Ep. 261: Ready, Set, Go

Announcer:

Welcome to the indoubt podcast, where we explore the challenging topics that young adults often face. Each week, we talk with guests who help answer questions of faith, life, and culture, connecting them to our daily experiences and God’s word. For more info on indoubt visit indoubt.ca or indoubt.com.

Daniel Markin:

This is Daniel Markin here with indoubt and I have an exciting episode coming up with Caleb and Raquel Enns. They are friends of mine, but also they are missionaries who are going to be going out to Thailand in the next few months here. They’ve been preparing for the last couple years, and obviously things have been slowed down because of COVID, but they are planning to go to Thailand to serve there as missionaries to an unreached people group. Invite you to join in on this conversation that we’re having about what it means to sacrifice and to give and to go away and live somewhere abroad for the sake of Christ, for the great commission. Encourage you to listen and take part in this amazing conversation.

Daniel Markin:

Hey, welcome to indoubt. My name is Daniel Markin, and today I’m joined by Caleb and Raquel Enns. How are you guys doing?

Caleb Enns:

Doing great.

Raquel Enns:

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Caleb Enns:

Great day today.

Daniel Markin:

It is a great day today. Caleb, your mustache is looking great, as well. I mean, I guess all the listeners can’t hear that. They can’t hear a mustache, but.

Caleb Enns:

Before I had a face made for the radio and now I have a face made for TV.

Daniel Markin:

You got a mustache made for radio. Guys, it’s good to have you on the program today. What I’m really excited about too is we’ve been highlighting a lot of different missions initiatives, and today, I’m sitting down with both of you who are prospective missionaries. I mean, your guys’ plan in the next few days, weeks, months is you’re preparing and you’re actually going to be heading out in the mission field. But before we get too into the nitty gritty there, would you just tell us who you are? Tell the listeners, just briefly introduce yourselves and also tell us how you guys met.

Caleb Enns:

Well, I can start. I am a Manitoban born Canadian. I love hunting, I like fishing, I like snowboarding. Recently, I picked up disc golf and have been having an absolute hoot. Canada’s second best disc golf course is basically in our backyard, so it’s been pretty sweet getting to go out and play some disc golf.

Raquel Enns:

I would call it an addiction.

Caleb Enns:

I got a coffee roaster for Christmas and so I’ve been having a blast roasting some coffee, so.

Daniel Markin:

Wow!

Raquel Enns:

Yeah, I’m Raquel. I’m from Abbotsford. Actually, yeah, we met at Bible College. At Millar College of the Bible in Saskatchawan.

Daniel Markin:

Where’s that? Oh, okay.

Raquel Enns:

It’s tiny, but it’s awesome, we love it. Actually, we were just friends there, never dated. Then after Bible school, then Caleb asked me out and that’s how that started.

Raquel Enns:

But a little bit about me. I love crafting of all sorts. I just love creating things, so photography and knitting and designing stuff. What else do I like?

Caleb Enns:

Making quilts.

Raquel Enns:

Making quilts, reading, hanging out with my friends, drinking coffee, pretty classic girl things.

Daniel Markin:

Let’s talk about what you guys are doing now because you guys are preparing. Tell us part of this story. You guys are heading off into the mission field. Where did this begin and what are you doing now to prepare and how did all of this come about? Also, if you could tell us where you guys are heading.

Caleb Enns:

Yeah. I would say it all started, that would be about five years ago. I did a fourth year internship in Thailand as a part of a church planting team and then I was also teaching English. Ater that, I came back to Canada knowing that I was going to go back to Thailand, but it was a month after I got back that I called up Raquel and was like, “Hey, are you single? We should hang out sometime.” So we started dating and we got serious. Then it was like, “Okay, so we’re going to get married.” We’d like to take a full year after we’re married before we leave out on ministry. So we’re moving up to Northern Thailand. Basically by the time we get there, we’ll actually have been married three years. COVID put a dent in our plans, but yeah, we’re looking forward to moving to Northern Thailand, hopefully this August.

Caleb Enns:

Right now we’re a part of a church planting residency program, so we’re doing church planting training. Currently we’re in our missionary training online because we can’t go in person either.

