Start Moving Forward

Written by Rebekah

This summer, I’m saying goodbye to Durham (my home for 8 years) and moving to join my fiancé on the other side of the world. There, I’ll be partnering with him in his ministry to the growing local church and joining an NGO that is supporting the local government as they build a foster care system to divert kiddos from orphanages to family homes.

When I agreed to a short trip to the Middle East over Thanksgiving 2023, I thought I was just going to spend a week serving in a refugee camp. But from the first day, I felt an unexpected sense of home—from the mountains of the city to the people I met. And then came the clearest answer I’ve ever received to my usual “God, is it time for me to move overseas?” prayer: start moving forward. It was unexpected and unsettling, especially since God’s answer had always been “no” in every other place I’d asked before. Two days later, I met the man who is now my fiancé. He pursued me with faithfulness and patience, and after much prayer and wrestling during our time dating, I said yes to marrying him later this year!

As you read this, I’ve already said goodbye to Durham as my home (though I’ll be back for a few visits before leaving the U.S. for good in August). In my new city, I’ll be joining the work of a church-planting team, encouraging and discipling new believers alongside my fiancé. I’ll also be working as a social worker for an NGO that is partnering with the local government in their foster care initiative. My job will shift based on needs, but I’ll predominantly be helping train social workers, supporting foster families navigating behavioral challenges, and working on procedures and policies that protect vulnerable children.

In this new season, I’ll also be continuing Kurdish language learning and adapting to a challenging and beautiful culture. Kurdish is a warm, expressive language—sometimes a little imprecise (like how the same word is used for hand, wrist, and arm!)—but full of personality (with a sprinkle of drama). There are some fun adjustments, like learning the correct way to eat sunflower seeds or greeting with cheek kisses. And there are harder things, too: dressing culturally appropriately, learning how to host well (fitting into high cultural expectations), and simply not always knowing what I’m doing. But I’m confident that this call—to marriage, to this city, to this ministry—is from the Lord, and He will go with me through every step, every cultural faux pas, and every challenge. These steps of faith feel a bit overwhelming at times, but I know they are the best place I could possibly be.

Hardships and Deliverance: A Reflection of the Fiery Furnace

Written by Ashley Hyslop The older I get, the more it becomes abundantly clear that this life is riddled with hardships and difficulties. However, I have also seen firsthand that through these trials our faith is truly tested, and how this is actually a good thing! The last few years of my life have been the most challenging thus far. Ranging from losing loved ones to wondering if God even hears my cries, my first few years out of college and in the “adult world” have oftentimes left me struggling to stand on my own two feet. However, it is through these struggles that I resonate now more than ever with an analogy given to me in my Old Testament Survey class back in 10th grade. 

The analogy reflects on the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and specifically their deliverance from the fiery furnace. 

For some context, this story follows Babylon’s first attack on Jerusalem (2 Kings 24). A group of Israelites were exiled into Babylon, three of which were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, sent out a decree that everyone was to fall down and worship a golden idol he had built, and those who did not comply would be thrown into a blazing furnace (Daniel 3:4-6). Because of their allegiance to God, the three men did not obey this command and in turn were thrown into the furnace. They had faith that the Lord was able to deliver them, even though they didn’t know if He would. 

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” -Daniel 3:16-18 (NIV) 

Infuriated, Nebuchadnezzar ordered for the furnace to be made seven times hotter. What happened next was nothing short of astonishing. In addition to not a single hair being scorched on these men, there was a fourth man who appeared in the furnace, speculated to be Christ Himself. 

It was this shocking outcome that allowed Nebuchadnezzar to see the power of God and acknowledge Him as the One True God. Further, the king prohibited anyone to speak against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:28-29). 

Now, onto that analogy. 

This fiery furnace can represent hardships in our own lives. There are functionally 3 main ways that we ourselves can be delivered from the “fire”—and they each affect our faith differently: 

1. We are delivered FROM the fire and our faith is BUILT. 

2. We are delivered THROUGH the fire and our faith is REFINED. 

3. We are delivered BY the fire, straight into the arms of Jesus, and our faith is PERFECTED.

The three men likely wanted to be delivered by #1 but they were delivered by #2. They refused to worship the false idol even though they knew they could be delivered by #3. It is this perspective of hardships and deliverance that has helped me make it through some of my toughest days. It reminds me that, no matter how intense this “fire” is, that God will truly use it for His good in one way or another. There is purpose in our suffering even though we may not know the outcome upfront! What’s more is that this deliverance serves as a testament to God’s power in the lives of those around us in the same way it did to king Nebuchadnezzar. It is my prayer that, when I or my fellow brothers or sisters are suffering, they would hold fast to their faith and remember that the Lord is with them in the midst of it all—and that He will use it to bring us closer to Him.

Empty Seats and New Opportunities

Written by Lawrence Yoo As you know, we have the blessing and privilege of commissioning and sending out Eastpoint Church at the end of July. This is both an incredible blessing and a sacrificial gift. One of the beautiful things about all of this change, however, is that it creates opportunities for others to step up and fill in these new gaps. This is a great time to search your heart and see where God might lead you. God has gifted you in a unique way and we need you. We are all an important part of the vision for the next stage of God Waypoint Church. 

So, as you are praying, I’ve identified three areas of focus for the next few years. 

One of these is the next generation. We have a proportionally large number of children for the size of our church. Connected to our children and youth ministries, we also have our special needs/buddy ministry and foster care ministry. When we planted, we didn’t know that special needs ministry and foster care would be a major part of the life and ministry of our church, but God had a plan and a special role for us to play. Children are a blessing, but they are also a responsibility. God can both bless our children and use our children to be a light in the community and to the nations. 

Secondly, from the very beginning God has called us to be a church on mission: to reach the triangle and nations. We praise God for allowing us to send Eric Weiner and be a part of Garden City Church in Malaysia, and sending Eastpoint, and we look forward to where God will lead us next. In order for us to continue to grow in church planting, we will need new “seeds.” There will soon be new empty seats and parking spots. We pray God will fill them with our unchurched neighbors in South Durham and East Chapel Hill, and use us as we invite those in our spheres.  

Lastly, God is not just calling us to service but taking us on a journey into deeper relationship with Him. We introduced many of the spiritual disciplines in our sermon series during lent, and our hope is that we will continue to be with Jesus and become like him, growing in our faith and falling more in love with the triune God. We want our members to be in healthy community groups where they can be known and loved (and we want to pour into our community group leaders). We want them to take advantage of opportunities to pray and be prayed for through our prayer ministry, and love God with their minds through Waypoint Academy classes and Bible studies. 

What is our church going to look like over the next few years? We pray we will look like the kingdom, blessing our community, and helping to transform our area. We have an amazing staff team, but it is going to take all of us. This is your church and we want you to take hold of this incredible calling and the joy that comes from doing it together.