{"id":2702,"date":"2016-12-16T09:00:32","date_gmt":"2016-12-16T09:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/?p=2702"},"modified":"2016-12-16T20:19:39","modified_gmt":"2016-12-16T20:19:39","slug":"called-out-of-comfort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/2016\/12\/16\/called-out-of-comfort\/","title":{"rendered":"Called Out of Comfort"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhen I called you to serve Me in Kenya, I had your children in mind. Don\u2019t let your own fear limit what I want to teach them as they grow up here.\u201d<\/p>\n

These words entered my thoughts so clearly and powerfully one afternoon four years ago. I was pregnant with my daughter Abigail and consumed with concerns and questions about giving birth and raising a child in Kenya. The prospect of motherhood and all the changes that would occur in my life and ministry routine was a huge step out of my comfort zone. I felt unsure stepping into the uncharted waters of parenting, but those words filled me with peace and reassurance as I began my journey as a new mother on the mission field.<\/p>\n

My husband and I have tried to remember those challenging words as we make parenting choices. One of the first choices we felt God directing us toward was to encourage our children to interact and connect with people\u2014even people who look, speak, dress, and worship differently than our family. This has not always been easy for me, particularly as an introvert. However, through this process of setting aside fear and obeying God, our children, who are definitely little extroverts, have provided new opportunities for us to interact with people in our community and build meaningful friendships with them. It has been amazing to see how God is already using our young children in the process of people accepting Christ, and I know it is only the beginning of how He will use them throughout their lives to impact the world.<\/p>\n

Raising children in Kenya presents unique challenges, especially being separated from grandparents and other extended family. Holidays can be a particularly difficult time as we are learning to make our own traditions and adjust how we celebrate. Technology advancements and having a strong missionary support group here have been a great help. Another blessing is receiving the annual Christmas 4 Missionaries offering from our organization, the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC). This gift helps us purchase a few extra nice gifts for the children or even go away for a short vacation during the holiday season.<\/p>\n

