Leah Hatefi, wife to Aaron and mother of Evelie and Noah, is a vocational missionary with Youth With a Mission (YWAM).

YWAM equips young adults to go into all nations and make disciples of all peoples groups. After leading many teams to other countries, sharing the Gospel, and serving with various long-term mercy-ministry projects, Leah felt Jesus asking her to return to the US and answer the call to serve within the local church.

After returning, she was invited to help establish a YWAM School of Biblical Studies in Atlanta. Leah became part of the leadership team to launch that school in 2022.

Her prayer is that their students discover the truth of God’s word and deepen their understanding through the love of the Holy Spirit while they study, then take what they learn into the world so that others may know God through their life example.

In this final episode of the For God So Loved the World Podcast Series, I chat with Leah about being a vocational missionary and how raising young children has influenced how she (very gracefully in my opinion) integrates motherhood into her work.

SUPPORT LEAH HATEFI

1. Go to ⁠https://meigiving.org/donate-associate⁠
2. Enter Leah’s code: LA 3966

SUPPORT FOR UGANDA

Learn how I'm raising support for this trip at the link below:

⁠⁠needlemovers.org/uganda⁠⁠

Uganda Amazon Gift List for Promise International

⁠⁠needlemovers.org/ugandagifts⁠

FREE Mini-Course - Make a Rest Plan 

Exchange a life that feels over-extended for one that feels rested & refreshed.

• Understand why sleep is not the primary way to rest.

• Discover 7 ways to rest and identify which ones you need right now.

• Proactively resist burnout, or start your burnout recovery.

• Connect with God in prayer around your rest needs.

You can turn burnout around, and it begins with knowing how to rest.

⁠⁠Enroll HERE.⁠⁠

Websites:

⁠⁠deannamason.com⁠⁠

⁠⁠needlemovers.org⁠

Brittany Woods is a brand new mother and a vocational missionary with SIM (Sudan Interior Mission) USA. She and her husband Alex (who is Campus Director at Howard University for Campus Outreach) are planning to move to Lusaka, Zambia to join the Campus Outreach team there in just a few short weeks. In Lusaka, Brittany will use her experience mobilizing missionaries in order to help Zambian Christians explore how God may be inviting them into missions and equip them in sharing the Gospel cross-culturally.

In this third episode of the For God So Loved the World Series, Brittany and I will chat about:

Her story of how she became a missionary

Some of Brittany's concerns about working vocationally as a missionary while being a mother

Her thoughts on why there are so few people of color in the mission field

And she'll share a couple of amazing stories from her work in missions around the world.

Support Brittany and her fundraising goal for her long-term missions assignment at the link below:

⁠DONATE DIRECTLY TO BRITTANY HERE⁠

SUPPORT FOR UGANDA

Learn how I'm raising support for this trip at the link below:

⁠⁠needlemovers.org/uganda⁠⁠

Check out my Promise International Wish List too!

Uganda Amazon Gift List

⁠⁠needlemovers.org/ugandagifts⁠

FREE Mini-Course - Make a Rest Plan

Exchange a life that feels over-extended for one that feels rested & refreshed.

• Understand why sleep is not the primary way to rest.
• Discover 7 ways to rest and identify which ones you need right now.
• Proactively resist burnout, or start your burnout recovery.
• Connect with God in prayer around your rest needs.

You can turn burnout around, and it begins with knowing how to rest.

⁠⁠Enroll HERE.⁠⁠

Websites:

⁠⁠deannamason.com⁠⁠

⁠⁠needlemovers.org⁠

Not everyone is called to serve in ministry in another country for years.

Not everyone is called to short-term mission trips outside of their country.

Some people are not in seasons where world ministry travel is reasonably within reach.

But, believers all have a universal call to share the good news of Jesus to the nations.If you're not the one to actually go, then how can you participate in the work of missions?

I believe the answer to this is unique to each and every individual, but it basically boils down to this: Some are called to go, and some are called to send those that do.

Send through prayer.

Send through time and support.

But mostly, send through giving finances.

In Episode 2 of my series For God So Loved the World, Emily Manginelli, Founder of the School of the New Testament, Director of the School of Biblical Studies - Atlanta Campus, Co-Lead Pastor of The Square Church, and my sweet dear friend shares her heart on the universal call of missions.

