengthen the church. One dream at a time.

Why dreams? In many Muslim countries, it's illegal to own a Bible or evangelize. But God can still reach people through dreams—the Taliban can control borders, but not what happens when people sleep. Dreams carry significant weight in Muslim culture. And dreams show God's initiative—He pursues Muslims who've been taught Christianity is false. It demonstrates that salvation is God's work, not ours.

What I've witnessed is part of something much larger across the entire Muslim world. There's a book, one of many on this subject, called "Dreams and Visions: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World?" by Tom Doyle. From Iran to Afghanistan, from North Africa to Indonesia—Muslims are encountering Jesus in supernatural ways at unprecedented rates.

Despite the Taliban, despite persecution, despite the fact that conversion can mean death—the Afghan church is growing. Ministry leaders estimate it's growing as fast as Iran's explosive underground church movement. It's miraculous. Jesus loves all people, and Muslims are not forgotten by Him.

So what do we do? First, pray for more dreams. Pray for Muslims to encounter Jesus across the Islamic world. Second, be ready. If God is giving Muslims dreams of Jesus, some will seek out Christians to ask questions. Are you ready to share the Gospel clearly? Third, support the underground church risking their lives to disciple new converts. Fourth, tell these stories. Share what God is doing. And fifth, increase your faith. If God can reach Muslims in Afghanistan through dreams, He can work in your life too.

When I started helping Afghans in 2021, I thought I was just doing humanitarian work. But God had so much more in mind. He was connecting me with people who would have dreams of Jesus. I'm just one person who said yes to God. You don't have to be a trained missionary. You just have to be willing to be used.

I want to close with this: Don't lose hope for the Muslim world. Jesus is moving powerfully. The church is growing. Lives are being transformed. The Taliban can't stop it. Persecution can't stop it. Because when Jesus decides to reveal Himself to someone, nothing can stand in His way.

Dearest Lord Jesus, we love You! You move in ways we can't even imagine. Please use each of us to reach others. Whatever You're calling us to do, may we say yes. In Your name, amen.

Friend, your yes might be part of someone else's salvation story. Your prayers might lead to someone's dream. Your obedience might open the door for Jesus to reveal Himself to someone who desperately needs to know Him.

Thank you for joining me for this three-part series on Afghanistan. If these episodes have stirred your heart, don't let that stirring fade away. Do something. Pray. Give. Go. Get involved. Until next time, keep your eyes on the nations, keep praying for the Muslim world, and keep believing that Jesus is building His church in the darkest places.

You can listen to this as a podcast at Spotify podcast

Afghanistan - How God Called Me to Help (Part 2)

Hello, friends, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus.

This is the second podcast in our Afghanistan series, and today's episode is different. Today, I'm not going to talk about statistics or global persecution trends. Today, I'm going to share my personal story—how God called an ordinary mom from South Carolina into the chaos of the Afghanistan evacuation in August 2021, and how that experience changed my life forever.

Before I dive into my story, I need to give you some context about what happened in Afghanistan in August 2021. Because if you don't understand the crisis, you won't understand how God showed up in the midst of it.

On August 15, 2021—just two weeks before US troops were set to officially withdraw from Afghanistan—Taliban fighters entered the capital city of Kabul and the Afghan government collapsed almost immediately. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, and the speed of the Taliban's takeover surprised US officials, allies, and reportedly even the Taliban themselves.

What followed was absolute chaos. Videos circulated showing desperate Afghans chasing and clinging to departing American military planes at the Kabul airport. Tens of thousands of Afghans and foreign nationals rushed to the international airport in Kabul. Many had fought the Taliban or had supported Afghan or NATO forces and feared retaliation, but many more just feared the Taliban and wanted to get out of the country.

On August 26, 2021, an ISIS-K suicide bomber attacked the airport, killing 13 US service members and at least 169 Afghans. It was the deadliest day for the US military in Afghanistan since 2012. By August 31, more than 120,000 people had been evacuated in just a few weeks—but countless others, American citizens and Afghan allies, were left behind.

Friends, this was one of the most chaotic evacuations in modern history. And right in the middle of it, God called Jeff and me to help.

Our journey into Afghanistan began on August 8, 2021, with a video message shown at our church. An Afghan missionary our church supported was housing members of the underground church in his home. They were coming from all over Afghanistan, fleeing as the Taliban advanced across the country. He was asking for help.

Just one week later, on August 15, Kabul fell to the Taliban. Shortly after that, a team from our church began working frantically to get this missionary and his family out of Afghanistan.

