Andrew & Jenny | Lebanon
Andrew and Jenny’s journey from the Twin Cities to Lebanon is a story of faith, unexpected callings, and commitment. The couple, who met at Cedar Valley Church, had initially envisioned a life together in their familiar surroundings. Andrew was a security manager, and Jenny worked as a digital reporter. They Married in 2015, marking the beginning of their new chapter, but their path soon took an unexpected turn.
“In July 2015, just two months after we got married, we attended a small group meeting where a Live Dead missionary spoke about unreached people groups and prayer bands,” Andrew recalls. This encounter sparked a profound change in their hearts. Despite initial reluctance, as Andrew shares, “Jenny and I started two prayer bands from that meeting. We started praying intensely each week for unreached groups, asking God to send laborers to these places. I then began to feel a heaviness as we prayed and a conviction like ‘would I do that if the Lord opens the doors?’”
Fast forward to Labor Day 2015, the same missionary they heard in July would be in Minnesota. Andrew reached out to talk about the things going on in his heart. As he shared, he expected to hear how he should start more prayer bands or help financially. But the missionary said, “I think you guys need to quit your jobs and come over to Cairo, Egypt, for a couple of years and spend time on our training team and see what the Lord does.” A pivotal moment that reshaped their lives.
Andrew and Jenny’s time in Cairo confirmed their calling, leading them to Lebanon. “Our focus was on the Alawite people group, an indigenous group with limited access to the gospel,” Andrew explains. The couple faced challenges, from navigating military checkpoints to overcoming deep-seated suspicions. Yet, their persistence bore fruit. They opened an English center, fostering connections and slowly integrating into the community.
Despite the cultural challenges, Andrew emphasizes, “It’s about honoring and adapting to the culture, not just getting it right.” As they await the completion of their budget raising, their mission remains steadfast. “The vision, now that we have our English center, is to continue to engage the Alawites in that area and move through the villages of northern Lebanon and into Syria to see a movement of planting more house churches. The Lord is really moving among Alawites.”