Daniel Markin:

When you guys began dating, how quickly into the discussion was Thailand? Raquel, I’d love to hear.

Raquel Enns:

Yeah. Well, when Caleb was there for his fourth year, we were decent friends. He called, I think once when he was over there and he had asked me to be part of his encouragement team. I didn’t take that role very seriously. So by the time he came back, I was feeling pretty guilty about that. Like, “Oh, I didn’t really encourage him. So the least I could do is see how’s the transition back home. I should really check in and just be a good friend.”

Raquel Enns:

Anyways, I guess then we started talking because of that. Our first FaceTime conversation about that month after, I’m asking him all these questions like, “When are you thinking of going back? What’s your plan?” So he spends an hour telling me his plan about applying. We’re going with Send International, so it was his second part of his application. He was going to fill that out, he’s telling me all this. Right at the end of this hour, all of a sudden that’s when he asked me if I was single. That threw me for a pretty big loop. I was like, “What? You just told me you’re going back to Thailand.”

Raquel Enns:

But I had missions on my heart for most of my life. I was always in a, yeah, wherever you lead me, God I’ll go wherever, whenever. So I was pretty open and was hoping to go into vocational ministry of some sort. I just didn’t really know the where’s or the when’s. But when Caleb brought that up, that was like, “Okay, so if we actually pursue this relationship, it’s beyond just do I like you? Oh, would I go to Thailand?” Would God use this to call me to Thailand myself? That began the conversation. I was there all along.

Raquel Enns:

Because he was in Manitoba, there was about three months where we were just FaceTiming until he came out in December and visited. Even then, we had a pretty honest conversation where he’s was like, “I’m not asking you to marry me and move to Thailand,” which I knew. But we were moving pretty fast because I think we both knew the realities of he’s going to Thailand. At that point I was like, “Well, yeah and if I am pretty strong that God’s not calling me to Thailand, then I’ll just break up with you.” It was always on the table, but now it worked.

Daniel Markin:

So you sensed that call a while back, right? Or vocational ministry, maybe it wasn’t what you imagined it would look like. How do you guys determine what it means to be called?

Caleb Enns:

We were chatting about this because I think there are those two aspects. There’s that general aspect where every person who bears the name of Jesus Christ is called to do certain things. And lots of people turn to Matthew 28 for that, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.” You flip a couple of pages to Acts chapter one and right before Jesus’ ascension, he’s talking and he says, “Go to Jerusalem, to Judea and to the ends of the earth.” So there’s a place for ministry right where you’re at. For the Judea, your localized region and to the ends of the earth, obviously to the ends of the earth. So there’s that general call. There’s that call for every believer.

Caleb Enns:

But then there’s also, I think that aspect of where you are called to where you are right now, all the time. One of the things for us is we’re changing the where we are right now. Our ministry doesn’t start in Thailand, our ministry starts here and we’re going to do the same ministry, just doing it in a different place where the gospel has never been heard before. That’s where I think too, just between the ways Raquel and I felt that call.

Caleb Enns:

Mine was I think the way more people anticipate it or want it to happen. Where God brought Thailand on my radar eight times in a week and just kept lining these random, obscure things up. Then I’m like, “Okay, I’ll go.” Whereas for Raquel, I think it was a lot more logical. Okay. Well, God if you’re calling us together and you’ve called Caleb to Thailand, that means you have called me to Thailand. Okay.

Raquel Enns:

Yeah, it’s a lot more just faithful obedience to the specific part of the calling where it’s not necessarily like… Yeah, I never had this big, huge moment of God revealing to me like, “You must go to Northern Thailand,” but everything has lined up that way. That takes, I think a little bit more trust because I’ve looked and I’ve searched my journals. Like, “Was there ever a moment where God was like, ‘Yes, this is it.'”

Raquel Enns:

Actually, so we went to Northern Thailand and during that time even, I was really hoping while we were there, God would make it really clear, the exact spot, that the people group we’re supposed to work with and why he had us going to Northern Thailand. Even there, it just so ended up that we were on a trip together and Caleb got to go visit this extra village that all of a sudden, he was like, “I think this is actually God’s opening so many doors right there,” and I didn’t get to go to that part. So even there, I was like, “I missed it. Come on God, this was supposed to be my opportunity.” So it’s been a lot more, I would say trust-based in that sense.

