U.S.A

Dear family, friends and church,

As most of you are likely aware, our two-year commitment in Quebec is coming to a close in March of next year, 2019. In light of that, David and I have recently taken time to pray and reflect on our next steps and what God is calling us to in the coming season. Do we extend our commitment here in Quebec ? Do we move to the United States or Switzerland to be closer to family ? Do we stay in full-time ministry ?

Without unnecessarily prolonging the suspense, I’ll get right to the point: we have decided to leave Quebec and will be continuing our adventures in my home state of Minnesota !

Now, for those of you who would enjoy reading about the process that led us to this decision and the specifics of what we will be doing in Minnesota, I will explain in more detail.

JUDE

As small as he may be, our little wonder played a significant role in this decision-making process. It has been a challenge to welcome our first child without the nearby support and presence of our families. We miss being able to share the delight of watching him grow with our loved ones, and he is missing the opportunity to know and enjoy his family ! Thus, Switzerland and the USA were both seriously taken into our consideration when thinking of our next steps. It was only after being released by David’s father and brother to move to the US that we turned our attention more towards Minnesota.

ELISE

In coming to Quebec, I knew that I was very possibly giving up the opportunity to put my college education to use by working as a nurse. While I did pursue the transfer of my license at the start of our time here, I quickly realized that it was too long, complicated and expensive to be worth the time and energy it would have taken, especially as we were expecting a baby. My first commitment here was to the ministry, and as much of a sacrifice as it was, I felt peaceful about laying down my desire to work at the Lord’s feet, and trusting that His timing is best.

Now, coming to the end of our commitment, both David and I feel that it is important for me to work in my career field. I believe the Lord led me to study nursing, that He has given me a heart of service, and I look forward to continuing to partner with Him within the context of the workplace. During my clinical experiences at the hospital, I saw many opportunities to testify and bring the light and love of Jesus into that place. My goal, and what I believe God is asking me to do, is to approach my work as my mission field, living in such a way that I glorify The Lord and lead others into knowledge of Him. I do not see myself as “leaving ministry;” on the contrary, I feel that I am entering into a ministry and calling that God has truly placed on my life.

DAVID

Concerning David, we were compelled to look into the past in order for us to think about the future. When he first quit his secular job and began working in full-time ministry in 2014, David’s primary calling was to serve those affected by disaster and difficult situations. He discovered RescueNet, a disaster-response organization that combined his personal values with his passion for service, and began the membership application process.

David’s work with RescueNet, although very close to his heart, was not a full-time position, as he was essentially waiting for a disaster to occur somewhere in the world so that he could respond. There have been many minor events that have taken place in the last few years; however, none were large enough in scale to warrant a call for international aid, and without that call RescueNet cannot be deployed. Thus, David joined King’s Kids so that he could still be in full-time ministry while waiting for a deployment with RescueNet. Because his work with King’s Kids took up the majority of his time, it seemed to others (and at some point even to David himself) that this was his primary ministry. Beginning in the fall of 2017, however, our focus was brought back to RescueNet, and over the past year there have been multiple occurrences that led us to believe it is time for David to return his focus to RescueNet.

Thus, David will be taking on greater responsibility within RescueNet, the details of which are still to be decided. Along with his increased involvement with the organization, David will be studying to become a paramedic, something that has been a part of our conversations for the past three years and is now coming to fruition (in order to increase the capacity and skill level of the team as a whole, all members of RescueNet are encouraged to continue their education in the areas of humanitarian aid, emergency response, medical first aid, search and rescue, etcetera.). He has begun applying at Century College in White Bear Lake, MN and hopes to be accepted into their program !

This decision was not easy for us on multiple levels, as we have found and developed beautiful friendships here in Quebec, we have family on two different continents, and there are many other opportunities that David and I would love to pursue around the world. We are thankful that God has given us peace about this decision, that David and I are in agreement, and that we have received the blessing and support from our team here in Quebec as well as our families.

In the five months that are left of our time in Quebec, our goals are to:

-Be 100% present and involved with our team and the ministry here

-Continue our ministry activities

-Continue investing in relationships we’ve built

-Start preparing for our move in March (college application, visa process, looking for housing, job hunting etc.).

To those who support us financially, THANK YOU ! The work that God is doing through King’s Kids Quebec would not be possible without the generosity that you’ve demonstrated, and we are more than grateful ! In this next season, our financial situation will change somewhat. While Elise will work as a nurse, David will continue in full-time ministry as well as become a student. If your support was specifically directed towards our ministry here in Quebec, we understand completely that you discontinue once our commitment here is over. If, however, you feel connected to our family’s mission and vision for the future and would like to continue supporting our work with RescueNet, we will still be in need of other sources of income outside of Elise’s salary and would appreciate your investment !

We are also extremely thankful for the prayers that have carried us through the highs and lows of our time in Quebec ! Please continue to pray for us as we move into another time of transition. We could currently use prayers for wisdom as we proceed with David’s visa and school applications. We look forward to this new chapter in our family’s life, and we can’t wait to see how God puts His plan into action !

Blessings to you all, and we send you lots of love from Quebec !

Love,

Elise, David et Jude Therisod