This message changed my life, and I pray it changes yours as well and takes you even further into the heart of God for the nations of the world.

SUPPORT FOR UGANDA

Learn how I'm raising support for this trip at the link below:⁠needlemovers.org/uganda⁠

Check out my Promise International Wish List too!

Uganda Amazon Wish List⁠needlemovers.org/amazonwishlist⁠

FREE Mini-Course - Make a Rest Plan Exchange a life that feels over-extended for one that feels rested & refreshed. 

• Understand why sleep is not the primary way to rest. 
• Discover 7 ways to rest and identify which ones you need right now. 
• Proactively resist burnout, or start your burnout recovery. 
• Connect with God in prayer around your rest needs.

You can turn burnout around, and it begins with knowing how to rest.⁠

Enroll HERE.⁠

Websites:⁠

deannamason.com⁠⁠

needlemovers.org

How did I seemingly "all of a sudden" become a short-term missionary mom on her way to the country of Uganda?

Well, it's both straight-line simple as well as twists-and-turns simple - but it's all incredibly put together by God.

And my friend Jill Savage has quite a lot to do with it.

In this first episode in my series "For God So Loved the World", I've invited Jill to share her story of how she and her husband Mark were invited by an organization called Promise International to come and host a marriage conference for pastors in Jinja, Uganda, and how I'm not being taken along for the ride to hold Bible teaching sessions with a few hundred outcast moms of special needs children.

You're gonna love this story - it's only a story that God can do.

CONNECT WITH JILL & MARK SAVAGE

⁠https://jillsavage.org/⁠

Her podcast: ⁠The No More Perfect Podcast⁠

SUPPORT FOR UGANDA

Learn how I'm raising support for this trip at the link below:

⁠needlemovers.org/uganda⁠

Check out my Promise International Wish List too!

Uganda Amazon Wish List

⁠needlemovers.org/amazonwishlist⁠

FREE Mini-Course - Make a Rest Plan 

Exchange a life that feels over-extended for one that feels rested & refreshed.

• Understand why sleep is not the primary way to rest.

• Discover 7 ways to rest and identify which ones you need right now.

• Proactively resist burnout, or start your burnout recovery.

• Connect with God in prayer around your rest needs.

You can turn burnout around, and it begins with knowing how to rest.

⁠Enroll HERE.⁠

Websites:

⁠deannamason.com⁠

⁠needlemovers.org

Prayer is important, but it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Prayer can be simple and profound simultaneously.

And approaches to times of prayer can be as unique and varied as the people that speak them... or write them... or sing them... or color them...

Do you get my point here?

I believe the less complicated prayer is, the easier it is to cultivate disciplines around regular conversations with God.

The only important thing here is that you make time - in some kinda way - to talk to God.

In this episode, my sweet friend, Marketing and PR Specialist Nina Dafe and I are talking about how we've managed to complicate prayer in certain seasons of our lives, and how we now do all we can to make it as simple as possible in order to prioritize it.

Books mentioned:

Big Friendship

Atomic Habits

Find Nina at faraboverubiescollection.com

LEARN MORE ABOUT SUPPORTING REFRESHED MOMS IN UGANDA HERE.

FREE Mini-Course - Making a Rest Plan  Exchange a life that feels over-extended for one that feels rested & refreshed.

• Understand why sleep is not the primary way to rest.
• Discover 7 ways to rest and identify which ones you need right now.
• Proactively resist burnout, or start your burnout recovery.
• Connect with God in prayer around your rest needs.

You can turn burnout around, and it begins with knowing how to rest. Enroll HERE.

If you're the type of person that loves to pray throughout the day as you feel inspired or led to do so, this episode is especially for you.

Join writer, speaker, mom (and my dear friend) Lisa Bonnema and I as we discuss the differences between prayer being relational or intentional, and go even deeper with us in episode 3 of my series on Effective Prayer.

Find Lisa at https://lisabonnema.com/

Follow Lisa on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisabonnemaspeaker

Register for the Effective Prayer Bible Study

Does God hear and answer prayer – or to be more specific, does God hear and answer your prayers?

What if you could:

• Be confident that God hears every single prayer that you pray?

• Identify and recognize God’s responses to your prayers?

• Hold God accountable, yes accountable, for his promises and character?

• Use prayer to know God and his ways more in order to strengthen your faith in him?