Daniel Markin:

I like what you guys are saying, because this idea of Jerusalem, Judea and to the ends of the earth, we’re all called to different things. But I’ve found in my past sometimes, I admire what you guys are doing. I would be afraid to go across the world and be a missionary like that. I think people can feel guilty that they aren’t also going to Thailand, that they’re staying at home trying to be faithful. They’re going to college, they want to be a teacher, but that doesn’t seem as great of a sacrifice as what you guys are going to do to Thailand. We can rank how faithful someone is to a call, based on where they’re going.

Daniel Markin:

How do you guys approach that? And how would you explain that to someone else? Is it a different type of calling? Are some people just not meant to, or is it maybe more for you guys, there’s nothing else you want to do. It’s such a joy to have this opportunity to go that there is nothing else that you’d want to do.

Raquel Enns:

Yeah. I think what you just said makes a ton of sense. That is the feeling that I think lots of people have. I would never want people to feel guilty. I just want to be really clear. We’re very normal, regular people. We’re nothing special whatsoever. I think the big thing is God just gifts people differently and he gives people different passions and dreams. It just so happens that our personalities, well Caleb’s specifically I would say, he really fits in, in that culture. There’s a lot of things that now make sense of like, “Oh, actually God really created us in a way that this would be easier for us then maybe for somebody else.”

Caleb Enns:

I think family heritage also. For Raquel and I, family heritage makes a difference. That’s a really big thing for lots of people, they don’t want to leave their families. One of the ways I think God has blessed us is both of our parents love the Lord. Also, both of our parents were missionaries for a period of time. I think some people are like, “Oh, then it makes sense that you’d go. But I still can’t go because I’d have to leave my parents.” Because I think too, one of the things that I wanted to say right off the beginning was just that, well, if you feel called, if you feel that God is actually tugging on your heart to go and do something, whether that’s overseas or participate in a ministry out of your backyard. Or if God is tugging on your heart to minister to a certain people say, it’s the rock climbing gym, say it’s right now for me, it’s at the disc golf course. It’s being obedient to what God is calling you to do.

Caleb Enns:

I think that’s where for us, one of the things is God has made it clear that is this place at this time and so we’re being obedient to that call. I think there is a joy, though it’s not without its difficulties. I lived in Thailand for a year and I left my family and it wasn’t easy. I was by myself during Christmas with people I’d never met before. It was just a really strange feeling. So it’s not that it’s without its sacrifices, but I think there is an incredible joy for us knowing that when God has asked us to do something and we’re doing it, I think there’s an incredible joy that’s found in that.

Raquel Enns:

Yeah. And I think the more we are even studying this people group that we’re going to, I think the more we love and care for that people group, which I think is a big thing that draws you. It’s not about the adventure and it’s not about the food. I don’t even like spicy food or the heat. So there’s definitely a cost, but it’s those people don’t know him and God just keeps putting that on our hearts.

Raquel Enns:

I would just add too, there’s something about just we are willing. I think a lot of people in their life situations can not go because they’re taking care, they’re responsible for something or for someone. There’s a lot of factors and it just so happens that we don’t have things tying us down. And we have freedom from our parents and from our friends. People that have really pushed us and encouraged us to go.

Caleb Enns:

I think that makes it easier, because I think for some people we have some friends who her parents weren’t believers and it was just really, really difficult for her to leave without her parents’ blessing. I think maybe in that sense, it doesn’t feel like we’re giving up too much because we have all of the support. But even if it may seem difficult, if God has put something on your heart, you count the cost. You recognize that the cost of serving God is greater than X, Y, Z, whatever it is that’s on your plate.

Caleb Enns:

There’s a point where for us it’s pretty easy because we have the support. But I think for other people too, actually counting that cost will look different. And maybe you have fears and maybe you have worries, but I think that’s where you really spend that time in prayer. But I would also say talk to the people at your church and listen to them a little bit and hear what they have to say. But if God has called you to do something and it’s scary, if God has called you to do it, I think our response is supposed to be walking forward in faith.

