From Rural Dreams to Urban Reality
When Jackie and Beau moved their family to Angola, their initial vision diverged from God’s plan. They imagined settling in a rural village and homeschooling their children. Urban ministry and living in a big city were not on their agenda. However, God’s guidance led them on a different path.
For their first year in Angola, they lived in the city, focusing on local language learning and cultural immersion. This period of adjusting to the culture is crucial for every missionary to understand the locals’ way of life and speak to them in their heart language.
Jackie and Beau intended to transition to a rural village for their second year and make it their central location for ministry. However, God’s divine redirection changed their plans. He used relationships with locals in the city to draw them toward urban ministry.
“During that first year, we made amazing connections and relationships with the people in a city of around a million people. It’s very different than what we ever thought we would want or like,” Jackie said. “When it came time to move our family to this rural area, we really felt God saying, ‘That’s not what I had in mind for you… you guys like rural and remote, and you had this vision, but I want you here in the city.’”
In a city of around a million people, God used urban connections to guide Jackie and Beau to the city population. Despite their initial preference for a remote setting, God’s plan redirected them to stay in the city.
Jackie and Beau decided to experience life in the rural village as a trial before making a long-term decision. This move aligned with their initial vision in Angola, where they aimed to embrace rural village living.
After just two and a half months in rural Angola, they recognized God was leading them to return to the city. God gave them a great burden for the urban population that they could not shake.
“We moved our whole family into the literal middle of nowhere. And it confirmed that this was not what God had called for us. Our hearts were burdened for the city people we left behind,” Jackie said.
Choosing People over Cherished Plans – Surrendering to God’s Will
Jackie and Beau realized they had to relinquish their expectations and surrender to God’s plan. They trusted God’s guidance rather than cling to their dreams. This is a process every believer goes through to some extent: surrendering their dreams for God’s will. For Jackie and Beau, it looked like leaving behind their dreams of a rural mission field and following God into a bustling city.
“We said, ‘God, we will give up our dream of being this rural homeschooling family with animals and farming and all these things we had pictured for city life. We’re gonna live in a concrete-walled, tiny house in a city of a million people because those are the people we have a heart connection to,’” Jackie said.
As Beau was wrestling with questions like “Where are we going?” “Why are we moving again?” “Why aren’t we doing what we thought we were going to do?” James 4:13-15 gave him spiritual guidance.
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’”
Seeing the Unseen – Urban Youth Ministry
The family returned to the city where God had instilled a deep love in their hearts for the unseen kids in society. They are now dedicated to youth ministry, reaching out to children overlooked and marginalized by society.
“We have been saying, ‘Okay God, who do you want us to see?’ We’re looking for the unseen kids, the overlooked youth—the people who are forgotten and unreached in the city,” Jackie said. “Once we identify that group, what is our relationship-building strategy to get to know them?”
Jackie and Beau actively cultivate relationships with underprivileged children who are often overlooked on the streets. They organize weekly dinners known as “soup nights,” where they serve soup and bread to these children. This initiative has grown significantly, with over 300 children now regularly attending these dinners. Each child is known by name, giving them a sense of belonging and care.
“Our time is mostly sitting on the streets in the dark in front of stores, and just having people in our homes, getting to know people and telling them they matter,” Jackie said, emphasizing the importance of personal interactions and relationship building with marginalized youth.
Recently, the Angolan government generously donated seven acres of land to SIM Angola for development. Jackie and Beau’s family has taken on the responsibility of overseeing this project, intending to establish a youth ministry center on the land.
God led the government of Angola to give SIM land which Jackie and Beau are now developing into a youth ministry center—truly incredible! When they first moved to Angola, they didn’t anticipate living in a city, but it was all part of God’s plan and divine provision. On this unexpected journey, God is graciously allowing Jackie and Beau to fulfill their dream of developing land and using their deep passion for youth ministry to glorify Him in ways far beyond their initial imaginations.
The locals within walking distance of this land to be developed belong to the most stigmatized community in Angola. They are highly resistant to the gospel, with many still practicing witchcraft. Despite these challenges, there is a ripe harvest.
“At present, there are probably 2,000-3,000 people within walking distance of this land. We’ve just barely started, but every time we show up, it’s like the bushes turn into children and they just come,” Beau said. “One priority of SIM Angola is to reach this local population.”
What a rich opportunity for the initial impact of this youth ministry center! God is using His global workers, like Jackie and Beau to reach the surrounding people groups.
God sees and pursues this hard-to-reach people group in Angola. He also sees and pursues the children on the streets, cast out by society. Through their work, the Lord has given Jackie and Beau a profound glimpse into His perfect love and divine pursuit of those the world overlooks. He is revealing to them a powerful reflection of His compassionate heart.
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40
Do you have a heart for youth ministry? Prayerfully consider joining Jackie and Beau in Angola! They are actively seeking dedicated workers to help develop the youth center. Your involvement can significantly impact the lives of young people in Angola. Contact a SIM USA coach to learn more about how you can join the ministry and become a part of this transformative mission.
“We need helpers. We need people who love Jesus and love children,” Beau says.
To learn more about serving in Angola, connect with a SIM USA coach!