June Update 2024

Kim Dvorak
Jul 24, 2024
6 min read

Formation Journey - Upcoming - Prayer Requests - Photo Dump

June brought with it a lot of travel and administrative work for Rett and I, which as you may have noticed, delayed the post I wanted to share at the end of May, well, the pattern continues. In early July we hosted EMSL (Essentials of Multiplying Servant Leaders), which I'll cover a bit in my next post. As a preview, if you love digging into scripture, have had some background studying scripture and/or theology (Seminary, Bible Study Fellowship, etc.), are flexible, willing to learn, and wouldn't mind traveling 30+ hours (one way) to equip church leaders 1+ time per year, check out our Feburary training here! We have more pastors and church leaders asking for training than we have facilitators and we are in need of co-facilitators to help our lead facilitators carry the burden. You are also welcome to attend if you are simply interested in learning more about BEE World's ministry and training program. It is very hands-on on though, so be prepared to participate!

If you are excited about the mission, but don't feel like you are called to participate in this way, consider making a tax-deductible donation here! (On another note, I work with donation services and accounting, so if you ever have any issues, feel free to reach out to me directly at rettandkimdvorak@gmail.com or administration@beeworld.net)

If you are interested in hearing more about what our life has looked like while we begin to participate in this ministry, keep reading below:

How is Life?

We had the opportunity in June to visit extended family and to go camping in the Great Sand Dunes again. This time, we made it to the tallest dune for the first time and enjoyed the fruits of learning from our previous experience last year. It only took us about 1.5 hours to reach our campsite instead of the 4 hours it took last time, and it was overall a much more enjoyable trip. (Except for the windstorm that came up during the night, for which we praise God for protecting us and our belongings!)

Rett is continuing to work at the UPS store preparing for his upcoming trip with BEE World. He has been working diligently to get all of his ducks in a row, so continued prayers for perseverance and wisdom are greatly appreciated! If you want to learn more about what he is going to be doing overseas, check out the BEE World Romans curriculum here or better yet, send us a message and let him tell you all about it over coffee or a phone call!

Ryan and Cecilia have enjoyed all the different places and people we have gotten to connect with this month and have particularly enjoyed reflecting on how much they have grown in the last year. Cecilia, who barely tolerated the Great Sand Dunes last year, felt very accomplished to make it to our campsite with only a few short breaks and with energy to spare! Ryan enjoyed being able to help with setting up and tearing down camp and being trusted to help manage the fire, a little. At home, the kids enjoyed going to their first VBS week and helping in our yard and garden. Finally, River (our cat) is a bit frustrated that we are not letting her go out in the yard and chase bunnies. We of course hope to continue to vigilently maintain her "indoor cat" status.

Formation Journey

I have never been to any wilderness area on the Sinai Peninsula (the rocky picture above), an arid region dotted with sand dunes, bare mountains, and wadis, with temperatures reaching upward towards 122 F in late summer. This is the wilderness the Israelites traveled through between Egypt and Israel, an unforgiving landscape that some people groups have adapted to living in throughout the ages. We can imagine that it was hot during the day and cold at night, that water was scarce, and food options were limited, but it seems very far away and almost surreal having never experienced. When we step onto the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado (the sandier picture, with mountains in the background), I feel like I gain a little extra perspective on what this journey was like, even if these dunes are far removed from Sinai.

I love sand, it's mostly soft if I end up falling on it, and comfortable to sleep on. It also gets very, very hot in the middle of the day, and could easily burn my skin if there weren't for the multiple layers of fabric between the sand and my body. It is exhausting to walk in, and the wind can be vicious, blowing sand into your face and food, threatening to carry away everything you brought with you in the process. Spilled water disappears into the ground in seconds, very little vegetation is visible, and the few bugs and other animals that call the dunes home do their best to stay hidden from view. There is nothing but us, our backpacks, sand, and God. Somehow it is still restful and beautiful.

In the desert, covered with sand, with no cell signal, I think little of my appearance, of the demands back home, of entertainment, or even of air conditioning. If we have clothes on our backs, food, simple gear to prepare it, water, and shelter, everything else seems unneeded. My family and I feel content with so little in the desert, and when we come home this experience continues to play in my mind, challenging my desires for a nicer car, a larger house, new clothes, etc. If I can be happy in the desert, praising God for keeping us safe in a storm and for the opportunity to enjoy his beautiful creation, what minor discomforts can I be content with at home?

The Israelites didn't spend a weekend in the desert, they spent most of their life there, dependent on God for very basic things like food, water, and protection from the elements, which the Bible shares story after story of him providing in miraculous ways. It is noteworthy to point out here, that God didn't just provide for them through a leader and fellow travelers who had learned to live in the desert (Moses and his in-laws) though their experience was likely a comfort, instead, God provided for the Israelites miraculously, so they didn't just learn to make do with little, or just to become self-sufficient in challenging circumstances, but to trust that their God who had called them into the desert was able and willing to carry them through the desert.

In a small way, moving toward full-time ministry feels like being called into the desert. A weekly paycheck that you can supposedly count on feels far more stable. Yet, as I put away our camping supplies, shake out the last remnants of sand from our clothes, and sit down with my computer to figure out how we are going to pay for airfare for the upcoming seminar Rett is joining, I discover that God has already provided through people and circumstances, both for the costs of the trip and the wages Rett will be missing while he is gone. How can I not trust that if this is where he is calling us he has already made a path forward, even if we can't fully see it yet?

What is your desert and how have you learned to trust God in the midst of it?

Who has God brought alongside you as a comfort in this journey?

Upcoming

Click here to view secure details about our upcoming work with BEE World in my update for May. There is no cost or additional emails connected to creating a personal login, it simply helps us speak more freely, with less concern about who can view the information we share.

Prayer Requests

Please keep Rett's upcoming travel and lesson preparation in your prayers. By the time of my next blog post, Rett will already have left and returned from this seminar. Please be praying for safety during his time away, for an edifying trip for all involved, and for the kids and I to make the most of our time together at home.

As always, thank you so much for your prayers for our family and your encouragement. We wouldn’t be here without you and we want you to know that we truly feel blessed by your continued involvement with our family through the past 7+ years! We are praying for you too, so if you have any specific requests, let us know!