Colossians 2:6-7, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
Summer Travels
At the beginning of summer, Samantha and I embarked upon a journey previously unknown to us: full time ministry. As many of you have probably already read from us, we recently felt that the Lord was leading us to be a part of Emmaus Ministries, a Bible training ministry located in Central Florida. None of this would have been considered even close to the realm of possibilities if you had spoken with us just one year ago when we were starting a completely different journey, traveling from Alaska to Florida.
God stirred our hearts and moved our desires towards the mission of this organization, which is: “To equip the body of Christ with the Word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ through: Inductive Bible Study, Authentic Relationships, and Community Life.” Basically, we seek to impart basic study tools and teachings to other believers, helping them to draw nearer to God through his Word and enabling them to approach the Scriptures with confidence.
Given our new mission, Samantha and I entered into this summer with two basic goals: See friends and family, and seek a support team. We began by visiting Samantha’s home in Homer, Alaska. It was a wonderful time where we were able to speak about our mission in front of more than one church and meet with individuals almost every day to talk about what God has placed on our hearts. We also may have had a little fun with 4-wheeling…
It was amazing how God worked in our hearts as we were there. Samantha and I found that as we continued to meet and talk with people about our new ministry and need for support, the more we ourselves became impassioned with the desire to begin our new work and we also felt that it helped us draw closer together as a couple. A huge thanks to all our friends and family for the wonderful and encouraging support we received in Alaska! 
But eventually, we had to say our goodbyes to Alaska (until next time!) and head to see my (Jacob’s) family in Virginia. And there we are at the present, doing much of the same things, seeing loved ones and working on building a support team.
Future Plans and Prayer Requests
Moving forward, Samantha and I will continue to stay with family in Virginia as we await our soon-to-be-born nephew! We are also awaiting the second week of August where we will begin a planning period for Emmaus Ministries, seeking from the Lord how He would have us best fulfill His calling for us over the next year. We would love to have you partner with us and our team in prayer over this time in the hopes that we will see our effectiveness grow exponentially in the community around us in Central Florida.
Samantha and I would also ask that you pray for us personally, as we are still far from reaching our goal of raising $3,000 a month in order to be most effective in our ministry. And as multiple financial obligations approach, such as insurance and rent, we need your help. We humbly ask for you to consider praying about whether or not becoming a member of our monthly support team would be something you could do in order to sow into the Kingdom. If this is something you’re considering, we would love to speak with you on a more personal level. Please take a look at our Contact and Donate pages.
Finally, Samantha and I are preparing to speak in front of one of our home churches here in Virginia in order to talk about our mission and to give a class on the Inductive Study Method. We would greatly appreciate your prayers over that as well!
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers! (and for reading this!)
– Jacob and Samantha McRae
The McRae Family 