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The Christian Reformed Church is celebrating an important anniversary this fall: 100 years ago, Johanna Veenstra took a giant leap of faith. In 1919, she stepped onto the steamer Mauretania and crossed the Atlantic to Nigeria. She not only became the CRC’s first female missionary, but the first missionary to serve outside of North America.

CRC church plants are on the front lines of bringing and being the gospel of Jesus Christ in their communities—but many church plants don’t look or function the same way as established CRC churches.

“There is a disconnect between church plants and [established] churches,” said Beth Fellinger, a church planter and a regional mission leader for Resonate Global Mission. “When we work together, pray together, and aim for kingdom perspective, it can change much of that division.”

“My bucket is empty. I need a hug.”

“Thanks for putting a drop in my bucket when you said those nice words to me!”

Those phrases might not make sense to you, but at Nicaragua Christian Academy International (NCAI), our Circle of Friends groups are now keenly aware of the invisible buckets that float above our heads each day after spending a month on this theme, based on books by Carol McCloud.

Resonate Global Mission missionaries Dawn and Eugene Michelson recently returned to North America after serving for 32 years among the Fulani in West Africa. After visiting churches who partnered with them in mission, they will officially retire in August 2019. Here is a reflection from Dawn on her experience returning to North America after serving abroad as a missionary.