This year, Ryan* and Patti* will start serving with Encompass on special assignment in Central Asia. As a retired doctor, Ryan knew that he would use his experience to mentor medical professionals in the region—but Patti wasn’t so sure what her ministry would look like. At our Global Staff Conference in January 2025, Patti gladly shared about how God has given her clarity on what her ministry would look like.

While Ryan’s ministry was coming together—mentoring medical students and assisting a local clinic—Patti found herself wondering what her role would be on the mission field. She asked God, “Help me to see and know what You want me to do.”

As she pressed into that question, God gently reminded her of His faithfulness over the years and all the ways He had led her in ministry before:

• God used her to lead women’s ministry events for 10 years.
• God used her to invite young women in the FCA program at a local University to study the Bible with her. Over a span of four to six years, six women came to the group, and two of them faithfully attended for two years!
• God used her to form a women’s prayer group, and one of the members told Patti how instrumental she had been in teaching her how to pray.
• The past four years, God has been using her to lead women’s Bible studies.

Patti breathed a sigh of relief when she remembered all the ways God had been using her in ministry throughout the years. God has been so faithful to lead her, and she knows she can trust Him to lead in this new season. 

As she now steps into ministry in Central Asia, she does so with confidence, knowing that God will guide her every step of the way. Her story is a reminder of Eugene Peterson’s quote: “Faithfulness is a long journey of obedience in the same direction.” She is ready to continue that journey, trusting God to work through her in blessing women in Central Asia.

*Names changed for security