As our children grow and develop, the choices we encounter as their parents will also change. I remember when I shared with my own parents about God\u2019s call to move to Kenya as missionaries. They gave me unwavering support and encouragement, even when it was not easy to do so. My mother even said, with tears in her eyes, \u201cI would much rather you live thousands of miles away from me, fulfilling God\u2019s plan for your life, than have you living down the street in disobedience.\u201d My mother\u2019s sacrificial and faith-filled response inspires and challenges me as I raise my own children. My continual prayer is that God will help me teach them to hear and follow His voice no matter where He leads them, and that I will say, \u201cYes,\u201d to what He wants for Abigail and Nathaniel, even if it is a stretch of faith for me as their mother.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the choices God asks you to make as a parent will be different from ours, but I imagine there will be times when He leads you to cross the boundaries of your own comfort zone. There is a natural inclination within parents to insulate our children in a controlled environment where they are completely dependent upon us. God desires us to entrust our children into His sovereign and capable hands, and to teach them by our example to be completely dependent on Him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This article can be found in HomeFront Magazine.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"kevin-and-summer-sneed\"About the Author<\/strong>
\nSummer Sneed<\/strong>
\nKevin and Summer have served as IPHC missionaries in Eldoret, Kenya since April 2009. They are the directors of East Africa Bible College. Summer also works with women to develop Girls\u2019 Ministries. They have two children, Abigail and Nathaniel, who were both born in Kenya.
\nBlog kevinandsummersneed.wordpress.com
\nOur new podcast is called Amani Podcast and is now available on iTunes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,25,20,4,27,15,446,26,140,166,37,3],"tags":[544,542,489,488],"class_list":{"0":"post-2702","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-benevolent-ministries","8":"category-boys-ministries","9":"category-childrens-ministries","10":"category-discipleship-ministries","11":"category-girls-ministries-childrens-ministries","12":"category-mens-ministries","13":"category-phpp","14":"category-royal-rangers","15":"category-senior-adults","16":"category-stewardship","17":"category-womens-ministries","18":"category-youth-ministries","19":"tag-christmas4missoinaries","20":"tag-missionary","21":"tag-people-of-promise","22":"tag-place-of-hope","23":"entry"},"title_es":"Llam\u00f3 de Comfort","content_es":"\"Cuando te llam\u00e9 para servirme en Kenia, que ten\u00eda a sus hijos en mente. No deje que su propio l\u00edmite de miedo lo que quiero ense\u00f1arles a medida que crecen aqu\u00ed. \"Estas palabras entraron en mis pensamientos tan clara y poderosamente Hace una tarde y cuatro a\u00f1os. Yo estaba embarazada de mi hija Abigail y consumido por las preocupaciones y preguntas acerca de dar a luz y criar a un ni\u00f1o en Kenia. La perspectiva de la maternidad y todos los cambios que se producir\u00edan en mi rutina de la vida y el ministerio fue un gran paso para salir de mi zona de confort. Me sent\u00ed seguro de entrar en las aguas inexploradas de la paternidad, pero esas palabras me llen\u00f3 de paz y tranquilidad cuando empec\u00e9 mi viaje como una nueva madre en el campo de la misi\u00f3n. Mi marido y yo hemos tratado de recordar esas palabras desafiantes como tomamos decisiones de crianza. Una de las primeras decisiones que sinti\u00f3 que Dios nos dirige hacia era animar a nuestros hijos a interactuar y conectar con la gente en las personas que se ven incluso, hablan, el vestido, y el culto diferente que nuestra familia. Esto no siempre ha sido f\u00e1cil para m\u00ed, sobre todo porque una persona introvertida. Sin embargo a trav\u00e9s de este proceso de dejar de lado el miedo y la obediencia a Dios, a nuestros hijos, que son definitivamente poco extrovertidos, han proporcionado nuevas oportunidades para nosotros para interactuar con la gente en nuestra comunidad y tener amistades significativas con ellos. Ha sido asombroso ver c\u00f3mo Dios ya est\u00e1 utilizando nuestros ni\u00f1os peque\u00f1os en el proceso de las personas que aceptan a Cristo, y s\u00e9 que es s\u00f3lo el principio de c\u00f3mo va a utilizar durante toda su vida para impactar el mundo. Crianza de los ni\u00f1os en Kenya presenta desaf\u00edos \u00fanicos, especialmente siendo separadas de los abuelos y dem\u00e1s familia extendida. Las vacaciones pueden ser un momento particularmente dif\u00edcil, ya que estamos aprendiendo a tomar nuestras propias tradiciones y ajustar la forma en que celebramos. Los avances tecnol\u00f3gicos y que tiene un fuerte grupo de apoyo misionero aqu\u00ed han sido de gran ayuda. Otra bendici\u00f3n est\u00e1 recibiendo los Misioneros de Navidad 4 anuales que ofrecen desde nuestra organizaci\u00f3n, la Iglesia Internacional de Santidad Pentecostal (IPHC). Este regalo nos ayuda a comprar algunos regalos agradables para los ni\u00f1os adicionales o incluso desaparecer durante unos d\u00edas de vacaciones durante la temporada de vacaciones. A medida que nuestros hijos crecen y se desarrollan, las opciones que nos encontramos con sus padres tambi\u00e9n cambiar\u00e1n. Recuerdo cuando compart\u00ed con mis padres acerca de la llamada de Dios para mover a Kenia como misioneros. Me dieron apoyo incondicional y est\u00edmulo, aun cuando no era f\u00e1cil hacerlo. Mi madre lleg\u00f3 a decir, con l\u00e1grimas en los ojos: \"Me gustar\u00eda mucho que viven a miles de millas de distancia de m\u00ed, cumplir el plan de Dios para su vida, que has de estar por la calle en la desobediencia.\" Mi madre es de sacrificio y llena de fe respuesta inspira y me reta como Alzo los propios hijos. Mi oraci\u00f3n continua es que Dios me ayudar\u00e1 a ense\u00f1ar a escuchar y seguir su voz no importa d\u00f3nde los lleva, y que voy a decir, \"S\u00ed\", a lo que \u00c9l quiere para Abigail y Nathaniel, incluso si se trata de un tramo de fe para m\u00ed como su madre. Quiz\u00e1s la elecci\u00f3n Dios le pide hacer como padre ser\u00e1 diferente de la nuestra, pero me imagino que habr\u00e1 momentos en los que se lleva a cruzar los l\u00edmites de su propia zona de confort. Hay una inclinaci\u00f3n natural a los padres para aislar a nuestros hijos en un ambiente controlado donde son completamente dependientes de nosotros. Dios desea que confiar a nuestros hijos en sus manos soberanas y capaces, y ense\u00f1arles con el ejemplo para ser completamente dependiente de \u00e9l. \"Kevin-y-verano-sneed\" Sobre el autor<\/strong> verano Sneed<\/strong> Kevin y verano han servido como misioneros IISP en Eldoret, Kenia desde abril de 2009. Ellos son los directores de \u00c1frica Oriental Bible College. El verano tambi\u00e9n trabaja con las mujeres para desarrollar los Ministerios de las ni\u00f1as. Tienen dos hijos, Abigail y Nathaniel, que nacieron ambos en Kenia. Blog kevinandsummersneed.wordpress.com Nuestro nuevo podcast se llama Amani Podcast y ya est\u00e1 disponible en iTunes.","author_name":"","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/12\/Called-Out-of-Comfort.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4T9u2-HA","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}