One year ago, God spoke to me and said, “If you don’t go, then who will.” So I packed up my backpack, sold most of what I own and just like the Apostles did in Acts 2, took the few things I had and went to the Nations. People laughed at me, tried to convince me to go to University, told me it would just be a season of life, but God said, “no, this is your life.” Matthew 16:25 says, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” There are 3.3 billion people who have never heard the name of Jesus and only 12,000 missionaries in these unreached regions. You do the math, it doesn’t add up. I’m convinced you can’t call yourself a true follower of Jesus if you aren’t GOING or SENDING. You can count the cost, but if you aren’t paying it forward, the work you’re doing is in vain (Luke 14). 25,000 people die every-day from hunger, 68,000 people are trafficked every day likely in front of our eyes on commercial flights, and 2,363 babies are killed every-day by abortion.
Our call is urgent!!! The Lord has spoken to me through prayer that my calling is the 10/40 unreached window (Middle East and Asia specifically). Before I get “launched” or “sent” from Northwest Iowa as a “full time missionary” serving in one nation, their are some practical things that I am working on with the local church here in my hometown in Iowa in terms of financial, prayerful and emotional support. On top of this, a prominent part of the mission work I’ve been involved in over the last year in the Middle East and Central America has been learning from the long term missionaries I’ve met, and growing in greater biblical knowledge to defend my faith amongst vastly different cultures.
To put this in perspective, this season of life is one of preparation and wisdom so that long term mission work doesn’t result in emotional/physical burnout. During the past four months, I served alongside local ministries in Central America, sharing the word of God with Garifuna tribal groups that worshipped dead idols in exchange for good fortune. I also spent a majority of my time doing house visits with iliterate families alongside nine other students from a Christian organization called Global year while in Guatemala. Through this, we had the honor and privilege to hand out SD cards to these families so that they could listen to the bible in their native tongue, "mam" for the first time ever. Now, writing to you at the beginning of 2024, I am seeking the Lord for direction on next steps.
Here's where YOU come in. First and foremost, I desperately need your prayer. I've met countless muslims who have given their lives to Jesus after encountering Him through visions and dreams. Contend in the Spirit and have faith for these things to happen. Second, in order to embark on this mission, I need funding. I am currently looking for 50 MONTHLY supporters and support of $4k monthly, which covers flights, food, accomdation, gas, etc... This is biblical. 2nd Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." If you feel led, you can pay 5% extra to cover adminfees that EquipNet charges for their services. Also, if you donate, no additional fees are taken out if your donation comes through your checking/savings account. There are additional fees taken out if you use your credit card.
Furthermore, I value vulnerability in the body of Christ, and in no way do I intend this to be overly personal or prideful. However, I give 15-20% of what people give me away because I truly believe that we will reap 10 to 100 fold of what we sow (Matthew 13:23). The storehouses of God’s favor in heaven have no limit, so why wouldn’t we walk in radical generosity. My favorite person to give to is my friend Stefan Heger. He is a local Pakistani who distributes SD cards with the full bible on them in branches of Arabic language to muslims all across Pakistan. I personally had the honor to distribute some of these SD cards in some of the most dangerous parts of Pakistan earlier this summer. Over 250 million people live in Pakistan, and only 1.27% are Christian. I hope this stirs you with an awakening desire to reach the NATIONS like it does for me. The harvest is plentiful, but the time is short.
Lastly, a little synopsis of what God is doing through me on social media. 7 months ago I felt compelled by the Lord to start posting on Social Media about my missionary life & Jesus. I also started a worldwide zoom bible study that over 1k people attend weekly. God honored my heart's desire to reach people, and multiplied my platform to over 110k followers. With this comes a prominent amount of stewardship & prudence. As a short term missionary, I’m often hosted by long term missionaries when in the field. With this, I have to present my Instagram profile as “lifestyle & travel” + archive some of content when I enter these countries to protect individuals that would want to throw me in jail, kick me out of the country, or kill me from knowing I am a missionary. As a supporter of mine, please understand that my instagram profile, which may showcase what looks like “travel adventures” is put in place to protect my undercover mission. If you want to follow along with my journey, my socials are all linked at the top of the page.
Love you all. Thanks for taking the time to read this and support me.
Blakeッ
Personal Email: blakevandevegte14@gmail.com