GO

Learning and Praying are wonderful ways to get started in missions. However, nothing beats actually going on a trip and allowing God to use you in a mighty way! Now, going doesn't have to be across the world, it can be in your home town. In Knoxville, Tascha and I have worked with The Lost Sheep Ministries and Knoxville Area Rescue Ministry (KARM) serving the homeless. Homeless ministry was out of my comfort zone at first and I believe that because it was, God was able to teach me, shape me and bless me more through it because I was more reliant on Him than I was myself. When we do missions, we do not do them to be a hero to the world, Jesus is that hero. We do missions not only because it is our purpose to reach every tribe and tongue, but because we cant not share the love of Christ! Our love for others is the overflowing of God love for us! Below are a few ways to GO!

• Go on a short-term cross-cultural trip with your church or a mission group.
• Tascha and I did this when we went to Uganda
• Use your profession to share the good news and Christ's love among the nations.
• Students can go on a "back and forth" trip with their college group or seminary. 
• I did this when I went to East Asia and Kenya
• Contact a few mission agencies to see how they might utilize your skills short term or long term.
• World Gospel Mission - www.wgm.org
• International Mission Board - www.imb.org
• Wycliffe Bible Translators - www.wycliffe.org
• Serving In Mission (SIM) - www.sim.org
• Africa Inland Mission (AIM) - www.aimint.org
• The World Race - www.theworldrace.org

PRAY

Missionaries need prayer. All over the world, there are people laboring for the sake of the gospel. This is why Paul repeatedly asked those who sent him to pray for him (Rom 15:30; 2 Cor 1:11; 1 Thess 5:25; 2 Thess 3:1; Heb 13:18). Below are 6 ways to get involved in praying for missionaries (including us!)

• Sign up to receive prayer letters or missionary e-mails and pray regularly for them. You can sign up for ours by visiting our website (www.jeffandtaschafyke.com) or by emailing us (jeff.fyke@wgm.org)
• Ask God to show you for whom you should pray.
• Request country- or people-specific prayer guides for your computer or mobile phone . You can get the free Joshua Project app at http://www.joshuaproject.net/mobile.php
• Join or start a prayer group through your church or among your friends.
• Purchase the Operation World book and pray for people in a different country each day.
• Use an outline to pray for missionaries. You can find one at http://www.kingdompraying.com/assets/PDF/Scripture_Prayers_Missionaries.pdf

LEARN

Tascha and I just finished a 15 week class called "Perspectives on the World Christian Movement." In this class we have not only learned what missions is, but our part in every Christian's calling to missions. Every Christian has a mission: the be a part of the Great Commission.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 
Matthew 28:18-20


We all have a mission as Christians: To reach a lost and dying world for Christ. This brings God absolute glory! One way we can be a part of our mission is by learning about missions and missionaries. Here are a few ways to you can do that:

• Read a missionary biography

• Pray for people you see in world news reports.

• Take a course like Perspectives on the World Christian Movement.

• Go to the library and check out books about countries or people groups that interest you. You can visit www.JoshuaProject.net for more info on people groups!

• Use the internet to explore different areas of the world

Here is a video about the importance of learning about missions and ways to do it!

6 WAYS - LEARN from K H on Vimeo.

Video and info from OMF International

BIG Announcement!

Tascha and I are leaving for Kenya in January! Watch the video for more info and ways to get involved!



Kenya Field Date Announcement from Jeff and Tascha Fyke on Vimeo.

Why?

The other day I was talking to some of my co-workers about Tascha and I working in Kenya. One of them asked “What exactly will you be doing over there?” I told them we would be working with youth, orphans and street children. “How long will you be there?” “Two years” I responded. Then she said “I’m not trying to be rude or critical or anything, but why are you going to Kenya for two years to work with orphans and youth when we have tons of orphans and youth here that need care?” That’s a very good question. There are a lot of orphans and youth here in the states that need care. I was one of them.

I grew up in a broken home. My parents divorced when I was only 2 months old and my mother never remarried. I didn't have any siblings and grew up basically by myself. My mom lived a very structured life. I was the complete opposite. I am an out of the box thinker and very spontaneous. We had a mother-son relationship, but it wasn't as strong as I would have liked it to be. I went to a Christian school, where I was introduced to the Lord, but I didn't really have a relationship with Him until college. Mom and I never went to church and my mom claimed to be a Christian, but there wasn't really any fruit of a relationship with Him.

