We heard the call... but the doors were not opening
What happens when God calls you to go, but he doesn’t seem to be making a way?
Pioneering has been on the hearts of Bekka and Jordan Woodley for most of their lives. They answered their first ‘call to go’ shortly before they were married, moving to Essex to plant a church with a group of other pioneers.
The next call to go has proven far more difficult to follow, however. Bekka shares her story of how participating in 'Called to Go' has helped them navigate the journey.
A clear call but no way forward
In answering their first call to go and pioneer, Bekka and Jordan had the joy of watching a small group of people grow from a tiny living room church plant into the thriving church family that it is now: Redeemer Church Colchester.
During that time they grew and were challenged in ways they never could have imagined, but in the back of their minds was the feeling that God was calling them elsewhere: to go to churches in other nations, to support them in building strong foundations and see people transformed as they discover Jesus’ love for them.
San Francisco (California, USA) was at the forefront of that pull abroad. For four long years, Bekka and Jordan had been pushing hard on doors to join Tom and Josie Shaw at the Sanctuary church based in the city. Nothing was shifting and the waiting was taking a toll.
The Woodleys are looking to join Tom and Josie Shaw, who moved to San Francisco to help plant Sanctuary Church as part of the Confluence family of churches.
“Being very honest, we were feeling frustrated and quite defeated. We had had so many words and pictures that had confirmed that San Fran was where God wanted us, but getting into the States is super hard without certain qualifications and sponsorship, and nothing was coming our way to make this possible.”
Closed doors to insurmountable walls
It didn’t seem like the circumstances could be made even more difficult - and then a global pandemic arrived on British shores. What was previously closed doors in their journey now seemed to be a mountain of impossibility!
The ensuing lockdown created many bittersweet moments in their pioneering journey. Bekka recalls some of the defining moments.
“We had the amazing privilege of being able to join the [San Franciso] church online. It brought us so much joy - but really made the heartache worse, not to be with them in person. We also moved into my parents’ house to try and free ourselves up to be able to go.
“It was a very tough season of trying to make sense of what God was doing in it all.”
Friends in the valley
At the beginning of 2020 they joined ‘Called to Go’, a year-long initiative to help those who feel called to pioneer in cultures other than their own prepare and take steps forward alongside others on a similar journey.
“They knew our hearts, took time to walk it through with us and helped us to lift our eyes above the things we were feeling.”
Being part of the group was invaluable.
“There were regular online catch-ups where had the chance to hear from other pioneers how things were for them, pray with them and also to learn from them in what God had taught them in their journey. We also were set up in smaller groups where we got to really be raw with each other and laugh, cry and pray together.”
As well as being a place for encouragement, the group also carried Bekka and Jordan through particularly low times in their journey.
“I vividly remember a session where we sat and just sobbed with our smaller group (well - I did most of the crying).
“We put our hearts on the table and shared our anguish, our frustration and our confusion. Then one member of our group spoke over us about how God was using this time as our training ground - that there was a reason we were not there yet, and God still had more to do in us to enable us to be the best versions of us when we went.
“It did not make the heartache any less painful, but we saw the purpose and the delight in where we are now and it has made this season [of waiting] one full of joy and unanticipated growth.”
Called To Go gives present and future pioneers a powerful network of support and encouragement on their journeys
Having others speak into their journey and regularly giving them prophetic words and encouragement made a huge difference.
“We dealt with a lot of heartache and disappointment over the year and having people to process and pray through this with, who knew why it was so painful, was such a huge blessing. They knew our hearts, took time to walk it through with us and helped us to lift our eyes above the things we were feeling.”
“We were challenged not to miss where we were, not to spend the whole time searching for that door and neglect pushing in to the things around us now. This massively changed our attitude to the things we are part of now.”
Unexpected steps
Anyone who’s walked with the Lord for a time knows that God regularly circumvents our expectations and plans with something unexpected and often perplexing, that doesn’t seem to make sense! For Bekka and Jordan, participating in Called to Go was supposed to be a catalyst for taking concrete steps towards San Francisco. Instead, they found God calling them to become more intentionally connected to their UK church through the prophetic words they received from their group.
“The biggest steps we took [through Called to Go] were more to do with where we are now. We were challenged not to miss where we were, not to spend the whole time searching for that door and neglect pushing in to the things around us now. This massively changed our attitude to the things we are part of now.
“We pressed hard into being a part of Redeemer and into strengthening our relationship with our Father and each other. In fact, we are so much more rooted than ever before, which feels odd to say when you are pursuing a call to go – but we have grown immensely because of that. This is probably the best footing we have had in a very long time and we really believe that the challenge presented to us within this group played a huge part in that.”
Called to Go also encourages participants to find mentors to walk alongside them and encourage their character development and personal growth. For Bekka and Jordan, being mentored has better prepared them for when a move does happen. “We had mentoring with my parents [Maurice and Rachel Nightingale] - handy, I know! They worked through some of the key areas we could be looking to grow in in order to hit the ground running and be as much of a blessing as possible when our time came.”
Bekka and Jordan on a trip to visit San Francisco
So - what’s next?
As of writing, Bekka and Jordan are still on the UK side of ‘the pond’. Yet they remain full of faith that a move is inevitable.
“God is working some incredible miracles at the moment and the mountain we saw ahead of us is starting to look more and more like a manageable climb instead of a sheer face.
“There’s a lot still to do to make these things happen but we follow a God that we should never limit. If our call so many years on is still as strong as it is, we believe that there is purpose in it - we are not seeing any of the obstacles ahead as anything immovable. In the meantime, we will be continuing to throw ourselves wholeheartedly into our church here, investing into it as where God has called us to be at this time. That in itself is an adventure!”
Find out more
If you’re interested in participating with Called to Go, send us an email and we’ll be in touch.
To keep updated on the Woodleys’ pioneering adventure, send an email and we can connect you!