Mission-Work-In-Phoenix

A lot of times when one thinks of missionaries or mission work, a foreign land and people far away comes to mind, perhaps impoverished, sick, or recently struck with disaster. Missionaries sacrifice the comfort of their own life-as-they-knew-it to travel away from "home" and in many cases live right there with the people they are serving, striving to help the community that surrounds them by evangelizing, educating, feeding, building, and helping the people with their greatest needs.

Missionaries are needed everywhere. But a lot of times people don't think about the need right in their own community (yes, even wealthier, healthier places--spiritual deprivation likely exists).

Everyone has a mission field. Where is it you are called? For me, it has always been about the church.  For some reason, God created me this way... I am a people-person... from the infant baby girl to the great-great-grandpa, I care for them and want God's best for them. The church is the bride of Christ. I want to help it become ready for Christ's return. I've been blessed enough to have worked in various ministries (children, youth, young adult, women, worship) and am thankful for the leaders I've served with and the experiences I've had that have helped me become better at shepherding and leading others. However, the church is not my only mission-field.

My first "mission-field", if you will, is my family. God has entrusted me with 3 children (for now... maybe more in the future??? but don't get thinking anything... not a foreseeable future!) to lead, and a husband to submit to and partner with. And though we are far from perfect, and sometimes I feel we have more failures than successes, we are learning and growing and striving to be the people God wants us to be. We are a team. I love these people. And together we are a stronger force for good than we are on our own. We want to share God's love and "let our light shine" everywhere we go, bringing hope into seemingly-hopeless situations.

My next mission-field is the community around me. God opened doors and brought us to Phoenix. We've been here for almost four months now... wow! My role at Arise Church is that of a worship pastor. But it's not just about the music. It's about the community--the people. If I can help create an environment where people come in and feel the presence of God and encounter him in a powerful way, if somehow God working in me or through a song, or a word of encouragement can draw people closer to him or awaken something inside them, if people can get to the place of singing a song to Jesus with heartfelt-passion and conviction, then I feel I am on-mission. On-point. Doing what I'm called to do. But shepherding and leading people doesn't just happen during a Sunday morning gathering. It happens through relationships, through "doing life" with others, and truly striving to love them like Jesus does. What happens on Sundays is important. But what happens Monday-Saturday is just as important. And as I meet people here, sure, I'm inviting them in to Arise Church, but I want to be their friend as well. I want to share my story, and how God's love has changed me and propelled me to help others. I want to be a disciple-maker.

I am thankful God brought our family to Phoenix. There is a lot we like about being here, and much that God has blessed us with here! But it's not easy; in fact, some days are much harder than others. Helping start up a church and doing this mission work in Phoenix has caused us to give up many comforts... the comfort of family and friends nearby (we are really missing them!), the comfort of a steady paycheck that covered our expenses and allowed us to give and save, the comfort of a house with space for the kids to run around in all the luxuries and/or comforts that come with living in a house, the comfort of familiarity and knowing the community and area, etc.
HEAR THIS: Blessing does not equate to stuff! (That blog is coming soon... it's been brewing inside me.) Just because we are living with less and differently than we had planned does NOT mean we are not blessed. We are VERY blessed. Being uncomfortable may just be a good thing in some ways, and I believe God is showing us that.

A few weeks ago, we didn't know how we would pay for rent, buy groceries, or get by for another month. I wrote about it and shared our story, bluntly stating how broke we were. And as God always does, he provided our every need through His people. We are so thankful to all the people who gave a financial gift to help sustain us during this time. Wow. We are overwhelmed and humbled by the amount of people who reached out to us. However, out of that, only one family was able to commit to supporting us monthly. And though we are SO thankful for that support, we know that in another month or so, we will be back in the same spot. So if you are reading this, and feel compelled to be part of the solution and give on a monthly basis, I can walk you through the steps to make that happen. I know there's a lot of GOOD organizations out there to give to, and plenty of people who need help--even more than us--so as you open up your heart and your wallet, I want to encourage you to ask the Lord to direct you as you give.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for giving. Thank you for praying. Please continue to lift up our family in prayer, as well as the leaders and people of Arise Church, as we seek to do God's work in this community. May you serve well in the mission-field God has called you to!

God bless you,

Tori Walker
ToriWalker22@gmail.com

TO GIVE
Please write a check to "Arise Church" with the memo to "Matt and Tori Walker Support" to this address:
Arise Church
PO Box 1292 
Sun City, AZ 85372
---OR---
You can give online with a credit/debit card by going to www.arisechurchaz.org and clicking on the "GIVE" tab. From there, you can select "Matt and Tori Walker Support" or "General" to give to the church.