In March of 2004 I was on my way home from Maine after a spring break mission trip. My mom called me and informed me that her brother had died from a heart attack. It was hard on all of us, but it hit mom the hardest. Chuck was her best friend and life without him was going to be hard. That July, I received word that my father had passed on. I never knew my dad, never got to hear his voice and now I never would. In December 2004, mom was diagnosed with Pancoast Syndrome, a very rare form of lung cancer. Two years later, on September 16, 2006, she lost her battle. I was 21.

I can’t really explain what I felt. I was devastated, mad, sad, frustrated, confused. The next January, I was in the financial aid office at ETSU and was told I had a new grant. I was excited and asked what it was for. They told me what it was and that it was for orphans. “Excuse me?” They then informed me that in the state of Tennessee, if you are under 25, still in school and have lost both parents, you are considered an orphan. My heart sank. I felt like I was all alone in the world, no family, no one to go to and that I had absolutely nothing. “I’m an orphan?” I said to myself over and over and over. When I thought of orphans, I typically thought little kids in Africa or Asia. God was shaping me and molding me. I didn't know it at the time, but hindsight is 20/20.

My good friend James and the staff at the Well Ministries on campus became Christ to me. They reminded me that God does love me, that He does care for me and that He has an awesome plan for my life! They showed me that I was not alone, but in fact part of a huge family in Christ! They invested in me, discipled me, cared for me and loved me. God used them to breathe life back into these dry bones. While in college I have had the opportunity to go to East Asia and Kenya to work with children and students. It was in Kenya that I felt the call to ministry. After I got back from Kenya, I started volunteering with the youth at my church. My final senior year at ETSU I became a youth and college intern. After graduation, Tascha and I got married and I became a Youth Director in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 2012, we moved to Alabama where I was a Worship Director and we both volunteered in the youth department. It was that year that we went to Uganda to work with orphans. In Uganda, God revealed to both Tascha and I that He wanted us to love on orphans. After much prayer, we felt that Kenya was the place He was calling us to.

In Sub-Sahara Africa, there are 43.4 million orphans. 3 million of them reside in Kenya. To put that in Jeff terms, there are more orphans in Kenya than there is total number of children in the state of Tennessee! Currently in Kenya, 700 children are orphaned every day, 1/3 due to HIV/AIDS.

Yes, there are orphans and youth in America that need love and care. God has a plan for each and every one as He did and still does for me. God also has a plan for the youth and orphans of Kenya and Tascha and I are apart of that plan. We are excited for what God has in store for us! Please let us know if you would like more information about this ministry or would like to be a part of it! To financially support this ministry, please visit www.wgm.org/fyke

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18

F.R.O.G.

Do you remember the F.R.O.G. bracelets you used to wear as a kid? They came out shortly after the WWJD bracelets and they stood for Fully Rely On God. I had one as a kid; probably more as a fashion statement in a Christian school more than a statement about my faith though. You were cool if you had a FROG bracelet, WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) bracelet, DOG (Depend On God) bracelet and any other acronym you can think of to cover your wrists and go up your arms.

However as the years have gone by, I have forgotten about my FROG bracelet and the meaning behind it, until this week. I am an independent person and like to take care of things myself without help if possible. And if I do need help, I am the one who calls the shots because I know what I need and how to do it. Monday, on the way home from work, my car died after stopping at a gas station. After countless attempts to revive it on my own, I finally asked the clerk at the station if he could jump me off. This was totally out of my comfort zone. He were unable to so I then reverted to asking people who came into the gas station for help. Now I was really out of my comfort zone and just praying to God that He would get me to an auto parts store. Finally, a good samaritan jumped me off and off I went to NAPA get my battery changed. Well, the guy at NAPA tested my battery and said it was fully charged and that I must have just left something on. I was relieved and then went home.

The next morning I went out to start my car to go to work and it was dead…again. I was distraught, mad, confused, and irritated. I rode with Tascha, dropped her off at work before taking myself to work. That night Tascha’s dad jumped me off and we took it to the dealership to get checked out. The next morning the dealer called and said the battery stem was bent and the battery was dead and needed to be replaced. Situation resolved…or is it?

The entire time was car was out of commission, I was totally stressed. I was stressed because I was out of control and could not fix it. I relied on my own skills, abilities, and strengths and totally left God out of the picture until I was desperate for someone to jump my car off. Far too often in life we seek God’s guidance, help, grace and love only when we have tried everything in our own power to provide for ourselves. This isn’t just a secular thing either, it’s a ministry thing. That’s usually what causes burn out for so many people in full time ministry. God tells us in Matthew 6: 25-34 not to worry about our lives. He takes care of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. How much more does He love us and will He take care of us and provide! God provided a random stranger to jump my car off the first time and an awesome father-in-law to do it the second time. He has provided a car for me to drive that hasn’t had any major issues (needing a battery is not a major issue) and more than that, I have shelter, food, a job and more love from my family and friends than I could ever repay on my own.

