Finish The Mission: A Missionary Couple's Story with Weekly Photo Journal

Veteran missionaries Vern and Carla Sterk from Chiapas, Mexico shared 40 years of their lives in missions with us this week. As they spoke we could feel their love for the Lord and for the people of Chiapas. Challenges came at them left and right, as the people lived in a constant battle to make peace with the gods and practiced animal sacrifices regularly as penance, to regain lost pieces of their souls and to appease Satan. They told the story of their first night in their one roomed indigenous home shared with a local couple and the black chicken that was sacrificed by a shaman, who splattered it's blood on everyone, including them, as they sat in shock. The ritual of drinking and chanting continued into the early morning, the Sterks observing it all.

Matt and Ashley with lifelong missionaries Carla & Vern Sterk.

Obstacles to the gospel continued to mount as it became abundantly clear, the Sterks had entered deep into Satan's territory. They reflected, in the moment they didn't know where to start. Prayer, Full cultural immersion, language, and building relationships is what they concluded were the fundamental building blocks in their ministry to these people. Now over 40 years later the region is covered by 75,000 + Christ followers and a multitude of indigenous churches led by the local people. The Sterks expressed their deep gratitude for their partners in the gospel, the team that worked together through the struggles, and those churches and families that sacrificially gave prayerfully and financially to further the gospel to this place. "This was not the Sterks reaching the unreached", they said, "This was a partnership, we could not of done this alone." Praise God for delivering these people out of the domain of darkness and for using us broken vessels to shine His marvelous light.