From Jeremy
Hello,
My name is Jeremy Gin. I live in Albuquerque, NM with my wife, Abby, our toddler son, Ezekiel and our newborn daughter, Kezia. We are encouraged to be a part of The Union because we feel the call to make disciples on Earth and are realizing how rare it is to find others trying to make disciples.
While I was in college, an older person once, wisely warned me: “Life is hard. Really hard.” I could tell by looking into his watered eyes, while his wife sat next to him, nodding in agreement, that he was serious. I believed him, but I hadn't experienced it to be true yet. Fast forward to today, and my family has endured depressing, difficult times. Our daughter was in the hospital this past week struggling to breathe on her own. Yet, I know our struggles are ordinary facts of life this side of heaven.
I am privileged to work with many non-Christians, people of all faiths. Along with another co-worker, I have begun praying for them every week. Lately, I’ve been convicted of the urgency of our Gospel work. In this job market and in my field, people frequently leave. I know some of the people I have been praying for are interviewing for opportunities elsewhere. In a matter of weeks, I could lose a relationship I’ve sought to build for months, even years. Since I started, I have kept a list of people who have left to remind me of this revolving door.
We are curious to hear from you all about practical steps and anecdotes about sharing the Gospel in normal life as young professionals, stay at home parents, and everything in between. We have found the following to be helpful:
hosting people in our home for any reason
remembering and celebrating their birthdays or important dates
asking them for help
building the relationships between them and my family, not just myself (after leaving one night, a co-worker's wife said that her highlight of the night was our son hugging her good night!)
learning their family’s names, asking about them, meeting them
doing practical acts of service, like cutting their hair
accepting their invitations
I have decided to be transparent with my co-workers about the challenges life has presented me in the hopes that I could give them a picture of my faith in a powerful God. I also hope to make them comfortable enough to share their setbacks with me. After all, I don’t have many glory stories to tell them. I know that their lives must be hard too, and I hope that one day they can discover God’s love for them. One example is I got into a conversation with a co-worker about CS Lewis and how I was reading his book A Grief Observed after our miscarriage. I ended up lending him Mere Christianity, and he is reading it right now. The plan is to follow up on his thoughts in the near future.
Sometimes, when I’m working hard at God’s mission and exciting things are happening, I have to remind myself that I’m like my son who ‘helps’ me pour him his milk every morning. He is so proud and happy just to have his hand touching the carton. Sometimes, I feel like I am laboring for the mission, but it is a privilege to just be with God (and you) on this journey.
Thanks,
Jeremy