One of our treasured friends, Josiah Holmes, blessed us for years by serving as a member of the Youth-Reach Gulf Coast staff. Now, he and his family are making plans to move to the Middle East this October to pursue God’s call on their life as missionaries.
Josiah shares the following message about his heart and vision for the Middle East:
“‘Mesilah’ is the Hebrew word used for ‘highway’ in Isaiah chapter 19. It actually means an elevated road, and it stretches from Egypt to Assyria. Maybe there’s an elevated way to experience true peace and reconciliation in the Middle East, and maybe the highway that Isaiah saw starts in the heart.” // MN
As a family, we know the Father is inviting us to partner with His heart in the building of this highway. One thing that we are aware of is that everyone is on a journey of discovery as to who Yahweh is. Our hope is that we can help with that shift in perspective. In doing so we are bridging the gap so that the new man can cross over into their true identity as beloved sons and daughters of God. We know that this transformation doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s the long path to a short distance between the head and the heart. It begins with one heart, one soul, at a time.
This is only one aspect of what’s being birthed in our hearts. Our heart is to create a safe place for those who are seeking refuge, healing, or training in the region. Our doors will also be open to those who are stateside that desire to come and train, be immersed in Middle Eastern culture, and accept an invitation to walk alongside us as we love our neighbor.
Ultimately our hope is simply this, that Jew and non-Jew would come together by the healing of hearts, through Jesus, creating the one new man that Paul spoke of in Ephesians…
“Our reconciling “Peace” is Jesus! He has made Jew and non-Jew one in Christ. By dying as our sacrifice, he has broken down every wall of prejudice that separated us and has now made us equal through our union with Christ. 15 Ethnic hatred has been dissolved by the crucifixion of his precious body on the cross… His triune essence has made peace between us by starting over—forming one new race of humanity, Jews and non-Jews fused together! 16 Two have now become one, and we live restored to God and reconciled in the body of Christ. Through his crucifixion, hatred died.” // Ephesians 2:14-16 (TPT)
We will be coming alongside and joining Lydia’s sister, Bethany, her husband Kurt, and their family as we begin a new effort locally in Turkey as well as establishing an expression of home and belonging through Jesus in the region of the Middle East. This will include, but is not limited to the Mesopotamian Basin and the heart of the Middle East, to the shores of the Mediterranean and beyond. We hope to be making this move at the end of October of this year.
We know that moving our family of six, especially with little girls, is a huge undertaking, both emotionally and financially, but we are confident that this is the Father’s invitation to us in this season. It’s also the reason that we are inviting all of you to be a part of this story. Our objective is simple yet with many moving parts and pieces, but it hinges on us loving and walking beside our brothers and sisters in the region, as well as serving the IDP’s (Internationally Displaced People), the Christian nationals, as well as the refugees and unreached people groups. This is the heart of God we are hearing for our family. We are inviting you, our friends and family, to join with us through continued friendships, prayer, and financial partnerships. Thank you all for taking the time to not only journey with us in this endeavor but to hear our heartbeat for the nations.
With love and gratitude,
The Holmes Family
(Josiah, Lydia, Eden, Ahava, Meira, & Keziah)
Please help us cover our brother Josiah and his family in prayer as they take this large step of faith, bringing the hope of Jesus to foreign places. You can support their mission by using the ID code “JH3789” at meigiving.org/donate-associate.
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