Connections

I have a confession: every time I sit down to write this newsletter, I panic. I freeze, I procrastinate, and then I beg Billy for help. He rattles off a dozen things I could write about, and I systematically eliminate most of them. “That’s not interesting,” I think. “That won’t make sense to anyone.” And then, inevitably, I end up here again, staring at the blank page, trying to piece together what this season has looked like.

The truth is, there hasn’t been one big, dramatic moment. No headline worthy event. Instead, this season has been full of small, seemingly ordinary connections—introducing people, sharing ideas, walking alongside someone in a hard season. And at first, I thought, “Is that really worth writing about?” But then I realized: these small connections are everything. They are the Kingdom in action.

Conference Connections
A couple of weeks ago, we attended the Refugee Highway Partnership conference. Billy was on the Planning, Prayer, and Care teams, offering support to mission workers and humanitarian aid staff who serve refugees. After one of those conversations, a ministry leader approached him and said, “We have a worker who really needs deeper care. Can you help?” Now, that person is staying in our guest ministry apartment for an extended care and recovery plan with Billy’s support. Keeping ministry workers healthy keeps them in the field. And when they stay in the field, the whole Kingdom benefits.

I taught a session on Multicultural Gospel Perspective, helping people see how different cultures interpret Scripture through their own worldviews. To my surprise, it was standing-room only. Afterward, people came up to tell me that the session completely changed the way they understood sharing the Gospel. One person realized why their Bible studies weren’t connecting. Another saw why their approach wasn’t working. Those moments of clarity? They change lives. They change ministries. That’s Kingdom impact.

At that same conference, we met with leaders, built relationships, and introduced people to new opportunities. One leader is now partnering with TMS Global. A refugee ministry worker I connected with is attending our two-week cross-cultural training in Panama. Our local Spanish pastor, Miguel, who we always bring to this conference, had yet another transformational experience.

The Power of One Conversation
Every year, Miguel learns more about cross-cultural ministry. This time, he met leaders from Muslim backgrounds who now lead thriving refugee ministries. He served communion alongside a pastor from North Africa who was once a Muslim and now shepherds a church for Arabic-speaking refugees in Spain. Those moments deeply impacted Miguel.

When he returned home, he stood in front of his church—a congregation made up of about 75-80% immigrants—and did something bold. He asked the Spanish members to pray over and bless the immigrant members, acknowledging how much courage it takes to start over in a new country. And then, something unexpected happened.

A woman from Central America stood up to share her story. She spoke of the grief, the struggle, the five years it took before Spain finally felt like home. And then she started naming names— Spaniards in the congregation who had helped her. The man who picked her up for church. The woman who provided clothes for her family. The man who always made sure she received a box from the food pantry. The person who helped with legal documents. The one who brought her a set of purple towels, a simple yet beautiful gift that made her feel seen and loved. By the end, Miguel and many others were in tears. The sermon never happened that day. The testimony WAS the message.

The Ripple Effect
Miguel has changed over the years, and that change is reshaping his church, his prison ministry, his sports outreach, and our city. And it all started with small, seemingly ordinary connections—a handshake, a conversation, an invitation to a conference.

When I look back at these last few weeks, I realize that what felt like a season of small moments was actually a season of Kingdombuilding. Just the few connections I mentioned here have rippled out to Greece, Germany, Cyprus, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan, the Netherlands, Spain, Nicaragua, Brazil, Panama, Romania, Ukraine, and beyond. That’s an incredible return on four days at a conference.
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So, the next time I sit down to write and think, “Is this really worth sharing?” I’ll remind myself: yes. Because the Kingdom of God is built one small connection at a time.