My God is sooooo good! There is no one like Him! Listen to this song, “You Never Fail” by Hillsong Live. The chorus states “Strong through every trial, Faithful through the night. Our God will never fail. Our God will never fail! Anchor through the flood. You keep holding on! I know You'll never fail. Jesus You'll never fail!” God has been this to me this week and I hope that whatever situation you are in, you will find comfort in Him.

What Is Our Purpose?

This semester, Tascha and I have the opportunity to attend a class called Perspectives (http://www.perspectives.org). Over the next 14 weeks, we will learn and discuss what missions is, the history of missions, and learn about current missions from missionaries serving all over the world! This past week we were asked to give our elevator speech. “If you had 60 seconds to present the gospel to someone, what would you say?” We got into groups and discussed things we would say. Some said the would talk about John 3:16 and elaborate on the great love God has for us. Others said they would concentrate on our sinful nature and that we need Jesus to bridge the gap between us and God. While we were discussing what we would say, II Corinthians 5:18 came to mind. “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” 

To me, this, and the previous verse, is a missionary theme passage. II Corinthians 5:17 talks about how we are a new creation in Christ. In verse 18, we are reconciled (restored) to God through Christ and we are all called to restore others to God through Christ. This is our purpose as Christians: to invite non-believers into a restoring relationship with Christ, making them a new creation in Christ and allowing them to experience the perfect love of our Savior. This is my goal. Whether at work, in my neighborhood, or overseas, my aim is the share the love of Christ with everyone. The boldness and power to do so comes from Christ (I Timothy 1:7-8a) so we have nothing to fear! 

Below is a video about Perspectives 

God's Timing

First of all, I just want to say that Jeff usually writes our blogs and does a wonderful job. He is much better at writing than I am and enjoys keeping up with our blog. However, I (Tascha) have been feeling like God wants me to share how He is working in my life during this time of Homeland Ministry Assignment. While this time has sent me on a roller coaster of emotions, God is teaching me so much. Yes, there are many good days where I am so excited about what God has called us to do in Kenya, and I am often encouraged by friends, family, and even people we do not know by their kind words and actions. There are also the hard days, where I start to feel overwhelmed by all that we have going on, discouraged when we are not seeing the progress we would like, or even frustrated by how long the process takes. God is definitely using this time to work in my life, and I want to share with you a couple of things He has been teaching me lately.

1. Faith- God is teaching me to fully trust and rely on Him. Sure, leaving everything and everyone we know and moving to Kenya requires a lot of faith. Surprisingly though, that is not what I am struggling with. I would love to hop on a plane today and fly on over to Kenya. It is the day to day things, the details, that I am having trouble trusting God for. When I look at our ministry account, I find myself thinking, “How in the world are we ever going to raise all that money?” When Jeff and I need to take off yet another week of work for speaking or training I worry, “How long until one of us has to quit our job? How will we pay the bills?” However, time and time again God has shown up and provided for all of our needs. He is teaching me that instead of worrying about these details, I should trust Him for direction and provision. I have heard it said that God does not call the equipped, but instead He equips the called. I believe this to be true, so I know that He will prepare us in all ways for the mission field. I also need to trust God’s perfect timing. Which leads me to the next way that He is working on me! 

  2. Patience- This is another area in my life that I am currently struggling with. God has blessed me with a good deal of patience when it comes to children. Being a teacher and constantly being around children requires this patience. However, when it comes to other things, honestly I am not the most patient person. I have the type of personality where I like to get stuff done and make things happen. I do not like to sit around and wait for everything to work itself out. So, I start to get impatient with the amount of time it is taking us to complete our Bible courses we are enrolled in, or the fact that our support is not rolling in. I have a hard time waiting to hear back from churches that show interest in our ministry, or waiting for individuals to respond to newsletters, emails, calls, or messages. I want so badly to get to Africa, that I sometimes lose sight of the fact that God has us here in the U.S. right now for a purpose. I don’t want to miss out on all that He wants us to do here and now, while we are waiting for His timing to move to Africa. These are just a couple of the ways that God is working in my life so far during HMA. I came across this verse and it has been an encouragement to me. I pray that it will be to you as well. 

