Tathiana's Hip Surgery

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This Friday, January 30th, Tathiana will have hip replacement surgery. It's been a lifelong journey for her, and this will hopefully give her long-term relief.

Tathiana was born with hip dysplasia and was undiagnosed until later childhood. She had two extensive surgeries when she was young, which involved long hospital stays far from home, leg traction, and full-body casts. She carried plates and screws in her legs for decades (in the picture, you can still see the hardware in her left leg), as well as a slight leg-length difference. After our daughter was born, she had another surgery to remove the hardware in her right leg to help with the inflammation and pain that resulted from her pregnancies.

When we moved to Birmingham, Tathiana was accepted as a patient at the renowned Andrews Sports Medicine. In October, her orthopedist quickly recommended hip replacement surgery after seeing her exams. "There's no other intervention that will help anywhere close to surgery,” he said. We knew this was coming at some point, but were a bit shocked that the time had come. “It's time,” was his response.

Adventures in substitute teaching

The surgery will be a robotic approach as an outpatient surgery, which is truly mind-blowing. If anyone is interested, here is a link to an animated video of the procedure (FYI- it's not gross!).

So for the next months, Tathiana will be rehabilitating, unable to drive and not substitute teaching as she recovers. Most people say you regain mobility quickly in the first weeks, but full recovery takes a while. Jon will be covering a lot at home, the kids’ activities, and still working from home - pray for him, also!

We covet your prayers as she has surgery on Friday, and also the following weeks of recovery.

A kind friend has set up a Meal Train for us if you would like to help with a meal or a restaurant gift card. So many have already signed up, and we are humbled by your concern and God's care. See the Meal Train link here. 

Recap: LATAM Conference 2025

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CO LATAM Network Conference 2025 in Monterrey, Mexico

The 2025 Campus Outreach Latin America Network Conference was a remarkable experience. It was a privilege to connect with former teammates, family, friends, and many others working on campuses across four Latin American city centers.

Although I now work indirectly with teams based in Birmingham, personal interactions are crucial for collaborating with and supporting field staff in their efforts. When I send a message or write an email, knowing that we shared lunch together or that I interviewed them about their ministry strengthens our connection and makes their response feel more like a partnership rather than just a task.

Tathiana was able to shine in her role by leading the kids' program, which was full of surprises. She arrived a day late due to travel issues, one hotel mistakenly discarded most of her program materials, and the venue changed twice. Despite these challenges, the families of the staff were very grateful for the opportunity to participate in the main sessions while their children were cared for by Tathiana and her volunteer team.

Visiting the field and engaging with the teams is an inspiring experience. I am thankful that we were able to serve and participate this year.

LATAM Conference 2025

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In less than 24 hours, we are heading to the Campus Outreach Latin America Network Conference from Oct 24-30th. A total of 96 people, including staff from our four Latin American ministry teams, staff from CO SERVE, pastors, spouses, and children, will gather in Monterrey, Mexico!  

Every few years, geographically connected CO teams come together to encourage one another, discuss, reflect, and consider how to continue to share the gospel in their specific context. Our Latin American teams in Mexico, Peru, and Brazil will come together for only the second time ever. Our theme this year is "Juntos", which is both Spanish and Portuguese for "together". Juntos is in the plural form, showing how we are coming together for a shared unity in Christ.

I have been helping develop the graphics and communications for the conference and will be diving into the sessions and interacting with as many field staff as possible during the next week. An amazing opportunity that the Lord has brought together is that Tathiana, Isaac, and Sara will also join the Conference as coordinators (and helpers) for the kids' program, so that staff families can participate in all the sessions. She has been working hard to prepare and recruit helpers. 

Please pray for our time with these staff and teams; that they will be refreshed in their vision for God’s Kingdom, encouraged through time together, and inspired as they learn from one another’s ministries. This moment will allow them to share openly about the challenges they face and find strength in knowing they are not alone as they serve in similar cultural contexts.

Please pray for our time in Monterrey and for the teams joining us (team pics below)!

Pictures of the 4 Latin America Campus Outreach teams

New Season of the CO StaffCast

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Today, Thursday, September 4, 2025, Season 4 of the Campus Outreach StaffCast podcast went live. Our first episode of the new season begins a journey that we will follow for the entire season. Our theme is “The Definition of a Laborer". 

For over 40 years, Campus Outreach has endeavored to "build laborers on the campus for the lost world.” As we come to our 50th year, I am privileged to produce this podcast series that will capture the years-long development of what we mean by “a laborer.” 

In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus lamented and called his disciples to action when he said, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (NIV) It is clear that a laborer is one who is actively engaged in God's Kingdom work. But what else?

Our definition, at this point of development, is that a laborer is “a person mobilized through the church to live out Christ-centered identity with Spirit-filled character, who is governed by a Biblical worldview and who engages persuasively among non-Christians with the gospel and is equipped to multiply this lifestyle in others.”

All of Season 4 of the StaffCast will focus on interviews with Campus Outreach staff and pastors about their reflections, encouragement, critiques, and exhortations for our ministry and our staff on 100+ college campuses all around the world build laborers for the lost world.

Join us on this journey of Season 4 of the Campus Outreach StaffCast. You can find the show on your favorite podcast services, or visit the following link: bit.ly/m/costaffcast

Home, But Not Home

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From Tathiana:

Recently, God blessed us by giving us the opportunity to return to Brazil after living here in the US for two years. This trip was very important for us in this continued season of transition to the US - yes, we’re certainly still in transition.

The feeling of arriving in Brazil and hugging the people we love is a kind of joy that makes your chest almost explode. Our time in Belo Horizonte was full of happiness, laughter, and good food, just like any good Brazilian event. We were able to visit our old home and the school where the kids studied. We spent precious time with family and friends. The bonds we have there are so strong that even with the distance, it feels like nothing can break them, as if we remain connected by an invisible thread.

