Open Letter Series- To Our Church

So, there's this new thing in blogging that has become popular: open letters. It is where you write a letter to someone, but do it in a forum that anyone can see. I have several in the works (we'll probably make a little mini-blog series out of it). So here is the first: an open letter to our church. However, I think it is really an open letter to any faithfully supporting church from any faithfully supported missionary. 

​An Open Letter to Our Church

Dear Calvary Chapel Cherry Creek (C4),

As you all know by now, Jon and I are less than two months from moving across the world to pursue God’s calling in our life. As our sending church you have had bake sales, fundraisers, you’ve bought hoodies, signed checks and lifted us up in prayer. We know what we are asking of you as our sending church: we are asking for you to give and support and pray for two kids barely into adulthood who say with certainty that God has called us to give up our lives here and go there, relying on the giving of His church to send us. This is scary for us, but an exercise in allowing God to show Himself faithful (spoiler: He always has). But I imagine it is also a little scary for you. We know that you have given and given and given, you have gotten behind us without hesitation. You’ve dedicated yourselves to seeing God use us in Uganda. You are trusting two young people with your love, prayers and money. But you’re doing so much more than that. You’re trusting God with all of those things, you’re trusting that this is His will in our lives, and you are trusting that investing into the Kingdom of Heaven is worth it. I assure you, it is. 

You have united as an army to battle against the gates of hell. All of you. The wonderful, amazing, loving children in this church have even joined the fight. I couldn’t possibly express the encouragement and blessing it is to watch your children get excited to be a part of God’s work, whether it’s the bake sale, the cards they made to bless us, or having more kids than I know of beg and plead to come on mission trips to visit. This tells me without a doubt that the parents in this church are raising their kids to have a zealous love for God. What could possibly be more important than that??

The road we are walking as we prepare has not always been easy (though the support of our friends and family has made it infinitely more so). Jon and I have chosen to be faithful in God asking us to sell our home, quit our jobs, sell everything we own, pack up, leave and go fight for souls halfway across the planet. We are leaving friends and family behind. It is easy to feel discouraged, afraid, doubtful, lonely, self-pitying, and even a little insane. God is growing our faith and showing up in huge ways. One of the biggest ways is by surrounding us with people who love Him, who love us, and who encourage us constantly. I cannot imagine being a part of a church where we did not have the love and support we do here. You have truly been and continue to be family to us and we love each of you very dearly. 

So I guess the point of all of this is to say thank you. We know we have asked a lot of you as our sending church. We know that it is hard sometimes. We know that it has required sacrifices we can’t imagine from each of you. We know that sometimes hearing our name or Uganda in the announcements may make you cringe. We know that you take the responsibility seriously unto the Lord. And we know that each of you has stepped up to join the work of God without hesitation and unreservedly. Having you, as our church, as our family, step up behind us to send us out with power, joy and love allows us to go confidently. We do not need to fear that suddenly the prayers will stop, the communication will cease, and we’ll be forgotten. I know each of you has determined that it will not be so. I can’t tell you the difference it makes in our lives. The difference it makes when the attacks come, or we’re told ‘no’ again from other churches, or when it just gets hard to pack everything we own into a trunk that isn’t even full. We are supported by people we love, that have our back, and who have given us to the Lord in prayer innumerable times. I can’t ever tell you how much that means to us. I can’t say thank you enough. Just know: that the Lord knows, we know, and each and every life that is touched in Uganda will know and feel the power and love coming from you as a church body, as a family. 

We love all of you. We could never say thank you enough to or for you.
God bless. Matthew 25:40

Jon and Kristin Coupal