Grow Barefoot Walks a New Path

I’ve hinted at it for months…now, the time has finally come to share about some growth here at Grow Barefoot! Rest assured, we will still teach God's Word through speaking, writing, blogging, tweeting, and any other way we can find to proclaim the freedom found in Christ. We will still Live Free, Pursue Holiness, with No Excuses.

Here it is – Are you ready?

Grow Barefoot is adding a mission’s support branch to our current ministry. Jimmy and I have spent years working with missionaries on the field and leading short term mission trips. Indeed, we went on our first mission trip together about two weeks after we started dating. He proposed a year later on our second mission trip. Maybe those trips should have been a hint at what God had in store for us.

Over the summer I spent some time with good friends who serve on the mission field in Mexico. Both the husband and wife grew up in missionary families so between the two of them they have experience with three large mission organizations and the work God’s doing on three different continents. Already sensing God’s leading into this new area, I asked them, “What is the biggest need for mission’s work around the globe?” I’ll share his answer in a moment…

A few weeks ago I talked to a young couple at a dinner. I know this couple well and know they have a heart for hands-on, active mission work. During the course of this particular evening, they shared a little frustration about the lack of vision in their church for mission projects. I later asked them, “How could an outside organization best help your church develop their mission’s program? How could they help you put action to your desires?” His answer made my jaw drop…

Both men answered the same thing – one from the perspective of a missionary and one from the perspective of a church member. Their answer was also in line with the direction we sensed God leading Grow Barefoot. So, here it is… Both men shared a need to match up churches or individuals with specific skill sets with the needs of missionaries and mission organizations on the field.

My missionary friend shared this example, “If we are constructing a new building and need the electrical work done, it would be great to have connections with a qualified work crew who could come down and install the electrical wiring and fixtures.”

My church friend shared this as part of his story, “Our church doesn’t have a lot of people trained in education. Yet the church we try to support in Thailand has a lot of education needs. Our church would be better suited to help in a medical capacity.”

Grow Barefoot is developing a program to match the needs of missionaries on the field with the skills, capabilities, and resources of local churches. I’m sure this will have many different faces. Some possibilities might be locating and shipping products that are readily available in the United States but are hard to obtain in remote locations around the world. Other projects might include finding and supporting a work crew to complete a project on the field. Only God knows the whole future of Grow Barefoot!

God is providing a great team to work together in bringing all this about. I plan to introduce them to you in the weeks to come…Be watching!