The Family That
Prays Together
By Christina Franks,
Communications Summer Intern,
One Mission Society
They say the family that prays together ... stays together.
But what if,
in the midst of these prayers,
God calls
your family
in different directions?
That is exactly how God called the Dutchess family of Plainfield, Indiana. Eric and
Christi, along with their 14-year-old son Matthew, are preparing to be missionaries in
Mozambique, Africa. Their daughters, Emma and Meredith, who will both attend college soon, will stay in the United States.
Just mentioning leaving their girls brings both Eric and Christi to tears. After their
two short-term mission trips to Haiti, both knew that they were being called to missions, but they thought it would be after all three children were grown.
However, God had different plans, which entailed a much earlier departure date.
In 2012, Christi took the Perspectives course at One Mission Society. The course
is designed to help explain God’s love for the world and the need for missions. During
this time, God pressed upon Christi’s heart the urgency of their call to the mission field.
She knew, though, that Eric’s heart was not in that place yet.
She continually prayed for him, and God asked her one day, “Are you willing to give
up everything?” She said yes, though she did not know at the time what God would ask
of her. Then God said, “I’d like for you to start praying for your husband to lose his job.”
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