  Hebrews 6:10-12 “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” G

  Prayer requests: 
- Pray that God would continue to move people to get involved in our ministry. 
- Pray for the people of Kenya and the missionaries already serving there. 
- Pray for Jeff and me as we will be the camp missionaries at Mt. Hope Bible Camp in Ohio July 21-27.

"Am I Making A Difference"

“Is what I’m doing making a difference?” I ask myself this question a lot and I’m sure some of you do as well. I know that I am created for something more than myself, but is the way I am spending my time really making a difference in the world? James 1:27 says “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

If I were to paraphrase this verse, I would say “A relationship with God that is genuine entails looking after the broken and hurting and guarding yourself against losing focus on what’s important.” We are all created for relationships; primarily a relationship with our Creator. We love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19) and out of that love for Christ comes our love for one another. This is when the caring for the broken, hurting, homeless, orphans, widows, etc. comes into play without us even having to really think about it. This is what Tascha and I are called to do in Kenya.

The second half of this verse is the hard part though. “Keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Think about it. The movies and TV shows we watch, the music we listen to, the people we are around. There are a ton of things in this world buying for our attention and if we are not careful, they will win us over and distract us and could permanently pull us away from what God has called each and every one of us to do: love the least of these.

Over the next week, take inventory of what you watch, listen to and the type of people you hang around. If what you are spending your time listening to, watching or doing is not honoring to God (or you wouldn't do it if He were physically standing next to you), then I challenge you to find something that is pleasing to God. This might be listening to Christian radio, not watching things with vulgarity or sexual scenes, or maybe even making some new friends. I guarantee you, your relationship with Christ will improve and so will your focus on what is really important. 

A Lesson in Faith

"Faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. " - Hebrews 11:1

                Faith is something many people struggle to define. A youth pastor friend of mine said that "Faith was what we do form the time we hear God speak until the next time we hear Him speak." God has called Tascha and I to go to Africa. We stepped out on faith by exploring various mission organizations and God partnered us with World Gospel Mission (www.wgm.org). I have had to take off of work twice in order to go to Indiana for our interview and training and both times I have been able to. Tascha and I have some classes to take in preparation for the field and God has provided in that area as well. And this past week I explained to my boss that I was going to have to miss a week here and there this summer for Tascha and I to speak at a few camps. I had been very weary of discussing this matter with him because it is almost impossible to take vacation during the summer because it is our busiest time. But I knew that God had called Tascha and I to go to Kenya and that He would make a way. My boss heard me out and we worked it out so that I would be able to miss the weeks needed this summer!

                God has been so good to Tascha and I! No, we are not perfect, but God chose us to go to Kenya to serve the sick, the brokenhearted, the hungry, and the hurting. He equips those He calls and is faithful in His calling. I may not know how we are going to get to Kenya, or even an exact date, but I do know who we are going with, and through Him, we can do all things!

An Introduction

            It was October 2008 and Fall Break was here! The Well, an interdenominational campus ministry that Tascha and I were a part of at East Tennessee State University, was going to John's Island, South Carolina to work with Habitat for Humanity. We both love to serve, so we signed up and spent our Fall Break with our friends at the Well building a house for a family outside of Charleston.

            I will always remember that trip. Not only for getting to serve, leading worship on the beach, or witnessing my brother-in-law's baptism in the ocean, but because it was the beginning of something amazing! You see, that mission trip was the first one Tascha and I did together. We had both been on various trips prior, but none together.

            Over the past few years, we have been on and led various trips together. However, this past summer, we reached another milestone in our marriage: our first international mission trip. When we got married (August 2010), I promised Tasch I would take her to Africa (I went to Kenya while we were dating), but I didn't know when that would happen, or even if it would happen. Well, God has a sense of humor. In January 2012, we were given the opportunity to go to Uganda to work with orphans through Sozo Children (www.sozochildren.org). I was very excited, but was also somewhat anxious and nervous. But we serve an awesome God! Tascha and I were in the zone while serving in Uganda! I remember thinking to myself, "Man, this is what I was made to do. This is what she was made to do. This is what we were created to do together!" It was on this trip that God called us to full time missions.

            Once we got back to Alabama (where we lived at the time), we began to pray and seek the Lords guidance. We applied to World Gospel Mission (who I went to Kenya through in 2008), went to Marion, Indiana for our interview, and were accepted in December 2012 to the  missionary disciple (MD) program and were assigned to Kenya! We are excited to see what God is going to do in us and through us in this new chapter of our lives!