The Empty Chair

March once again gave me the honor of leading our select high school team on a missions trip to Costa Rica. I often send updates filled with pictures of activity and smiling faces, but as I reflect on this trip, one image continues to stay with me—the empty chair. To many, it may look like just an old, empty chair. But to those who can see, it tells a story. A chair that once held the fragile body of a paraplegic man, weakened by cancer treatments, now sits vacant.

Students from past teams partnered with this year’s group, organizing bake sales at school and raising just enough funds to purchase a fully adaptable wheelchair for a man we first met on a previous visit. When we encountered him again, he was living in deep discouragement and despair. Instead of rushing through our usual food distribution, the students chose to sit with him—to listen, to pray, and to remind him that he is seen and known by God.

That moment stayed with them. Later that day, they gathered at the church and spent over an hour in prayer, carrying his pain before the Lord. It was in that space that God placed a simple but powerful idea on their hearts: to provide him with a wheelchair.

Now, when I look at the image of that old, empty chair, I don’t just see what was—I see what God has done. I see His love made tangible through His people. I see students who were willing to enter into someone else’s suffering, bring it before God, and respond in obedience. To many, it may look like just an old, empty chair. But to those who can see, it tells a story so full of God’s presence that it invites you to pause—and take it in.

Now, in that same posture of learning to see with God’s eyes, I invite you to look with me toward Ecuador and The Rock Family Foundation. We continue to step through the doors He opens, trusting His leading in both the seen and unseen moments.

As of April 2026, our foundation has established full technical teams in both Guayaquil and Cuenca. What once felt like small, faithful steps is now taking shape into something much larger than we could have planned. Currently, 11 families are actively engaged in the vetting and training process to become foster families—each one stepping forward in obedience, preparing to welcome children into safe, loving homes.

At the same time, we continue to partner with Ecuadorian social services at both national and local levels. Together, we are helping develop training, structure bylaws, and build a sustainable framework for a foster care system across the country. It is humbling to witness how God is weaving together people, systems, and opportunities to care for vulnerable children in a lasting way.

At the end of May, I will be traveling with a small team to Ecuador to come alongside our Rock Family Foundation technical teams, focusing on member care and equipping them for the long haul. Our time will include one-on-one sessions with each team member, creating space to listen, encourage, and strengthen them personally and spiritually. We will also host a retreat designed for rest and renewal, intentionally stepping away from the demands of ministry.

Our goal is to help cultivate a culture that values integrity over productivity—one that prioritizes healthy rhythms of self-care, spiritual depth, and ongoing personal growth. We believe that caring well for those who serve is essential to building a ministry that is not only impactful, but sustainable.

In July, I will travel with a medical team from Cincinnati to serve alongside local medical professionals as we return to the orphanage in the jungle. We will spend several days with approximately 60 children there, as well as additional time in two orphanages in Cuenca. While medical care is an important part of this trip, our deeper desire is that each child would feel seen—both by us and by God.

As we prepare, I am looking to raise $3,500 to help provide essential supplies for the team and the children we will serve. This includes children’s vitamins, socks and underwear, as well as feminine hygiene products for the girls—simple but meaningful items that communicate dignity, care, and love.

If you would like to be apart of this amazing work in prayer or financial support, please let me know by clicking on the link below.

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