Homes of Hope Edition
I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help come from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
– Psalms 121:1-2
This past almost 5 years has been one of the most exciting, challenging, and fruitful seasons of our lives – to be responsible to Jesus for the care of the young adults who have come into the
Equip program. It has been our deepest honor to be a part of the lives of so many young adults and to encourage them in their walks with Jesus.
In obedience, we joined CMTS and championed their vision for a young adult gap-year program in 2021 and have been thrilled with its growth since that time. There have been moments of tremendous learning, humility, joy, and everything in between. We can truly say that the Lord did not leave us in the same condition as when we had first started. The people we have come to know here and all over the world have forever marked our hearts and our lives.
God has done a work at CMTS and we have just been so pleased to have had the opportunity to participate in what the Lord is doing in our little corner of the world. In obedience, we now share that Year 4 was our last in leading the Equip program at CMTS. Not every calling is for a lifetime – sometimes it’s for a season. We’re so grateful to have shared this season with all of you. Thank you for your interest, partnership, commitments, prayers, and help through it all.
Please enjoy our last letter to you all as Equip Program Manager. We encourage you to stay connected with Equip and CMTS in this next season that’s just getting started!
I thank my God every time I remember you.
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
-Philippians 1:3-6
Equip Year 4
Pictured above are Robbie, Charles, Malakai, and Nolan at graduation. Thank you to all who came out to celebrate the work that these young men put into this past year! A special thank you to Schuylkill Valley Bible Chapel for allowing us to use their space for graduation!
Pictured above is Charles working on a car in the mechanic shop, a favorite rotation each year for the students. Charles is our native Pennsylvanian this year – Please continue to pray for him as he goes on to school for diesel mechanics. We pray God continues to nurture his compassion for others and to continue to grow in deeper personal relationship with the Lord.
Pictured above is Robbie working on a car in the body shop. Robbie will be returning to Missouri after graduation. Please continue to pray for him for direction and wisdom in this next phase of life. Wherever he ends up, we know he’ll bring the comedic relief! We are praying for the Lord to continue to grow his natural leadership abilities.
Pictured above is Malakai driving the forklift in the warehouse. Malakai will be returning to Colorado after graduation and joining the workforce. Please continue to pray for him as he seeks the Lord, that God meets Him where he’s at and continues to grow his hunger for truth. Please also pray for wisdom and direction through this transition back home.
Equip Years 1-3
Year 1: Equip staff and students in Mayfield, KY assisting with tornado relief
Year 1: Emi, David, Grace, and Kai in Monterrey, Mexico
Year 1: Kai, Jenny, David, Joel, Emi, Nolan, Grace, Kylie, Justin, Alfredo, and Hannah in Monterrey, MX
Year 2: Aidan, Donny, Nolan, Logan, Caleb, and Jenny at graduation
Year 2: Nolan, Donny, Logan, Jesse (our exchange student from Holland!), Ace, Aidan, and Caleb at Circle K
Year 2: Danielle, Alfredo, Justin, Ace, Joel, Donny, Caleb, Diego, and Nolan providing haircuts and sharing the Gospel at the migrant center outside Monterrey, MX
Year 2: Equip staff and students with Pastor Adrian visiting a community church to share the Gospel and food
Year 3: Caleb, Aidan, Nolan, Isaac, and Sam with the family and their new Home of Hope in Mexico
Year 3: Sam, Aidan, Isaac, and Caleb posing outside a gym with Spanish Bibles before street ministry in MX
Year 3: Sandra, Aidan, Wyatt, and Caleb rebuilding a house destroyed during a hurricane in Mayreau, the Grenadines
Year 3: Isaac, Caleb, Sam, Aidan, and Donny and their gains
Year 3: Isaac, Jenny, Aidan, Nolan, Caleb, and Sam at graduation
How could we ever put into words how much these past 4.5 years have meant to us, or changed us, or how many more people we’ve come to love as family because of Equip?
We hoped to grow a program that gave students the opportunity to learn new skills, see new places, serve God in a new way, grow in their relationship with Jesus, and learn to put their talents and interests into service to the Lord and others. We know God will continue what was started here. We look forward to seeing even more from Equip and CMTS in the coming years.
We’ve been so fortunate to be able to go to some pretty amazing places – share the Gospel with many – teach and counsel students through an exceptionally formative transition year – and grow in our own relationships with Jesus. Praise God for His goodness to us and for this opportunity we’ve been so thankful to be apart of. Thank you for your partnership through it all!
The song that’s playing in the background as this last page is being written is “Isn’t He Good?” by Phil Whickham – how appropriate for this moment. We pray that these last years we’ve given to God have been and will continue to be a testimony to others of His goodness. We pray for the seeds that have been planted for His kingdom will be watered well. We know His Word never returns void.
We look forward to our next chapter – one of creating a home and seeking God for what He has next for us to do – we ask for many prayers for discernment for this next season. Thank you again for your friendship.
One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.
-Psalms 27:4
Thank you for reading!
Nolan and Jenny Lapp