We have been crazy busy for what seems like an eternity, but in all reality, it has only been a year. This past year we have had the amazing opportunity to pour into the lives of five amazing young adults at The Bridge Gospel Academy ( BGA). We created classes and found professors for them to have each week in different Biblical studies; we lined up service projects for them to do in the community so that they could get a feel for different ways to pour into locals with a focus on Jesus, and Ian read, discussed, and taught through the whole Bible with them in just 8 months. On top of that, we led them on three mission trips.
Mission Trip #1
Our first trip took 8 students and the 5 Truhn kids onto the Navajo Reservation. Our whole family lived in a house with 8-9 young adults for two months as we did our work and taught them about the culture, the people, and the mission. It was great to be able to not only have extra hands in that space but also to put a love for the Navajo into many of these students. This year, extra projects were also helped with because of all the extra bodies. One of the young adults who joined us already returned to help the radio station with some friends for a few weeks.
Mission Trip #2
The second trip was for half a week to Clarkston, WA, where they lived and served the homeless population. In that space, Ian led the team of five students, and we felt it was better to leave Leah at home with the kids.
Mission Trip #3
The third trip was for 6 weeks in Spain, as Ian and Leah left the children at home and walked 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago with 6 young adults. It was a great trip, but definitely hard. It was hard to leave our children most of all and to be gone when both of us had a death in each of our families. But through it all, we were able to witness amazing growth in the lives of these students and get the opportunity to see where the world at large is currently standing in their relationship with the Lord.
Our Students
I wish you could meet these wonderful young people we were blessed to lead this past year.
- Maya has a wonderful gift of music that she wants to give to the Lord by teaching children how to praise.
- Hunter started off the year by just coming out of atheism and now is beginning actually to want to connect with Christianity.
- Reya is now wanting to talk with others about her faith. She had the best conversations on the Camino with the other pilgrims.
- Claire is now starting to see that God is trustworthy, and she longs to be a missionary who works with orphans.
- Gabby is strong in her faith and is learning that her past is no longer who she is.
They have become a part of our family, and we were thankful for the time we got to pour into them.
So what’s next?
This year has been hard on us. Running a program like this by ourselves is a lot of work. The organization has also decided that they do not want to run the BGA program again. So with that being said, it left Ian and I to pray about what is next for the Truhn family. The first thing to consider is that our once small children have grown over the past 4 years on the mission field and no longer fit in the 29ft RV we started in. This made it clear that whatever we did, we would need to have a house. Living in the RV full-time was much easier when we started this journey, and the kids were 10, 9, 6, 4, & 1. Now that they are 15, 14, 11, 9, & 5, it makes RV living less feasible.
The other factor is the understanding that we would be welcome to live full-time in the Navajo Nation but that it would not be the wisest decision. Even though we have enjoyed our time with the Navajo, we understand that it has been very hard on the children in that space, and we have needed to take breaks when we are there. Also in consideration is the fact that we now have two teenagers and have talked with and witnessed the reality of mission teens on the Reservation. It is not a situation that is advised for that age group.
The Future Plans
All of that being said, we have decided that, for the time being, we need to come off of the field. We are frankly worn out, and also see that Evelyn and Benjamin don’t have much time left with us at home, as Evelyn will be in 11th grade in the fall, and Benjamin will be in 9th. Our kids have been absolutely amazing MKs these past 4 years, and they were actually very sad when we first shared the news with them about not continuing to do this for the time being. But truthfully, they need to be in a place where they have friends that are their age. They have been living on the go, and when we are still for a bit, they are so far out from children and activities that they are basically alone.
We will finish the summer and return to “normal” life in the fall. We have been praying and searching for where we should go and have realized that we can’t afford to move back to Florida. Between living on a mission salary for four years and the market boom in Florida, it seems impossible for us. We are looking and praying for a place with more affordable housing and jobs and is closer to Leah’s family.
Our missionary journey has been an interesting one. It had many ups and downs over the years. But rarely are we called into the things that are clean and easy. It was messy, and many tears were shed. But not all of the tears were bad ones. During our time we have added some friends, celebrated marriages and the birth of babies, and welcomed some bonus kids to our clan. We can all hold our heads up high because, at the end of the day, we did what we were called to do, and we did it to the best of our ability. Thank you for walking this road with us. We never would have been able to do it without your support and prayers.
Please pray for us!
- For us to find a job and a home
- For the kids during this transition
- For us to make friends
- For the move to go smoothly
- For our family to get some rest in our souls
