Hello Reader,

Our family is in a season of transition and would be grateful for your prayerful support.

Packi finished 5th grade and along with preparing to move out of the only neighborhood he's ever known, will be heading to middle school in the fall.

🧗This week he's at Adventure Camp having a blast hiking, canoeing, rock climbing, caving, and learning camp skills. He made it about 1/3 of the way up the rock wall and felt good about what he was able to do, instead of bad about what he wasn't. He's got a growth mindset and is looking forward to seeing how much further he can go next year. What a resilient kiddo!

Dr. Kriss completed her PhD with distinctions. We began this journey 13 years ago with a very different timeline and trajectory in mind - to serve the mission effort of our Orthodox Church vocationally. Some of the doors we were sure would open didn't and the doors that did open we could never have imagined to hope for.

👩🏻‍🎓Kriss has accepted a full-time position at Asbury Seminary in the Advance Research Program (ARP). It's a perfect fit - a chance to offer her experience and skills in gratitude for all she has received, and grow in her professional capacities while providing our family with benefits. Glory to God for all things!

One Year at VALEO we made it through the first year launching the Research Institute at Valeo.

🏃🏻‍♂️It's been a challenging year. When I was serving missionaries directly in member-care, I received the challenges that accompanied that work as opportunities to deepen my empathy for what missionaries experience. The same is true now. Much of what's been challenging about this year is common to anyone leading the founding of an innovative ministry with potential to impact the Kingdom of God.

🚣🏻‍♀️Being on a large lake in a little boat. That's how my friend Keith Buhler describes it. I get to the end of most days and wonder - did I accomplish anything today? But I can look back at this first year with amazement of how far we have gotten with God's help.

☦️What has been most surprising is the loneliness that accompanies blazing a new path. It’s not that people don’t care, it's just part of the cross we are asked to bear. My friend Windfield Bevins shared this beautiful prayer by St. Brendan the Navigator that captures the deepest longings of my heart in this season:

Three Big Wins

📗 Member-care Volume Coming this Fall In my voluntary role as the co-leader of people care and development track at MissioNexus I'm co-editing the publication of a new volume that brings together theological reflections, fresh research, best practices and strategies, and practical tools from a diverse group of experts.

🤝 First Organizational Partnership with a mission organization that provides both a clinical care component and research assessment of their global workers perspective of well-being to best focus their organizational support. It's an honor to get to work with organizations that demonstrate their commitment to understanding and proactively responding to their workers. I believe we can scale this to serve more organizations in this way once we successfully prototype the process.

✍️ Needs Assessment Analyzed we had 175 member-care professionals, directors and concerned global workers participate in our Needs Assessment. That's a little more than 4,600 cells of data.

• Improving global worker well-being and development was important to participants because 1) they know and love them personally, 2) they understand the need is real, 3) they believe healthy people work better, 4) it's their job/calling and 5) our love for one another is our witness to the world.
• Healthy / Wholistic Thriving / Flourishing: That's the miracle these professionals long 1) for global workers inner life, family life, and team life; 2) for mission teams with relationship skills to approach conflict constructive; 3) for organizations and sending churches with good support systems; and 4) for more accessible resources like affordable holistic care, retreats, mental health access, and training in relational soft skills.
• Grading member care globally: ~80% scored our global effort between a B- and a C- but see the trajectory slightly improving.
• Participants shared the obstacles and underutilized assets that will help focus our solution-focused research agenda to develop best practices resources and training for these professionals.

Ways you can get involved, Reader

🙏 Pray for wisdom as I prepare to steward year two, I'm keenly aware of the need for sustainable bandwidth and kingdom impact through a team effort. We will need recurring revenue to responsibly expand our team.

• Valeo Staff Retreat is next week. I'm honored to have been asked to lead the spiritual edification sessions each morning, and would be grateful your prayers for that.
• We're moving to 104 Philips Ct, Wilmore, KY 40390 the following week (June 12).
• There's a categorical difference between the days when others are praying for us and when they are not. Can we send you text updates to prompt you to pray for us?​

👏 $1,500 in monthly support will fully fund my salary. [translation: I’m receiving a reduced paycheck until those funds are given]. If you're prompted to support our family in this way, you can give here.​

🧗‍♀️I’m so thankful for Packi being able to celebrate what he did accomplish this week. I needed that reminder as I celebrate this first year anniversary. I can’t wait to see how much father we can get together next year. Glory to God for all things!

With Expectant Hope,

​ ​Geoff Whiteman, ThM, LMFT​ ​🎁 access free resources I promised to share. 💌 Read and share my latest updates. 🤝 Let me know how can I help you or your community?​ “Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (excerpt from Ephesians 3:14-21)