Then, on August 24, a former military friend of ours asked if either my husband or I might have some time to help input names of Afghans, who had helped the US military over the past 20 years, into the US State Department website to help with evacuation efforts. I volunteered. I thought maybe I'd help for a few days, maybe a couple of weeks.

Friends, I had no idea what I was signing up for.

I began working with a group called Digital Dunkirk. The name came from the famous World War II evacuation at Dunkirk, where civilian boats helped rescue Allied soldiers from the beaches of France. This modern Digital Dunkirk started when a few veterans were on vacation and suddenly their phones began blowing up with desperate pleas from Afghan friends for help.

They started an ad hoc group and I joined up. We got names and documents of people who needed to get out and started trying to help them get permission to go to the airport, then get through the gates, and finally onto flights out of the country. There are so many harrowing stories from those first few weeks.

Those first few days were absolute chaos. My husband was working with a group at our church to get the missionary family out, and I had been assigned to help a couple of families. But it quickly grew beyond anything I could have imagined.

I was initially assigned to help a former interpreter for USAF Office of Special Investigations who had just gotten married in August. He was an American citizen and had just flown back to the US. His new wife was supposed to follow in a few days—and then her flight was canceled. She was trapped.

My husband and I were on our phones or computers almost 24/7 for those first few weeks. A dear friend even watched our son for a few days. We were passing on information, telling people to go to this airport entrance or that one, telling Afghans which areas of the city were safe, talking to the US government about passports and visas and paperwork.

And then the word spread. Afghans told their friends. Suddenly I went from trying to help two people to trying to help close to 55 Afghans by the end of August. These included American citizens, Legal Permanent Residents with green cards, and people who had worked for the US government and had begun US immigration paperwork. The US government had made promises to these people if they would help us the past 20 years. Now they were desperate because their help made them a huge target for the Taliban. 

Some of them came to me through Digital Dunkirk. Others came from friends in the US military who saw my Facebook posts about helping. Congressman Bacon's office sent people to me. Senator Tim Scott's office sent people to me. Our Afghan missionary gave us lists of Christian families who needed help.

And it wasn't just military interpreters. I tried to help a female Supreme Court judge. A Brigadier General in the Afghan military. A man who worked for Google. A female journalist.

In just a few days, huge networks began to form over an app called Signal. These networks were made up of hundreds of veterans, current US military personnel, civilians, people in other US agencies, Christians, and others all trying to help.

Digital Dunkirk changed its name to Task Force Argo and got the backing of a Congressional candidate named Jesse Jensen from Washington state. I also got involved with AFGFree, another ad hoc group started by Perry Blackburn, a retired Lieutenant Colonel and member of the "Horse Soldiers"—the first US boots on the ground in Afghanistan after September 11, 2001.

Another group I worked with was Heart of an Ace. All these organizations were doing the same thing: trying to save lives. They helped with food drops for the people I was trying to help. I was on Signal chats with all these groups, coordinating, sharing information, praying together.

Friends, what happened in those weeks was nothing short of miraculous. Complete strangers—veterans, civilians, Christians, people from all walks of life—came together with one mission: to save as many people as we could.

So much of what I did every day for that first year—and honestly, what I'm still doing now in 2025—was to talk to my Afghan families. I encouraged them. I prayed for them. I shared information with them. I made sure all their data was updated in the US State Department system. And when they were running out of food, we coordinated food deliveries. My husband, family and church family were a huge support! 

I set up a GiveSendGo page and by the end of 2021, I had raised over $2,400. Since that time, I honestly have no idea how many thousands of dollars have been donated. Our amount is a drop in the bucket compared to the money that US veterans, and others, have taken out of their own pockets to support these families.

Really, I have no idea how to get a good picture of how much private funds have gone into saving Afghan lives over the past few years. But I can tell you this: it's been a lot. And it's been given willingly, sacrificially, by people who saw a need and responded.

The first person I helped, the interpreter’s wife, finally made it out of Afghanistan in late December 2021—via Doha, Qatar—and joined her husband in the United States. His mom made it out later. I can't tell you the joy of that moment. After months of stress and prayer and work, she was safe.

I helped a family of eight from Virginia. The wife and four kids were on vacation in Afghanistan when Kabul fell. Like so many others, they tried over and over again to make it through the airport gates in late August, but were not successful. They went into hiding. Finally, on September 21, they were able to get out and made it home on October 16.

