Following God's Calling to AZ
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Greetings,
In October 2016, our family came to a cross road. We knew that Jesus was calling us to be His hands and feet, but we didn’t know what that ministry would look like. I had been in an associate pastor position that was providing some great leadership experience, and India was a full-time Special Education teacher. Loving the opportunity to work with God’s people in ministry, I began to feel a void growing in my spirit. I had an unsettling feeling that working inside a church and doing the roles of a congregational minister wasn’t the avenue of ministry God had set for me. At the same time, India, who was in her 5th year of teaching Special Education, was being pulled down by the constant paperwork and stresses of a Special Education career. She began to feel that Jesus was calling her, like myself, to another path.
Not knowing what exactly Jesus was calling us to, we began praying, meditating on scripture, and relying on Jesus Christ to lead us. Shortly after that, I received a dream about operating a ranch for victims of sex trafficking. From that dream, we discovered what Jesus was calling us to do. We prayed and sought further confirmation in scripture and received several scriptures confirming His calling on our lives. One such scripture was Psalm 127:3-5 (NKJV) “Behold, Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior, so are children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. They shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies at the gate.” This is a scripture that we had looked at for our own family, but God showed us that He had a much bigger plan. He showed us through this scripture that He would not only be providing us the children that are biologically ours, but He will entrust us with children that are broken, in need of a Savior, and in need of care through the hands of Christ. Through our refuge program for sex trafficking victims, we would ultimately add an arrow to our quiver with each child that passes through our program. Those children would in turn, by the power of the Holy Spirit and the willingness in their hearts, become arrows at the gate of the world and would use their testimonies to proclaim Christ to the world. What a powerful testimony for Christ it will be!
There are a few steps that our family must complete to obtain our goal of creating and running a non-profit rehabilitation center for victims of sex-trafficking. First, we will need to gain education and experience in the field of non-profit ministries. This education would focus on the daily ins and outs of running a fully functioning rehabilitation center for victims, management and personnel training, finance and budget management for business, and fundraising. I am completing my Bachelor’s degree at Point University in Biblical Studies and Preaching Ministries and will graduate in December 2017. I was approached by the leadership team of Christ’s Church of the Valley (CCV) in Phoenix, AZ. This church operates a one-year residency Leadership Institute. There, I will begin the 10-month residency program in July of 2018, and through it he would obtain my Master’s Degree from Point University in Leadership in Transformational Ministries. We discovered that Phoenix, AZ has one of the largest long-term non-profit rehabilitation center for victims of sex trafficking. Through CCV, I would be on the Missions track they offer, where I would be working hands-on with the founder of the non-profit gaining knowledge on site.
We traveled to Phoenix, AZ to check out the campus and interview with them, and were amazed at the opportunities that we would be given as a family. I was accepted into the program for the Fall 2018-Spring 2019 shortly after our visit. While visiting, the leadership team began to talk to India about going through the program as well. She would begin in Fall 2019, and rather than getting a Master’s degree she would be on the Professional track. We would gain the same skillsets, training, and experience. This seemed like God’s divine providence at work because it would allow both of us to receive the proper professional training we would need to do the work God has called us to. India has begun the application process for the Leadership Institute.
That being said, our family is preparing to be uprooted from the comforts of family and friends in Alabama, and move 1800 miles west. The residency program is intensive and will not allow for me to work, nor India the year she would be enrolled. Therefore, we will be using the time from now until we leave in July 2018, and while we are there, to do as many fundraisers as possible. We will need people that are willing to donate a one-time donation, or monthly contributions, to help us achieve this milestone in our walk with Jesus. Our ultimate goal is to raise $30,000. We ask for not only financial support, but also prayer for all involved.
God Bless,
Payton Linder
Greetings,
In October 2016, our family came to a cross road. We knew that Jesus was calling us to be His hands and feet, but we didn’t know what that ministry would look like. I had been in an associate pastor position that was providing some great leadership experience, and India was a full-time Special Education teacher. Loving the opportunity to work with God’s people in ministry, I began to feel a void growing in my spirit. I had an unsettling feeling that working inside a church and doing the roles of a congregational minister wasn’t the avenue of ministry God had set for me. At the same time, India, who was in her 5th year of teaching Special Education, was being pulled down by the constant paperwork and stresses of a Special Education career. She began to feel that Jesus was calling her, like myself, to another path.
Not knowing what exactly Jesus was calling us to, we began praying, meditating on scripture, and relying on Jesus Christ to lead us. Shortly after that, I received a dream about operating a ranch for victims of sex trafficking. From that dream, we discovered what Jesus was calling us to do. We prayed and sought further confirmation in scripture and received several scriptures confirming His calling on our lives. One such scripture was Psalm 127:3-5 (NKJV) “Behold, Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior, so are children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. They shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies at the gate.” This is a scripture that we had looked at for our own family, but God showed us that He had a much bigger plan. He showed us through this scripture that He would not only be providing us the children that are biologically ours, but He will entrust us with children that are broken, in need of a Savior, and in need of care through the hands of Christ. Through our refuge program for sex trafficking victims, we would ultimately add an arrow to our quiver with each child that passes through our program. Those children would in turn, by the power of the Holy Spirit and the willingness in their hearts, become arrows at the gate of the world and would use their testimonies to proclaim Christ to the world. What a powerful testimony for Christ it will be!
There are a few steps that our family must complete to obtain our goal of creating and running a non-profit rehabilitation center for victims of sex-trafficking. First, we will need to gain education and experience in the field of non-profit ministries. This education would focus on the daily ins and outs of running a fully functioning rehabilitation center for victims, management and personnel training, finance and budget management for business, and fundraising. I am completing my Bachelor’s degree at Point University in Biblical Studies and Preaching Ministries and will graduate in December 2017. I was approached by the leadership team of Christ’s Church of the Valley (CCV) in Phoenix, AZ. This church operates a one-year residency Leadership Institute. There, I will begin the 10-month residency program in July of 2018, and through it he would obtain my Master’s Degree from Point University in Leadership in Transformational Ministries. We discovered that Phoenix, AZ has one of the largest long-term non-profit rehabilitation center for victims of sex trafficking. Through CCV, I would be on the Missions track they offer, where I would be working hands-on with the founder of the non-profit gaining knowledge on site.
We traveled to Phoenix, AZ to check out the campus and interview with them, and were amazed at the opportunities that we would be given as a family. I was accepted into the program for the Fall 2018-Spring 2019 shortly after our visit. While visiting, the leadership team began to talk to India about going through the program as well. She would begin in Fall 2019, and rather than getting a Master’s degree she would be on the Professional track. We would gain the same skillsets, training, and experience. This seemed like God’s divine providence at work because it would allow both of us to receive the proper professional training we would need to do the work God has called us to. India has begun the application process for the Leadership Institute.
That being said, our family is preparing to be uprooted from the comforts of family and friends in Alabama, and move 1800 miles west. The residency program is intensive and will not allow for me to work, nor India the year she would be enrolled. Therefore, we will be using the time from now until we leave in July 2018, and while we are there, to do as many fundraisers as possible. We will need people that are willing to donate a one-time donation, or monthly contributions, to help us achieve this milestone in our walk with Jesus. Our ultimate goal is to raise $30,000. We ask for not only financial support, but also prayer for all involved.
God Bless,
Payton Linder
Organizer
Payton Linder
Organizer
Phenix City, AL
