Anyone who’s ever lived overseas would tell you the same story.

Life away from everything that is normal and easy. Life away from family and friends. Life away from the land you love. That life can be hard. 

That’s why every single little bit of love matters so much to us. Every care package, arriving at our door with bangs and bruises from international mail travel. Every letter, carefully folded and sealed. Every Facebook message just offering a few words of encouragement. Every stranger and every friend who has thanked us. Every person who has loaned us their car, or car-seat, or cell phone, or extra suitcases. Everyone who has taken suitcases back and forth for us and lugged the extra one through busy airports. Every box of Macaroni and Cheese and bag of beef jerky sent down with mission teams. Every encouraging word or comment on Instagram. Every. single. bit.

You guys are our people. I can’t tell you how deeply I mean this when I say that we could have never made it without you. Seriously.

I’ve always felt like our financial supporters were like a big family to us. People who cheer us on and believe in us and partner with us to reach the nations. People who hear crazy ideas like building a refuge home in the biggest city in Peru and say “hey, you know what, I want to be a part of that.”

And then there are our Pastors and our board members and our advisers. The people who bring us back down to earth when we get all crazy. The people who sit and talk with us for hours and help us understand bylaws and tax exemptions. The people who never give up on us and who are always in our corner.

A lot of times people only see Chris, Ellyn, and Jubilee doing missions. We are the ones flying overseas and living within the culture and eating weird stuff and sharing crazy stories! But the truth is that there are SO many people on our team who have made all of what we do overseas possible. There’s my best friend who bought Jubilee a whole bag of super cute baby clothes and had them waiting for her the moment we got home. And my in laws who are letting us live in their trailer while we are getting settled into missions on this side of the world. There’s my Dad who sent boxes of food home with us and my mom who has let us stay at her house whenever we needed to and keeps Jubilee every time we ever ask her. There are the friends who helped us bring suitcases home this time and the woman who gave us extra money to buy groceries when we first got to the states.

Behind our little missionary family, there are SO many people who have invested into our lives and encouraged us in this journey. Each and every one of these people make what we do overseas possible. When you look at us, you don’t see the prayer warriors who are standing with us in prayer as we walk into dangerous areas in a third world country. You may not see our Pastors who have given us wisdom and counsel. Or our parents who have encouraged us and supported us in every moment. But all of those people are there, right behind us. They are all part of the amazing people who make up our team.

Margaret Mead said it this way. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

 

With love,

 

Ellyn Hunt