40-40-40 ... Day 1: Shawn and Katrina McConaughey

Happy Valentine's Day! Happy Ash Wednesday! Happy first day of Lent!

Today is DAY 1 of my 40-40-40 challenge.

Of all the ministries in the entire world, there was ONE that I was 100% sure that I wanted to focus on for the first day of Lent.

Shawn and Katrina McConaughey

Shawn and Katrina McConaughey were recently called to serve in the Africa Ministries Office of Friends United Meeting, and are raising funds to get them to Kisumu, Kenya. If your religious affiliation isn't Quaker, you probably don't know about Friends United Meeting or the Africa Ministries Office, but trust me when I tell you that they do amazing work through schools, hospitals, evangelism, theological training, conflict resolution and more. 

Shawn and Katrina share this about their call to serve:

After 30 years of ministry among Friends in the Pacific Northwest, we are pulling up roots and joining in on what God is doing among Friends in East Africa! Friends United Meeting (FUM) is a global partnership of Friends and we will be working to facilitate communication and encourage the effective ministry of our partners who are sharing God’s love through projects such as Lugulu Hospital, Turkana Friends Mission, Friends Church Peace Team, Friends Theological College and many more. 

For the record, I've never met Shawn and Katrina. And I've never been to Africa. But I did work for Friends United Meeting for several years, and I was raised in the Quaker church, so I know that the largest number of Quakers in the world live in Africa. I also confess that, before Randy and I moved to Mexico, I wondered if God wasn't calling us to ride around on a motorbike along the dirt roads of Kenya, visiting one village and then another, sharing the stories of our African brothers and sisters with the world. Exactly what Shawn and Katrina will soon be doing!

But instead Randy and I ended up on the dirt roads of Baja. And I could never have imagined how hard it would be. To leave family. To leave the comforts and convenience of home. To live where we work. To work together. To eat beans and tortillas every day. To be a minority. To rely on donations instead of paychecks. To NOT KNOW what people are saying. Or not saying.

Shawn and Katrina will have different challenges, but they will have challenges nonetheless. Which is why I feel so led to support them, their marriage, their ministry, both with my prayers and with my $40. 

Katrina says:

Some people think we are a little crazy to be doing this at this point in our lives but I’m with the gal who cut my hair this morning and said, 'why WOULDN’T you do this when you have such a great opportunity!' 

Before they can go to Africa, Shawn and Katrina need to raise 3-years’ worth of financial support for their ministry. What does that money go towards? Travel expenses. Food. Insurance. Living expenses. Paperwork (visas/passports/newsletters). Etc.

Why 3-years of support? Because 3 years shows true commitment. And because a huge stress on missionaries is trying to do your ministry while also trying to raise money. Randy and I have felt that load for the past 15 months. It's been hard on our marriage. It's taken away time that could have been spent with the kids. It's made us question our call to serve here. And it's resulted in debt instead of sustainability. I'm so glad that this particular stress won't be on the shoulders of Shawn and Katrina.

Which is where we come in! As of this writing, Shawn and Katrina's ministry is NINETY PERCENT funded! Praise God! Could you and I be part of that 10% who push them over the edge and get them on a plane to Kenya in time for Easter Sunday? Could my $40 (or yours!) be that 100 percent?

If you are still on the fence, you’ll love this extra little tidbit, just in time for Valentine's Day. Shawn and Katrina have a history in Africa…

Twenty-nine years ago, we got engaged while leading a group of young Friends on a learning trip to Kenya. We stood on a hillside above Kaimosi and said to God and to each other that what our hearts really wanted was to spend our lives in ministry together. We didn’t know what that ministry would look like but we were hopeful and expectant that God would show the way… After 20 years of pastoral ministry together... we have come full circle and can hardly believe we are heading back to Kenya where we started.

Full circle. It gives me chills! Let’s celebrate love this Valentine’s Day by supporting this couple who invited God into their marriage and almost 30-years later are returning to that Hill of Vision. Please join me in praying for and supporting Shawn and Katrina and the path that God has laid before them. There will be tremendous joys and tremendous challenges. May they feel God's presence in every step.

ACTION STEPS:

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FOLLOW Shawn & Katrina on Facebook: McConaugheys in East Africa
PRAY for Shawn and Katrina: Prayer Letter Email signup
DONATE: Field Staff: Shawn & Katrina McConaughey
(This link will take you to shop.fum.org, where you will be able to enter the amount you wish to donate. Under program options find "Field Staff: Shawn & Katrina McConaughey." After placing your order, you will be asked for your personal information and finally your credit card details. An email will be sent to you immediately to confirm your "purchase.")