That whole family came to visit our family that Thanksgiving. They spent the night and brought amazing Afghan food with them. We had such a wonderful visit. I tutored the wife with her English every Tuesday evening for quite a while so that she could get her US citizenship and I still talk to them regularly,.

Friends, as of October 2025, I have seen 64 people that I helped make it safely out of Afghanistan to America or elsewhere. Sixty-four lives. Sixty-four stories. Sixty-four Afghans who are now safe and building new lives.

We still support a family in Afghanistan every month, along with a young lady in Pakistan, who has become like a daughter to me. They're not forgotten. They're still waiting. Still hoping. Still trusting that somehow, someday, they'll make it out.

I know there's so much more to this story than I can share in one podcast. There are individual stories that would make you weep. There are moments of God's provision that still give me chills. There are answered prayers that have no explanation except divine intervention.

One of my new friends, who runs a lot of the food distributions, summed up the past few years this way: "It definitely seems like a bad dream some days, but with some of the most rewarding consequences when we get victories. Each and every person here has helped prevent what could've been a genocide by helping with evacuation, processing, sustainment, holding the Taliban and other government accountable, and keeping the story in the public eye. It is truly amazing what this team and all the other people in the evacuation community have accomplished."

Friends, I never thought God would call me to this. I'm just a mom. I'm just a wife. I'm just an ordinary person who loves Jesus and tries to follow where He leads.

But when God opens a door, when He puts people in your path who desperately need help, when He gives you an opportunity to be His hands and feet in a crisis—you say yes. You just say yes.

Here's what I've learned through this journey:

First, God can use anyone. You don't have to be specially trained or uniquely qualified. You just have to be willing.

Second, when you step out in faith, God connects you with the people and resources you need. Those networks I told you about? That wasn't coincidence. That was God orchestrating connections.

Third, the most important thing you can do is be present. My Afghan families don't just need money or logistics help—though they need that too. They need someone who cares. Someone who remembers their names. Someone who asks about their kids. Someone who prays with them.

Fourth, this work is long-term. The crisis didn't end when the evacuation ended. These families still need support. They're still traumatized. They're still adjusting. They're still fighting to bring family members out. This isn't a sprint—it's a marathon.

And fifth—and this is the most important one—God is faithful. When I look back at the past four years, I see His fingerprints everywhere. I see miracles. I see provision. I see protection. I see answered prayers. I see God showing up again and again and again.

So here's my question for you: What is God calling you to do?

Maybe it's not Afghanistan. Maybe it's refugees in your own community. Maybe it's immigrants in your church. Maybe it's supporting missionaries. Maybe it's something completely different.

But I guarantee you this: God has a role for you to play in reaching the nations. The question is, will you say yes?

When I answered the call on August 24, 2021, I thought I was just going to input some names into a website for a few hours. I had no idea it would become a more than four-year commitment. I had no idea I would gain dozens of Afghan friends. I had no idea how much it would change me.

But I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Yes, it's been hard. Yes, there have been sleepless nights. Yes, there have been tears. Yes, there have been times when I felt overwhelmed and inadequate.

But I've also seen God work in ways I never imagined. I've been part of saving lives. I've had a front-row seat to miracles. I've built relationships that will last a lifetime. And I've learned what it really means to love my neighbor as myself.

In our next podcast, I'm going to share some specific stories of God's faithfulness with Afghan believers—stories that will encourage your faith and remind you that God is still moving powerfully in Afghanistan.

But for now, I want to leave you with this: Don't wait for the perfect opportunity. Don't wait until you feel qualified. Don't wait until it's convenient.

When God opens a door, walk through it. When He puts someone in your path, help them. When He stirs your heart, respond.

Because you never know—that one yes might change everything. Not just for the people you help, but for you too.

Thank you for letting me share my story with you today. I know it's different from my usual podcasts, but this journey has been such a huge part of my life for the past four years, and I wanted you to know about it.

If you want to help or learn more about the organizations I mentioned, check out the links in the episode description. 

Heavenly Father, we lift up Afghanistan to You. You know each person, each story, each heart that needs You. Be with the families still waiting to get out. Bless, protect and grow Your underground church. Please Lord, continue moving in this dark place with the bright light of Jesus Christ! We ask this in His name, amen.

Until next time, keep your eyes on the nations, be ready to say yes when God calls, and remember—He can use anyone who's willing.

You can listen to this in podcast form at spotify.com

NEXT EPISODE: Afghanistan Part 3 - Miraculous Stories of God's Faithfulness with Afghan Believers

Read more on my blog: nations4jesus.blogspot.com