Our First House

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In our almost 18 years of marriage, we have had several abodes—apartments, a house, rentals and ministry housing. We made each of them into a home for our family, no matter how long or short our stay was. And now we have wonderful news to share! We are days away from closing on our very first house as property owners. 

The reality of our journey is too much to include in an update. In summary, what we imagined would be a process that would fit neatly into our first year of transition to the US ended up not so "neatly" and came with challenges and the need to walk by faith. 

The market is not currently kind to buyers; we visited 30 properties and made a total of 6 offers over 8 months and were overbid on all of them. Our commitment to keeping the kids in the same schools (they have thrived!) and Birmingham's confusing mesh of incorporated municipalities with their own school systems limited our search area. Tathiana and I were constantly challenged to think about giving up on the idea of finding a house in the "sweet spot" - where we needed to stay because of schools, what we wanted in a home and how much we could afford. We began to look almost exclusively at rentals within the same school zone over the past 2 months - really feeling that a move to a rental would be disappointing. 

We were confused. We believed that God had His hand in our first year with the ministry housing that was arranged, the schools that we loved, the churches we visited and the friends we made—to then have to think about leaving it all for another region of Birmingham after moving cross-culturally just one year before. I did not struggle in doubting God's sovereignty, but I wavered when considering His goodness and wisdom. "What are you doing, God?" I said over and over in my prayers.

Then, almost in an anti-climatic manner, we visited one last house on the last week that we could wait before committing to a rental. The house has all the "wants", is in an area that we need and is within the price range we can afford. Our agents were wonderful in assisting us, and we put in a good offer and it was ACCEPTED! We are now just days away from closing and excited about what year 2 of our new phase of life and ministry will be like as we plant roots with our first house.

We are amazed at the Lord's provision. We are thankful for everyone who prayed, listened, encouraged and bore our heavy burdens as we waited for His provision to become reality. Thank you for celebrating with us, also! Amém. 

Praise and Prayer: Housing and Support

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I am happy to share with you that our 1-time goal of $20,000 to cover our support account from the transition expenses has been raised! I praise God for His provision and for the generosity of our financial partners. The vast majority of the $20k was donated by current monthly partners, and some partners even gave multiple 1-time gifts over several months.

This is an amazing confirmation that the Lord will provide for our ministry and our new season of life and ministry in Birmingham with Campus Outreach SERVE. We, also, share with you two very specific prayer requests.

First, we continue to labor in support raising for our new monthly budget based in the US. I am contacting current supporters to make sure we are well connected and also networking out into new relationships in Chattanooga and Birmingham. I want to be faithful and dedicated to doing the groundwork work as God connects us to new churches and individuals eager to partner. Until we are able to raise 100% of our monthly budget (we are currently around 72%), all 1-time gifts are greatly appreciated.

Second, we are in need of more permanent housing as we come to the end of our first year in the US. Our current housing situation in Birmingham has been such a blessing, this is a big reason for praise! However, we have a deadline for how long we can stay at our current missionary housing, which is June 15th, 2024. Our desire was to be able to use this first year to settle and take a good look at the market here in Hoover, AL (southern metro Birmingham). The market has shifted a bit, but not enough that we have found a property in the "sweet spot" that combines WHERE - so the kids can stay in the same school system, WHAT - our desires and needs for a house, and HOW MUCH we can afford.

I do believe that God answers prayers, so I earnestly ask that you pray with us for a property that fits into that sweet spot, or a rental option that allows us to prepare for a near-future purchase.

Thank you for your partnership and care.

Welcome to the StaffCast!

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One of the projects I am taking on as Creative Content and Media Specialist is a podcast series that went live in January of 2023. The podcast is called the Campus Outreach StaffCast, and its audience is CO staff across the globe, or as we say - "a podcast for CO staff, by CO staff".

