The Crazy Calling That Changed Everything: Our Journey to Full-Time Mission Work
We never thought we’d end up here. This crazy, full-time, on-the-road disaster relief work was not a vision we dreamt up for ourselves. God orchestrated every bit of it. He paved every inch of the road for us; all we did was follow Him.
We share our story because we believe that God wants to use you to do His work, just like He uses us. You don’t have to be qualified or special; we certainly weren’t. You just have to be willing to step out in faith. So here’s how it all played out for us.
We had just finished working with Eight Days of Hope to rebuild a tornado-stricken home from the ground up when Chris heard a whisper: “I made you for this purpose.” In that moment, he knew the Lord was calling him to serve in disaster relief full-time.
The thought of quitting his stable construction job to become a full-time volunteer was terrifying. But when Chris laid out all the reasons why he couldn’t do it, God responded:
Chris worried that his employees depended on him. But days later, one of them asked to resign.
Our finances weren’t adding up on paper... until my boss increased my pay by 14%, which meant I was making 30% more than I had made at my old job.
Chris was nervous to tell his boss. But one morning, he woke up with a sense of courage, knowing that it was time to quit. Then our neighbors informed us that their son had prayed the night before (out of nowhere) that Chris would “quit his job to work for God.”
For 3 years, we lived off of my income while Chris volunteered with Resurrection Disaster Relief (RDR). RDR’s vision was to meet people’s post-disaster construction needs by helping the uninsured or under-insured repair their homes.
We had no formal ministry training, and we were fairly new Christians. Yet God chose to use us for His Kingdom nonetheless. One of our favorite verses during this season of our life and really our whole life is:
“When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13 CSB
We just want people to see us and know we have been with Jesus. We want that to be contagious.
In 2014, as Chris responded to a tornado that hit Tupelo, Mississippi, we felt a crazy calling to move there from Virginia.
I was the sole-provider for the family, and my job required me to fly around the country constantly. I was always on the road while Chris led the non-profit and raised our 3 kids. So as he served in MS, he prayed for 3 days straight that God would take the burden off of me.
God answered Chris’s prayers when Eight Days of Hope offered him a job running a new branch, which focused on leading team(s) of volunteers in a community within 36-72 hours of a natural disaster.
The job offer was a God-send, but we still needed a home. At the time, the country’s housing market was on a downward trend. But we took an insane leap of faith and placed our home in VA for sale (while we were still in MS)!
Can you guess how long it took us to get a contract? 8 days!
At this time, most houses were sitting on the market for months. We were blown away by God’s faithfulness (and sense of humor).
But His faithfulness didn’t stop there. An older gentleman reached out to Chris and offered him a piece of land. (Seriously, who does that?) When we saw it, we felt an overwhelming peace, and we knew it was a gift from God.
We were planning to build our home when our friend and leader, Steve, shared our story from the stage. Suddenly, tons of people from all over the country were coming together to help with the construction of our house. They took care of electrical, HVAC, framing, roofing, insulation, etc. We were humbled by God’s provision and His people’s generosity.
“Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us — to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20-21 CSB
And then came my crazy career change. I was driving to executive leadership training in Atlanta, GA when I felt the Lord calling me to step away from my corporate job as He beckoned me toward something bigger.
Once we were sworn in as missionaries, I realized it was time to become a full-time mom and on-the-road supporter to Chris. Excited as I was for this new season, I wept. I wanted so badly to complete my mission at work, but God had a greater mission in mind.
Several months later, I wrapped up my corporate role. This meant we would live on a small fraction of what we used to make. But as you might have guessed by now, God was faithful to provide.
My last bonus check allowed me to pay off my company car and put money in savings. And since we had downsized on our new house and received so much support from others, we were set financially!
I was anxious about this huge shift, but God had made it all possible before it even happened.
All throughout the Bible, God uses the unqualified to do His work. It was no different with us, and it’s no different with you. If you’re interested in serving through disaster relief, please feel free to get in touch!
Do you have a story of God’s faithfulness? We would love to hear it! Shoot us an Instagram message @meetthechiles or leave a comment below!