This trip made me realize how much I missed being myself – being 100% understood without having to second-guess my own words. I miss being known. I now empathize more with Jon, who lived for 21 years outside his cultural comfort zone.

Our goodbyes were hard, especially for Sara and me. During our last week in Brazil, Sara said that her life there was so good, and she didn’t understand why we had to move. She was very honest and said she felt angry with Jon and me for taking her away from the friends she loved. As hard as it was to hear, I believe this was a necessary step for her in our process of transition.

We returned to the US a little over two weeks ago, and I won’t lie – reentry has been hard. It hasn't helped that I got sick, and Isaac is being treated for pneumonia. I’ve been fighting not to believe lies about our move here. American life really does meet many of our needs, but it also brings greater financial and relational challenges. Since arriving in the US two years ago, we’ve seen God's provision through family, partners and even new supporters. However, we have continued to work hard to raise a salary that matches the cost of living here. We’re still looking to raise an additional $1,200 per month to reach 100% of our budget. Even with me working as a substitute teacher, it’s still been hard to find margin with all the costs of establishing a new life in a new land. This has often brought us stress and discouragement, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of comparison.

I recently read that there is no explanation or medicine to cure the pain of being separated from your home country. It’s the price you pay for living far away.

But Jesus, oh Jesus, He can walk with me through this valley. That is my hope.

People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. - Hebrews 11:14-16




First Half of 2025 + Brazil Trip

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2025 Campus Outreach Resource Connect in Chattanooga, TN

The first half of 2025 has been full of projects with Campus Outreach SERVE. Below, I have listed some of the highlights over the past 5 months. Together with our partners, we celebrate the impact on so many teams and campuses around the world. And the finale is our first trip to Brazil since we moved in 2023.

Resource Connect (photo above): In February, I participated in the 2025 CO Resource Connect in Chattanooga. This annual conference brings together operations, financial, communications and administrative staff from Campus Outreach regions domestically, and we always have international staff join us virtually or personally. Our time in Chattanooga was helpful to network, collaborate, discuss best practices and gear up for the 2026 Campus Outreach National Conference that will be held at the Chattanooga Convention Center in January of 2026.

2024 Annual Impact Report: Lots of hours were dedicated to the 2024 Annual Impact Report over the past 9 months. This was my first year to quarterback the Report. It is a much larger and broader print media piece than I have done in years, so collaboration and planning were key. We learned a lot, especially about printinglarge quantity products and mailing them out to individual donors. The digital version will be out soon, and everyone can take pleasure in knowing that YOU helped make that happen.

Website launch: Almost 2 years ago, a major revamp of the Campus Outreach and CO SERVE websites began. The culmination of years of work is currently launching, so stay tuned for the official re-launch. From conceptualization to implementation, it took a lot of work. I came in on the phase of building the content and populating the pages, and preparing video elements - so it is a project I am convinced will benefit so many staff, students, supporters and others for many years to come. 

Season 3 of the CO podcast: Due to the previous two projects (Annual Impact Report and Websites), our podcast schedule for the staff-focused StaffCast was pushed back. Currently, we are publishing every few weeks and will conclude Season 3 this summer. Each recorded interview of approximately 1 hour of content takes about 12-15 hours of editing and preparation to complete and publish. These podcast episodes have been such a blessing to me as I hear over and over the wisdom and God-glorifying truth shared by our guests. Feedback from staff in the USA and overseas has been very positive, and we have accumulated over 10,000 downloads in just 2.5 years of production. 

Pre-Deployment Training session

Pre-Deployment Training Session: I recently had the privilege of pulling from my 20 years of experience in Brazil, and particularly as a member and elder of our local church in Belo Horizonte, to lead a session in our Pre-Deployment Training for 5 staff members about to deploy to their field assignments on 4 different continents. The session was “Engaging the Local Church,” and I enjoyed helping these new staff prepare for their relationship with their partner church in a healthy and humble manner.

Brazil Trip: And to close out the first half of 2025, our entire family will be taking our first trip back to Brazil since we moved in June of 2023. We hoped, prayed and desired to be able to reconnect with our family, friends and culture in Belo Horizonte, but were unsure it would happen. The Lord worked out so many details, and we were able to use a lot of frequent flier miles to make it happen. We will spend almost a month in BH and I will get the opportunity to work while on the ground in several projects with the CO team and local church while there. This time, our 16-year-old cat stays home - no more international travel for her. 

#3 International Ops - Year-End 2024, New Year 2025

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Jon with International Resource Staff at the 2024 CO Resource Connect

My first two Year-End 2024/New Year 2025 updates highlighted that God has me in the right place for impact. More validation came as I began researching missionary attrition after a conversation with a potential financial partner about "boots on the ground." I found that over the past 30 years, 71% of returning missionaries annually do so for PREVENTABLE reasons: financial, organizational, training, conflict, loss of vision, etc… (see full BLOG post here).

With my 20 years of experience as "boots on the ground," I thought, "If the need is boots on the ground, how can we keep those boots, well… on the ground?” This was the stimulus that God used to help me understand my unique contribution to the mission of Campus Outreach and to keep CO missionaries on the field for longer, healthier, and hopefully fruitful ministries for global gospel impact.

As we look toward 2025, I desire to give even more time and effort to my International Network Operations role. Read the field testimonies from Update #2 to understand why! 

To put us in a position of strength for the mission ahead, our 1-time goal for 2025 is $12,000. We have raised $2000 so far.

With your increased monthly investment or year-end gift, together, we can be more effective to boots on the ground in Mexico, Brazil, Peru and England.

Scan the QR code or click on the image to go to our online giving page.