The Next Phase

            First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for your support and prayers towards this mission trip- and ultimately to reach the nations with the Gospel. Thank you for your prayers- especially after what has taken place in the world over this past spring and summer. It has been roughly six months since the coronavirus caused massive changes in U.S. society and the world at large. During March through mid-August, the Lord took me through a five month waiting period where He challenged (and convicted) me greatly- especially in the area of patience. This summer demonstrated that we often do not have immediate answers to what is taking place, and in these times, we must pray and trust His guidance. Starting in mid-August, this trip began to shift in a new direction as fundraising started back up again. It has been a blessing to re-connect with old friends in the Boone community, be at Appalachian State, and seek out new partners in ministry as this journey continues. Thank you again for your prayers as I prepare for mission work in a very turbulent time in the world.

            Something important to this trip took place over the past weekend. This was finalizing the route that I will be travelling on in August 2021. Today, I am announcing that I will be participating in the 2021 World Race Expedition Hub Route. The route departs at the beginning of August 2021 and returns to the US at the end of June, 2022. I could not be more excited to be part of a squad and actively preparing for the Race again after this season of waiting. Here are some changes surrounding this route:

            1. A “Hub” model. We are visiting five countries in five different regions of the world where Adventures in Missions has an established ministry presence. Depending on the border situation due to COVID-19 and other factors, we are hoping to visit surrounding countries. Basically, we are doing missions in five different regions of the world with the intention of partnering with ministry partners on the ground in as effective a way as possible.

            2. The sending community. While I look forward to keeping in touch with ministry contacts / friends in Charlotte, Hickory, and Asheville (and other places) from my Lenoir-Rhyne days, I will be in Boone, NC and Avery County (the NC High Country) both the year before I leave for this trip and the year after I return. This is a terrific time to pour into the Boone community, partner with the local house church network, and talk about missions (and God’s heart for the Unreached) with the churches of the High Country area. Lord-willing, this community will be both sending me out and welcoming me at the end of the trip, and I am excited to do ministry with them over the next couple years.

            3. The squad. My squad / mission mates have changed almost entirely (as of September 23^rd) because of my deferral to the August 2021 route from the former August 2020 route. I will not know who will be in the entire squad until March or April 2021. However, I look forward to getting to know the people who are on my squad now in the coming months and praying over each other as the trip gets closer. If anyone is in the Boone, NC or western North Carolina area, I would love to meet up!

            Where will I be travelling? The route link is here: https://www.worldrace.org/route/world-race-august-2021-expedition/. Please feel free to take a look at this and see what you think! The Lord has been putting in my heart a calling for the Unreached; which is why I chose the Expedition route again for the upcoming trip. In the new route, we will be travelling to (1) Spain and Western Europe. In Spain, we will be doing discipleship and possibly trekking the El Camino trail in Northwest Spain while doing outreach there. Next, we plan to travel to (2) the Balkan states of Eastern Europe starting in Romania. A couple of the possible places include Kosovo and Albania, which are terrific places to reach out to Muslims and those recovering from the Yugoslav wars. Afterwords, we are going to (3) Central Asia starting in Kyrgyzstan. We will be working with the unreached in Central Asia and hope to touch many lives with the Gospel there. From there, we are going to the (4) Himalayan region of southern Asia to connect with ministry partners there. The end of the trip will bring us to (5) Thailand and surrounding nations in Southeast Asia. We will be reaching Buddhists and Muslims there with the Gospel; the message of hope that is found in Jesus. There are many different countries that we may visit in the SE Asia region, but God will ultimately guide towards which ones we serve in (please see the above link for details).

            A big phenomenon touched my heart in March that I wanted to address. As the car slowly made its way in the rural countryside, my family and I received an update that Adventures In Missions was sending its missionaries back to America. As the world locked down due to COVID-19, this had the effects of sending much of America’s missionaries (from most agencies) back to the States. During the six months that elapsed since then, I often wondered: “What is God doing here?” Today, I believe that the Lord is keeping us in America during this season to be a light and reach out to this nation during some of the most chaotic times that my country has experienced in recent history. And, I also believe that our work as missionaries and disciples in America is far from finished. In less than two months, Americans are going to the polls to vote for who will lead our country for the next four years. Issues such as abortion, racial justice, religious freedom, and how we examine human life around us will continue to be in the spotlight as the election draws closer. Calls to prayer for the nation (including “The Return” and “Washington Prayer March”- to take place September 26th) will continue to take place as we pray in this election season. We need to be a church that preaches the Gospel in this time and pray for our country as we prepare for the (likely chaotic) months ahead. We need to be a church who loves people despite political affiliation and is willing to live out the truths found in the Bible even when it gets difficult. How are we going to boldly proclaim Jesus’ message of hope as many in this nation are hurting in this time?

            I remember in February being in a little room at my dorm at Lenoir-Rhyne praying over the trip as the virus continued to advance. During this time of prayer, the Lord said to “Trust Me”. As I continue to prepare for this trip, surrendering this to God is going to continue to be important in the coming months. He is the one who will guide this and where we will ultimately go. While getting on a new route is exciting, there are still many unknowns. Because of this, here are a few prayer requests as the trip gets closer:

            1. Lift up the Unreached who are in Eastern Europe and Asia now. Praying for openness and that we can help advance the movement of God’s Kingdom there.

            2. Please pray for the coronavirus to go away or get beaten back in God’s timing. It is my hope to be able to do ministry in the 10/40 Window with as few virus restrictions as possible.

            3. Please lift up the international border situations. My hope is that as more borders open up, we can travel to a greater number of places to do ministry.

            4. Pray for a smooth preparation process and for the Lord to continue putting the logistical pieces together for this trip to take place.

            5. Thankful that God is restoring some past friendships this year; particularly in Boone. Pray that this will continue as He leads me to minister in NC and to build further connections.

            6. We need to pray for the United States during this time. Pray for God to move supernaturally here- for Spirit led revival- and that many will come to know Christ in these times.

            7. Finally, let’s lift up the church. Pray for repentance and that we continue to follow Christ as a church and be an example of what it is like to live biblically.

            Again, thank you for your prayers towards this trip. I could not do this without His guidance and the Body of Christ. Over the next few months, I am forming a prayer team for this trip. If anyone wants to join the team, please feel free to reach out. Further updates (likely to be one or two a month) will be posted on my blog, bretthaas.theworldrace.org. Please feel free to subscribe and follow my adventures on the blog while stateside now and after I depart. Also, if you feel led, please consider supporting my trip with a donation (the link to donate is at the top of my blog). Thanks to those who have supported already; I am over halfway (1/2) towards the fundraising goal! Excited to see God move, and let’s keep in touch!

             Colossians 4: 2-6: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Image: The sun rises at the entrance of Mt. Mitchell State Park near Asheville, NC.