• Feel like your prayer time wasn’t wasted effort, but every single time you prayed you knew it was worth it?

In just 6 weeks uncover how to pray more confident prayers that you know God hears (and answers!) with the Effective Prayer Bible Study (a Refreshed Moms Precepts-Guided Study).

Learn more or register HERE.

Instagram: @refreshedmoms

Learn more about Refreshed Moms going to Uganda this summer at the link below:

refreshedmoms.com/uganda

Get access to all of my Bible studies, relative courses, prayer supports, and support mom missionaries in the Refreshed Moms Membership.

https://refreshedmoms.com/membership/

The word "discipline" sounds like a work doesn't it?

The first thing I think about is exercising and staying fit.

Not many love working out, but there is no way of achieving fitness without it.

None.

But most people don't do it because, well, it's not easy.

I think that's why people may push back on prayer as a discipline - prayer is personal and relational, so when you speak of disciplined prayer it all of a sudden becomes a task or chore. Or maybe even feel like "law."

I'm not even gonna fake the funk - I think creating prayer disciplines are important. Not for any of the reasons above, but because our culture has a way of filling my time with busyness - and I begin to believe that the things I do are more important than slowing down enough for him to speak to me about the things I do.

In this episode, I'm sharing my thoughts about why I think creating disciplines that support a consistent prayer life matter.

And I'm offering a stair-stepping approach to inserting regular prayer into your life, no matter how busy your life feels right now. It may be so much easier than you think (and maybe you're doing it without even knowing it!).

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Register for the FREE Effective Prayer Bible Study

Does God hear and answer prayer – or to be more specific, does God hear and answer your prayers?

What if you could:

• Be confident that God hears every single prayer that you pray?

• Identify and recognize God’s responses to your prayers?

• Hold God accountable, yes accountable, for his promises and character?

• Use prayer to know God and his ways more in order to strengthen your faith in him?

• Feel like your prayer time wasn’t wasted effort, but every single time you prayed you knew it was worth it?

In just 6 weeks uncover how to pray more confident prayers that you know God hears (and answers!) with the Effective Prayer Bible Study (a Refreshed Moms Precepts-Guided Study). ⁠Learn more or register HERE.⁠

Learn more about the Refreshed Moms Membership in Patreon

Download my 5 Daily Prayers for Mompreneurs

How to Pray in Color Video Tutorial

Instagram: ⁠⁠@refreshedmom⁠

When my children were little - both toddlers - we lived in a small home with only one bathroom.

It was rare that I could enter that bathroom without a child joining me back then.

Even when I took a shower, I could pretty much count on at least one family member coming in to grab something, ask me something, or if you were one of the kids, use the bathroom.

I finally got to the point where I asked Eddie if he could allow me to have 15 uninterrupted minutes in the bathroom in order to take a shower alone.

Of course he said yes, and my shower became the place I would pray. Everyday.

I soon taped page-protected scriptures and prayer on the back tiles of my shower and once I closed that shower curtain, that shower turned into an altar.

My altar to God.

Earlier this year I came across a post by today's guest about an altar of remembrance she made in her home, and I was immediately translated back (in memory) to my precious shower.

Her story touched my heart and I knew I had to have her be a part of this series on effective prayer.

God desires for us to remember who he is and what he has done in our lives, and scripture records his people as those who built altars to him.

In this episode, Worship Pastor, singer, songwriter, wife and mom Lindsey Arcaro shares how God turned her pain into an opportunity to remember that he is still her God and the God of her children.

I invite you to listen in.

Read Lindsey's Instagram post here.

Listen to Lindsey on Spotify here.

Register for the FREE Effective Prayer Bible Study

Does God hear and answer prayer – or to be more specific, does God hear and answer your prayers?

What if you could:

• Be confident that God hears every single prayer that you pray?

• Identify and recognize God’s responses to your prayers?

• Hold God accountable, yes accountable, for his promises and character?

• Use prayer to know God and his ways more in order to strengthen your faith in him?

• Feel like your prayer time wasn’t wasted effort, but every single time you prayed you knew it was worth it?

In just 6 weeks uncover how to pray more confident prayers that you know God hears (and answers!) with the Effective Prayer Bible Study (a Refreshed Moms Precepts-Guided Study).

Learn more or register HERE.
Instagram: @refreshedmom