One Bite at a Time

August 2025

Getting to know a 17,000 worker organization can feel a lot like eating an elephant.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

How do you wrap your mind around a ministry that has 17,000 workers in over 50 countries around the globe? One meeting at a time.

This past month, the networker hat within my role has been getting a lot of use. Between coffee meetings, Microsoft Teams calls, and conferences, my primary ministry this past month has involved connecting with all sorts of wonderful people!

It is difficult to work with people you don't know, so much of this month has involved building relationships with different leaders within BCM, and little by little, I've been getting a better sense of BCM International as a whole.

Curriculum and Zoom Meetings

Over the next five years, the Global Education Department will be developing a Ministry Leadership Training Program that can help get training to pastors and ministry leaders who can't access traditional Bible colleges and seminaries. However, you can't effectively meet needs if you don't know they exist.

Much of August has involved video calling different countries around the world to learn more about the needs and ministries in different regions.

During August, I have been setting up video calls and coffee dates with strategic leaders to gain a better sense

of global needs in the area of Bible training. Thus far, I've had conversations with leaders in South Africa and the Caribbean, and I am scheduling meetings with leaders from Northern Ireland, Ukraine, Peru, and more.

These meetings have been good for my soul to hear how God is working across regions and cultures, and it has been fruitful to hear what different regions need from a training curriculum. These will be vital as I am leading a team to develop one.

North America Conference

North America Conference is a time of connection, encouragement and fellowship for missionaries throughout North America.

During August, BCM hosts our annual North America Regional Conference. During the conference, current missionaries and retirees come together and share what God is doing within the region. There are spaces for fellowship, but also spaces for collaboration and encouragement.

Many of the retirees and more seasoned missionaries at this conference have known me since I was a child/teenager. As such, it was so encouraging to get to spend some time with a host of kingdom grandparents, aunts, and uncles, and to share with them how God has been working within my ministry.

During the conference, a group of BCM leaders and missionaries in North America had an impromptu brainstorming session about the needs within North America. (No I wasn't teaching anything here, I just didn't feel like sitting down. :-) )

I also had the chance to brainstorm some of the

needs within North America with some of colleagues and think through how we can reach North America strategically as a mission. I don't know what God will do with the conversations, but I know that He has given me plenty to think about through it.

I was only able to attend one day of the conference, however even the one day was a time of encouragement that filled my soul.

Grant Application

During July, my boss approached me with a grant opportunity that God had brought across his path. Since then, Rick has been coaching me through applying for this grant which could provide seed funds for the training curriculum project.

I have been preparing a grant application that could provide seed money for the Global Education Department's training curriculum project.

For the application, we have had to articulate the vision, values, and mission of the Global Education Department, and we have had to develop a strategic plan for the next five years on how we plan on carrying out that vision.

Things are still in the early stages, and there is no guarantee that anything will come of the grant proposal, but it has been such a helpful process! This grant has forced us to think through how we would like to approach the next five years of ministry and how we would like to go about accomplishing our goals. Even if we don't get a penny from the grant, God has already been using it to help us think strategically and plan in greater detail how to go about this new ministry.

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Prayers and Praises:

Grant Application:

• Praise God for the opportunity that He has brought to even apply for this grant. Even if we don't get a penny from the trust we're applying to, it has already pushed me to think strategically about several upcoming projects within the department.

• Pray that God will give me the words to say to accurately portray the work that BCM International and the Global Education Department are doing.

• Pray that God will give us favor with the board of the trust, and also peace with whatever outcome they decide.

Global Meetings:

• Praise God for the incredible work that God is doing globally through BCM International.

• Pray for cultural awareness and sensitivity as I am meeting with global colleagues, so that I do not accidentally cause offense.

• Pray for wisdom in knowing what questions to ask during the meetings to know how to serve these regions for the benefit of the kingdom.

BCM Office Move:

• Pray for the BCM International Ministry Center as our international office team is preparing to move offices in September. Pray for a smooth transition into a new space.

• Praise God for generous donors and partners who have covered many costs and supplies for the move.

Partnership Development (Support-Raising):

• Praise God that I am up to 25% funding! God has been faithfully bringing partners to be who are committed to pray and provide as I'm on this journey

• Pray that God will continue to make His will clear throughout this process.

• Pray that God will lead me to those He has planned for me to partner with.

Current Support: 25%