Two Sundays in a row marked the deployment of Thessa and GertJan Engberts and their infant son Thomas. In early July, the family left for Singapore for a course as an introduction to their departure, later that month, to OMF's Team Centre in Cambodia.
Thessa and GertJan were sent as a family to become Team Centre Managers in Cambodia. The Team Centre has a guesthouse where mission workers or visitors to the field can stay overnight. There are also language classes, support staff, a library and meeting rooms. The Team Centre also serves as a safe haven for mission workers who are jaded or need a listening ear.
When Thessa (from Leeuwarden) and GertJan (born and raised in Den Ham ) got into a relationship, they had many conversations. One of the questions they discussed was: 'Where do we see ourselves living later?' Den Ham and Leeuwarden are quite a distance apart. They recount: 'The search for a future place to live brought us no peace of mind. At the same time, we wondered how we could put our lives at the service of God. This brought us to Xplore Mission, an initiative of four Dutch mission organisations (Interserve, OMF, WEC and Wycliffe Bible translators) that annually organise a weekend and several days for people who want to discover whether mission is something for them'. For them, that was the beginning of a journey of discovery that eventually brought them to OMF. It certainly didn't happen by itself!
Before talking to the various organisations, they had fantasised about which continent they saw themselves living and working in. Thessa had been to South Africa with a group of young people and was enthusiastic about it, GertJan was interested in the Arab world. And so they collectively arrived at North Africa. Did they also exclude continents? GertJan: 'We were sincerely open to everything, but not to Asia. We didn't know why either, but it didn't seem like anything to us.'
They started talking to all four organisations. To their horror, they discovered before speaking to OMF that that organisation only works in Southeast Asia. They wondered: 'Is there any point in talking to OMF? Surely we know we don't want to go to Asia?' But they didn't think it was so neat to cancel the meeting and just let it go ahead. Which was just as well, because during the conversation they turned 180 degrees and knew for sure: 'We have to go to Asia with OMF!', there was no doubt about it!
OMF has a website that lists various mission opportunities. There, they found the vacancy of Team Centre Managers. It is a place where they can both use their own knowledge and experience: Thessa with her Social Work skills and GertJan with his knowledge of project management and healthcare.
In the broadcasting services in Leeuwarden and Den Ham, worship and prayer took centre stage alongside Word proclamation. Because of the faithfulness of God, who accomplishes His plans in this world, it was possible to pray freely for a blessing on the road Thessa and GertJan are taking with Thomas. We also gladly dedicate them in your prayers.
