Big Changes Coming for the Ostranders
Dear friends and family who have supported and prayed for us over the years,
We have spent the last several months praying, processing, and seeking counsel; coming to the conclusion that the calling we felt so clearly for Congo did not transfer to Burundi.
Two years ago, we felt a clear release from Congo and, seeing the need in Burundi, decided to pursue that same calling there. What hasn't followed is a sense from the Lord that this is where He wants our family to be long-term. It has been difficult to discern amongst all of the needs and endless opportunities that Burundi presents. In the end, we don't feel that this is the soil that God is asking us to labor in for this current season of our lives.
Over the last several years, a burden has been growing within me (Miles) for young men within the USA who have not been established in their identity in Christ. The reality of this need overwhelmed us during our trip back to the States this past summer, hitting home deeper than any other trip back to the US. While there is actually an encouraging wave of young people looking into spiritual matters in the last couple years, the next generations are projected to have a low number of true followers of Jesus compared to previous generations. To us, we feel this shows a devastating lack of discipleship and mentorship in America, especially for young men.
Our home church (in Bellingham, WA) is encouraging us to spend some time together with them in community to be refreshed, encouraged, and seek the Lord in how He would have us serve Him as we look to the future. We are currently in Burundi, in the midst of the process of wrapping up our house, spending time with and saying goodbye to close friends that we have built significant relationships with, while also dealing with other details that need to happen so we can leave well. Our hope, Lord willing, is to return to the USA in December.
We do want to make it clear that we are not necessarily stepping out of ministry, but we are stepping into an undetermined length of a sabbatical/furlough season to prayerfully discern what God's plans are for our family in the future. As you can imagine, there are many opportunities and possibilities before us, and we desire to prayerfully discern where God would put us for the foreseeable future. During this sabbatical, we are praying for Miles to quickly find work and praying for affordable housing near Bellingham. This will allow us to be closer to our home church, so we can dive into attending and participating in our church community fully during this season.
We are in great need of your prayers!
- Prayer as we wrap up in Burundi, as we desire to do this process well.
- As we look towards the future, discerning what that desire and passion for young men really looks like in a practical sense.
- What future ministry will look like and in what capacity.
- Prayer for our church and family members as they walk with us through the sometimes challenging and emotional process of reintegrating into our home country (reverse culture shock). For context, our girls have spent a major portion of their lives outside of the US and Emilee has spent nearly 22 years out of her 33 years of life outside the US.
- Prayer for provision as we land in the USA with a large family and, even though we have a handful of things that we have stored at Miles parents’ home, we don't have most of the regular larger items that a family would have built up over years of living in the States.
- Prayer for work! Miles would love for practical work to be another outlet for working alongside young men.
- Prayer for housing! This is such a big ask, that we know that we can’t do this in our own strength and need the Lord to arrange this for us.
- Prayer for homeschooling or how we should do schooling with the girls.
We want to thank you for the support that you have lavished on us so generously and we bless you as you continue supporting the building of God's Kingdom! We are stepping out of full-time supported ministry (whether just for a season or for good, we don't know ), but LaOlam is continuing to work in this region.
For those interested in what LaOlam is continuing to do in Congo and Burundi, there are so many needs and opportunities that you can still be a part of—contact Michael and Lisa Moore (Emilee’s parents and our ministry partners) at laolamafrica@gmail.com. The Moores are currently living in Burundi and are continuing to work and run programs in Congo and Burundi. For any supporters who would like to continue partnering with what they are doing, please drop Michael and Lisa a note letting them know to transfer the designation of your support starting in January.
LaOlam is setting aside some funds to assist with the first couple of months of transition for our family. These funds have already been designated for us, so we will not be requiring your financial support come January.
We are so grateful to each one of you for how you have teamed up alongside us for years of faithful financial and prayer support!
With love,
Miles, Emilee, Bella, Sophia, Aimee, Ruthie, and Kassy