I am happy to share that today, March 7th, 2024 - my first StaffCast production is live! In this episode, I share a short testimony and then CO Serve Director Kent Bailey and I dive into talking about the upcoming Worldwide Day of Prayer 2024. You can access the podcast on the following link, or find it on your favorite podcast platforms. https://campusoutreachstaffcast.buzzsprout.com/

The StaffCast isn't just a trendy idea because podcasts are "the thing" to do. The StaffCast is meeting a need in the growing and decentralized network of ministries that make up Campus Outreach. After 45 years, there are staff who find themselves distanced from the early days and visionary history of the ministry. For example, Rev. Frank Barker, the champion behind the founding and early years of Campus Outreach, passed away in 2021; new staff will no longer have the opportunity to personally know him. So many of the initial staff have moved to other opportunities and places of service in the Kingdom. The organic relationships that trace their way to back to the humble beginnings can wear thin when spanning double-digit generations and expansions to new regions and continents. The StaffCast seeks to bridge that gap and maintain a strong connection between the current body of staff and the overarching vision and values on which the ministry was founded and continues its impact.

One last necessary attribution is needed in this update. Connor Hopkins, who worked with CO Serve for years as Media Manager, did the hard work to make this podcast become a reality. He procured the equipment and developed the process for the StaffCast to progress from an idea to a project to a reality. I am standing on his shoulders, and am so thankful for all he did and all he has documented to help me.

Conference Weeks

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International Resource Staff from Brazil, Thailand, South Africa and the Philippines

The second half of February is booked with great opportunities. From February 20 through March 3rd, I am participating in three Birmingham conferences: The Campus Outreach Resource Connect, a College Missions Retreat and the Briarwood Presbyterian World Missions Conference.

The Resource Connect is an annual conference for Campus Outreach staff who have what we call "resource" roles. The idea behind the Resource staff for Campus Outreach is more than administrative, office or operations staff. Since Campus Outreach is specifically a college ministry, the resource staff and resource teams are those who help resource, support and serve the campus ministries while also being vitally engaged in the main thrust of the campus ministries. The Resource Connect is a time to encourage, support and collaborate between resource staff and teams. It is always an encouraging time for those staff who are often behind the scenes and making things happen. The last Resource Connect I participated in was in 2018, so it was a joy to reconnect with these valuable staff, including four international staff I personally connected with and helped process after the Resource Connect wrapped up.

I will also be participating in the World Missions Conference at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham. Briarwood is Campus Outreach's founding church. This is a church that is committed to missions: including teaching, sending and supporting. Briarwood has been one of our cornerstone financial partners for 20 years. The last time I was in the country to participate in their World Missions Conference was in 2004. I am excited to participate and share what God has done in Brazil and to share about what our new season of life and ministry will bring with Campus Outreach Serve.

Right before the Briarwood Missions Conference, I am participating in a College Missions Conference where I get to have dozens of conversations with college students who are considering the next steps after graduating and how their place in the Kingdom of God affects their decisions. I, also, am participating in a Q&A with a panel of missionaries and will be teaching on Sunday morning.

If anyone will be at the Briarwood World Missions conference this year, please stop by our booth so we can reconnect.

Tathiana's First 6 months

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Hey everyone, this is Tathiana writing today.

I don't even know how to begin this update; so much has happened in the last 6 months. Moving to the USA has been challenging for our family, each of us has coped in different ways. We've faced days of exhaustion, confusion, feeling misunderstood, frustration, and mourning the distance from family…from the familiar.

I've heard from missionary friends who've also gone through similar transitions that, after a while, it's normal for people to assume you’ve adapted and are adjusted to the new phase. I think the 'honeymoon phase', that new season where there is always something new and intriguing, has passed. The longing to return home is stronger—missing the food, the people, the climate. The seasonal dreariness is real and I have felt down more than usual.