Our Financial Plea

Well, we are officially broke. 

Hello friends and family! I pray you are well. Our family so misses the closeness of you all. We continue to lift you up and ask God to bless you and guide you in all that he has prepared for you to do for His Kingdom!

We continue to seek the Lord daily for wisdom and vision. Planting a church is a lot of work, and though rewarding in many ways, it is also very taxing and emotionally draining. Of course the enemy wants to destroy all that we’re doing, so we are holding tight to God’s word and His promises.

Our status? We are broke. And so here we are, asking God, what now? Are we doing what you want us to? Are we serving how you want us to? Are we stewarding all that we have well? What is it you want us to see in all this? 

I am writing today to ask and plea for your help. As you may know, we are treating this ministry as missionary work, and are raising funds, at least until the church is self-sustaining. So financial support is crucial. 

Since we moved here, we’ve had to live off of savings. Matt has been working for almost a month now, and is bringing home a paycheck and health insurance. However, that is not quite covering our expenses. Our savings (bank savings and checking accounts) will be depleted this weekend, once our end-of-month (April) bills have all come out. And so we ask our friends and family, “Can you help?” One-time donations are a blessing and so helpful, but we are hoping and praying to find a handful of month-to-month partners, who can promise a given amount on a monthly basis, so we know our expenses are covered. Those who are contributing may request a copy of our budget so you can see what our money goes to. It’s not a lavish or extreme lifestyle we are living. We have cut back in the ways we can, and right now are just trying to survive financially (which is also a big emotional stress). Our God is owner of it all, and continues to provide for us. We are doing what we can to seek additional work, and are asking those who are able to give, to do so to lighten our financial burden so we can focus on the ministry of Arise Church and the purpose that God has for us here. 

You can give online by going to www.arisechurchaz.org/give and select the “Matt and Tori Walker Fund”, or send us a check to the address below. 

Thank you for your support and your prayers!

Matt & Tori Walker

PO Box 1292

Sun City, AZ 85372 

"So whether you eat of drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." -  1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV

"A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed." - Proverbs 11:25 NIV

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." - Matthew 7:7 NIV

Things I've Learned About Phoenix!

I had a true desert moment today. I was driving along and looked ahead at what seemed to be a lake of water in the middle of the road... of course it was a desert mirage, and once I arrived at "the spot" it all disappeared!

Phoenix is a great city! It's the 5th largest city in the U.S. Yes, it's a desert. Yes, it's hot (although we haven't really gotten to REAL hot yet). Yes, it's also a city. Yes, it's growing.

We are still learning about cactuses, scorpions, and desert-life, but we are adapting pretty well. Here are a few things I've learned in the 3 months we've been here...

- As a family, we consume just over a bottle of sunscreen per month.
- Last week, we were in the pool everyday (pools are a blessing!).
- Always carry chap stick with you. We apply 3 times (or more) daily.
-  A cooler in the back of your car is a common thing.
- We always have drinking water with us, wherever we go.
- It takes about 20 minutes to get just about anywhere.
- We love the parks here! Splash pads, fun equipment, shaded canopies, you get it.
- We get excited on the rare occasion that it rains! Although, monsoon season is approaching...
- A 75 degree day is a much appreciated "break" from the heat.
- We love our little RV park community. The staff are great, and there are finally some kids here now that the snowbirds have left.
- A black light will allow you to see the scorpions "glow" in the dark. It's so cool!
- Driving is messy. Busy. We know when not to get on the 101 or I-17.
- There actually is grass in some of the nicer areas, but most of what we see is "fake" grass.
- RV living is nice. It's simple. It's hard at times, but we are mostly enjoying it.
- Houses go "off" the market just about as soon as they go "on".
- AZ schools are very much in need of reform. #redfored
- AZ was voted the most pro-life state. The Phoenix House of Prayer has been praying for more reform from the government, for pregnant mamas, and for God to show us how we can take action. There's much more work to be done to end abortion, but now is the time to speak up and stand up.
- There are no (or little to no) mosquitos. (Hallelujah!)
- You can be in a nice neighborhood and drive a few blocks in any direction and suddenly be in a not-so-nice neighborhood, and vise-versa, even in Scottsdale! ;)
- In the first 2 months of living here, we met up with 7 Michigan families right here in AZ!

Thanks for reading. For fun facts on Phoenix, go here: https://www.visitphoenix.com/media/media-kit/fun-facts/

Tori