#ConradQ&A - Post #2

This is the second part in our #ConradQ&A series. (Read the first part is here)

We wanted to ask our partners, sponsors and followers on Facebook and Twitter what they wanted to know about us and what they wanted us to blog about.

We got a great response, and here are more answers to your questions.

ONCE AGAIN, It is a bit long, I apologize, but these are important questions and have important answers of which every word was needed.


Question (Series) #2 - From: Chris Peters

How is God growing and stretching your family and you personally? 

Where do you stand financially? 

Are you getting enough support?

Answers:

#1 - How is God growing and stretching your family and you personally? 

The last 13 months have been an adventure to say the least, although in some respects, we knew what we were in for. But the unforeseen things that happened throughout this past year in the midst of transitioning our lives was what were most challenging.

If all we had to deal with this past year (or two) was learning how to depend on God through financial support from others, moving away from family and our country, starting a new career, adapting to a life of full time ministry and the spiritual attacks and oppression that come with it, and learning how to deal with a toddler, it would have been a stretching year in which God taught us many things.

And he did teach us many things through these circumstances and we were stretched greatly and grew a lot, both as individual people and as a married couple.

But it was the unforeseen this year, that happened in the midst of all of these things that God really pushed us to the edge with.

In August, we had a miscarriage.

I know many people have experienced this and know well the pain and anger that accompany it. Accusations and questions, anger and sadness. It still is hard to deal with even today, with Anna 15 weeks pregnant with our third child.

This sadness of death and loss was magnified greatly just 2 months later when Anna's father, Carlos, passed away at the age of 56 in late October.

There are few things in this world that bring us face to face with God more so than death. And as Pastor Jim Keller shared at Carlos' funeral, "death can make you better or it can make you bitter."

When we were faced with two losses in those two months, combined with everything else we were facing at the time, we had a choice to make. It wasn't as easy as you think it should be for a missionary either. There were angry accusations and claims of misplaced trust and everything you would expect out of a child who thinks their Father is not taking care of them the way they think they should. Many nights spent crying and asking "Why God?"

I can't tell you that God answered with a resounding word, or gave us a great vision, or moved in a physically manifested way. But I can tell you that He was there. I can tell you that even in the midst of the anger and the hate, and the pain, the peace that passes understanding was constant. And just because we felt him there, does not mean that the pain was any less poignant or acute, it just means, that through it all, there was love and hope that only a Father who knows our innermost being can provide if we are open to it.

Better or bitter.

We all have that choice in every circumstance. We choose to allow Christ to make us better, and that only happens through, trials, pain, and allowing him to remove those things which we think we need rather than depending on him completely.

So as we look into this new year, with fresh eyes, and a renewed sense of purpose and belonging, we are so excited to see how God will stretch us and use us this year as well, knowing that in all things, he works for our good, because we love Him so dearly. (Romans 8:28)

#2 & #3 Where do you stand financially? Are you getting enough support?

I lumped these two together, as the answers are so closely related.

We were blessed greatly last year in the way every committed partner of ours faithfully gave either what they committed to or graciously went over! This kind of faithfulness, according to non-profit statistics is nearly unheard of and we know that it is because of the wonderful people with full hearts for what God is doing through us here that He blessed us and our supporters in this way.

THANK YOU!

That being said, we are looking at a new year of ministry and as with everything in this world, costs rise. We had a wonderful December of 2012 and had many large donations come in that we are so thankful for.

However, we are still about $800/month short of where we need to be fully funded without having to depend on large year end donations to keep us afloat.

We want to thank each of you who partner with us already and just express how much you truly are a part of our ministry and thank you for your faithfulness for sowing seeds in the Kingdom through us and these kids here in Cancún. We are humbled by your generosity.

If you are blessed in any way by our updates or are interested in what we are doing, I do want to ask that you would prayerfully consider joining our support team with a monthly partnership.

We would love to Skype with anyone who would be interested in this, or if you are a current supporter and would like to increase your donation, that would be super helpful as well.

I thought coming into this position that asking people to invest in our ministry would be the hardest part. I was wrong. 

Honestly, yes, it is difficult to have to ask for people to support us, but when you are in the center of God's will and working at what he has called you to do along with every other Christian, it becomes an honor to allow people an opportunity to invest that which does not belong to them into the work that God has called us all to as His children.

For more information, you can email us at aconrad@back2back.org or to update your giving or ACH donations you can contact Karen Holliday in the home office at kholliday@back2back.org.

You can also donate online and put "Conrad" in the memo line at http://donations.back2back.org

Thank you again for your investment in bringing care for today and hope for tomorrow for the orphan and widow in Cancún.

Hope for Tomorrow

This month the Conrad family celebrated their first year serving as missionaries as part of the Back2Back team. This year has been challenging, from leaving family in the states to coming to a new place to start our lives, to asking ourselves what was the next step to seeing God's purpose being fulfilled, to meeting the kids from our first children's home to seeing what they could become.

Before we came to Cancun and became officially part of Back2Back I could tell you some of what Back2Back stands for but now I can describe it. I have seen it and it has impacted my life. Back2Back's purpose statement is "Care for Today, Hope for Tomorrow." Since we moved to Cancun I have had the privilege to help achieve the "Care for Today" part, but a week ago I had the opportunity to be part and experience the "Hope for Tomorrow."

Seven students from the Hope Program in Monterrey, MX came as a group to serve along side of us!

For those that don't know much about what the Hope Program is, let me tell you a little about it. In most children's homes in Mexico the kids are only allowed to stay there until they turn 16, after that they are supposed to take care of themselves. Most of them end up in very bad situations like prostitution and jail and the generational chain of poverty never ends. Back2Back started this program to prevent this from happening. We give them the opportunity to live in a family like environment and facilitate their further education, from high school all the way to college. By doing this, the kids have a better chance to become what God had in mind.

When I heard that this group was coming, I could't wait to see what was going to happen. I wanted to see the kid's reactions to finding out that this group was full of young adults that grew up in their same situation.

When I met them for the first time and I heard them talk about their expectations for this trip I was filled with hope, hope to know that the kid's that we serve here in Cancun could have bright futures like these students.

I couldn't wait for them to go to San Jose Children's Home and see them interact with the kids. It was a great day, the kids loved the students and the students loved on the kids. They didn't want to leave even though we had been there for 9 hours doing some hard labor and it was their fifth day of doing hard work. During the debriefing one of the Hope students said that when he was saying bye to Jorge (the only boy at the home), Jorge asked him if he had grown up in a children's home and the student said yes. Jorge just looked at him and smiled, they understood each other and Jorge was able to see Hope.

The last day that they were here I was able to ask the students about their experience with Back2Back while they were in the children's homes to make our work in CH San Jose more effective and the one thing that prevailed through their answers was relationships. The one thing that they needed the most was someone to care for them and I am glad to say that thanks to the vision that God has implanted in the hearts of our founders, directors, and Back2Back staff, these kids are growing up with "Care for Today, and Hope for Tomorrow"