Amidst this, we are raising support. We need a much larger amount than ever before due to the cost of living here. Donations have not come in yet as we imagined, adding to my disbelief and lack of perspective. My faith has wavered based on circumstances. I've prayed to God to allow me to be emotionally and spiritually stable. My faith has faltered, much like the apostle Peter's when walking on the water toward Jesus. Peter needed help trusting, even though Jesus was right in front of him with outstretched hands. I need help believing that He will provide once again and that He didn't bring us to this country to not be able to make ends meet.

Isaac and Sara are, in general, more adapted. Isaac recently had his Individualized Education Program (IEP) developed to help him with his auditory processing disorder and ESL assistance. Sara is doing very well in English reading and writing and making new friends. We really like the school; the teachers, administrators and assistance professionals are helpful and sensitive people who spare no effort to assist our children. 

What I prayed for the most from God in the last days in Brazil was real friendships, people who cared about us. I see God's care in this area, providing sweet individuals. God has truly provided good friendships for the kids and for me and Jon. I thank each of you, dear friends, for every word of encouragement and acts of service you've rendered to us.

I've been meditating on the term 'pilgrim' in the Bible. May God show me that my ultimate homeland is not Brazil or the USA, but the celestial homeland I long for.

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household" - Ephesians 2:19

Thank you to all our friends, family and partners.
- Tathiana

More about CO SERVE

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As a global ministry, Campus Outreach continues to be an interdenominational college ministry targeting strategic college campuses with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Founded in 1978 at Briarwood Presbyterian Church (Birmingham, AL), Campus Outreach has grown to impact over 100 campuses in over 30 regions in 12 countries.

Campus Outreach SERVE was formed in 2019 as an equipping, resourcing, and serving agency that will help the entire CO movement respond to global churches requesting help in building leaders. As we "empower and expand CO ministries under the authority of local churches", we will reach more students, develop more laborers, and deploy more leaders.

See these two videos for more about how my new role fits into the overall global mission of Campus Outreach through the CO SERVE team.

What is CO SERVE? from Campus Outreach on Vimeo.

5 minute (3:20 on 1.5 speed) video about what CO SERVE is and how it fits into the global mission of Campus Outreach.

What does CO SERVE do? from Campus Outreach on Vimeo.

4 min video (2:40 at 1.5 speed) with more about what CO SERVE does and how it services Campus Outreach Regions and Staff

A Special Season of Giving 

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Today is November 28, 2023, Giving Tuesday around the nonprofit world. Here's a quick explanation: the Friday after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday due to the increase in sales for the upcoming Christmas season (to put retailers in the "black"). Online merchants got on board this marketing train and began to run sales the following Monday calling it "Cyber Monday". Then, with this wave of capitalism running hot, those of us in the fundraising world wanted to participate and began what is called "Giving Tuesday" as we understood that as much as 30% of donations occur within the last 6 weeks of the year.

This year, we enter this Special Season of Giving for our partners amidst our year-long transition from Brazil to the USA for our next season of life and ministry. We invite you to read the summary below of where we are and what the need is for us to begin 2024 in a great position.

  • Over the past 5 years, we have lost significant monthly support, have not raised enough new support to offset that loss, all while our family's expenses have increased. We have been in a positive support position because of our faithful monthly supporters and our one-time campaigns. 

  • Our transition to a US-based staff has significantly increased our tax and insurance burden, beyond what I had expected. Thus, our support account has gone into a concerning deficit, currently around negative $15,000.

  • We will participate in a Debrief and Rest for long-term missionaries returning from the field with Mission Training International in Colorado in February. The cost for the program and travel is around $5000.

Just 2 years ago God provided $20,000 for our 20 year celebration, and those funds have been instrumental in our current financial health in the midst of a major life event - uprooting from Brazil and bringing our reality to Birmingham, AL. That was only possible because our partners believed in our labor and our ministry, under God's provision.

Would you consider participating in this Special Season on Giving for these specific needs and help us raise another $20,000 to position our family to begin 2024 in our new role and new season for expanded impact of even more CO Staff and Regions around the globe?

Our online giving link is here: https://www.campusoutreach.org/donate/jon-elam/