Nathanael Moore: Trusting God. Loving Others.
Hot. Humid. Crowded.
Those are three words that describe the feeling of exiting an airplane at the Survarnabahumi International airport in Bangkok, Thailand.
The air is thick and the sweat is real. For Nathanael Moore, this was the first thing he felt when he landed in a country he had never been to before but would spend the next year of his life in.
A little over a year ago, Nathanael worked for a bank trying to find a successful career path. He decided to give up that pursuit when He felt God call him to serve for a year in the 10/40 window. After seeking council and praying, he decided to fulfill this call as an intern with Envision at the Bangkok site in Thailand.
In March of 2019, after many months of raising support, Nate left his job, family, and friends to go love and share the gospel with people in a country he had never been to but knew needed it. He didn’t know exactly what to expect when he got there, but he arrived with a goal in mind: bringing people to Christ.
The Great Commission is not an easy task, but God has used Nate to bring people to Himself in many different ways! As an Envision intern, Nate teaches English on Monday nights, coordinates outreach events, and helps connect Thai people to the site’s church called Deeper Life. Not only does he do these things as an Envision intern, but he also works closely with the Alliance University Center. This is the center planted by our own Providence missionary partners, Keith and Sarah Neigenfind. Here, Nate has the opportunity to teach English, preach at church gatherings, and connect with students from all over Asia, not just Thailand!
Our God is faithful. Nate has seen five people come to know the Lord since he’s been in Thailand. He even witnessed his close friend choose Jesus as his Savior and drastically change his life.
“It was so amazing to see all these changes in his life… not because he wanted to get to a place he thought God would accept him but because he wanted to change because he knew God loved him,” Nate told me.
What a blessing it is when we get to actually see the fruit of our labor!
Although God has been doing encouraging work, it hasn’t come without hardships. I asked Nate what was the hardest part of doing ministry abroad, and he answered, “Missing home, being away from family, being away from the comforts and familiarities that I know.”
Even with the hardship, Nate is thankful for the struggles because they reveal more about God’s character and deepen his love for the Lord. When I asked Nate how God was using his ministry, his answer was simple: “He’s loving me and loving people. I’m growing deeper in love with people, and I’m growing deeper in love with Him, and people are growing deeper in love with God.” What a beautiful picture that is. Nate has been challenged by God in many different ways since arriving in Thailand, but all those challenges have only drawn him into closer intimacy with Christ.
However, Nate will soon have to trust God in a new way. In March of this year, Nate knows it is time to return from Thailand but isn’t sure what God has next. Nate is currently seeking employment in the Omaha area as he figures out what God has for him in this new season of life and transition.
Providence, can we pray earnestly for our brother’s last month there? Here are some areas Nate would like prayer for:
A JOB.
That God would provide a job in Omaha that uses Nate’s gifts.
HIS RELATIONSHIP.
That this season of long-distance with and his girlfriend, Mary, would be short.
THE TRANSITION.
That he would be able to process what he’s experienced in Thailand.
MORE WORKERS.
That more people would feel burdened to reach the 10/40 window.
Finally, when he returns one of the biggest ways to bless him would be to simply invite Nate into your home for a meal and ask him about his time in Thailand. Often when missionaries first come back from their assignments, people might feel they need space to adjust to life back in the U.S. But Nate would like space with his church family. He wants to process with them, know they missed him, and see they care about what God did in him, through him, and around him while in Thailand.
Hopefully, Nate is just the first of many long-term missionaries Providence has the joy of sending. May God raise more workers to go out to the harvest.
Thank you for being faithful Nate!
2nd Thessalonians 1:3-4
“We ought always to give thanks to God for you brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the applications that you are enduring.”
By Jasey Christensen, Providence short-term missionary and volunteer