Daniel Markin:

Yeah. You talked about before an unreached people group, what does that mean? What is an unreached people group?

Caleb Enns:

The Joshua Project is the baseline that we go off for research, but I think it’s a fairly accepted baseline, as well. Joshua Project says that an unreached people group is a people group that is less than 2% Evangelical Christian. So there’s unreached people groups. I think there’s close to 5,000 in the world, unreached people groups. Where in a country, there’s a group of people, a specifically designated culturally separate, they’re identifiable group of people that may or may not have a Bible in their language, but there would be no active, ongoing church planting effort among that people. They make up 3.23 billion people of the world. You’ll hear a lot in the missions world. They’ll talk lots about the 1040 window, which covers lots of Central Asia and Africa. So 3.23 billion people, which is a pretty staggering amount.

Caleb Enns:

The next level is called a frontier people group. What a frontier people group is, is when there is less than 0.1% Evangelical Christian population. The way they define that too, is that there would be no scripture in that language, no Bible. But those are the people who have literally had no access the gospel. That group of people makes up 1.9 billion of those 3.23 billion. It’s not like that’s six billion in total, but it’s of that 3.23, close to two billion people have never had access to the gospel and don’t have scripture in their language.

Daniel Markin:

Does that mean that they can’t Google Christianity as well? Because our world’s pretty interconnected right now. Even in some of these really remote places, I mean, I’ve been to Uganda, everyone has a smartphone. What does that mean with smartphones? Are people still unreached?

Caleb Enns:

Yes, they’re still unreached. Yes, there are still lots of unreached. I think a part of it is that there is no active effort in reaching them. I think that’s a fairly key part where by accident, if they listen to the correct radio station at the correct time, they might hear something, but it probably wouldn’t be in their first language. We’re going to an unreached people group, so it’s less than 2%. It’s actually less than 1%. But right next to the people that we’re trying to reach, there’s a frontier group where they have a separate language, they have a separate culture, but there has never been known to resources and networks. There’s never been a worker or a believer who has gone in to try to reach that people in their language. So there’d be no script [inaudible 00:19:22].

Caleb Enns:

Now those people will speak the language of their national country, but it’s still different in the fact that yes, they may have a smartphone, but in different countries, they’re actually limited in what they’re able to access with their smartphones. And in some of these countries, Christianity would be illegal. That’s where I think there’s actually, yes, they’re unreached and they’re far outreach. When it says, to the ends of the earth, it’s literally talking about there are still people where the only way to access them is by walking. There isn’t even road infrastructure going there.

Raquel Enns:

And I think the reality is those types of people who specifically tend to be more impoverished. So the reality is that probably not all of them have smartphones. There might be a few in the village. The specific areas we’re going to are fairly third world areas.

Caleb Enns:

The one place, they just got a water power generator so that they can have four light bulbs running.

Daniel Markin:

Wow.

Caleb Enns:

It’s far off to think and I think even for Raquel and I, it’s far off to think, but it’s actually a reality for lots of people in the world. We are extremely privileged to have been born and raised in Canada. We’ve been talking recently just about the 1%, how we are going to be missionaries. And even as missionaries we’ll still be a part of that 1%.

Daniel Markin:

Of the wealthiest people.

Caleb Enns:

One percent of the wealthiest people in the world.

Daniel Markin:

Yeah. How do you not feel guilty about that? Because that’s something I think about too is, we are blessed to live in North America right now and we are blessed to use a toilet that is clean. We’re blessed that we can go and pick any food you want and be able to pay for it. These are amazing luxuries and they’re not bad, but I feel like deep down, there’s always that when we compare ourselves to others, we can feel guilty. How do you guys deal with some of that? Is there any guilt?

Caleb Enns:

I think there’s that level of stewardship where we’re called to steward what God has given us and to steward it well. First and foremost, though, recognizing that all we have belongs to the Lord. Now, I’m not saying that you should sell all your possessions and like the command that Jesus gave to the rich man. Sell all your possessions and give it to the poor and then follow me. I don’t think that’s necessarily what everybody is called to, but I think there is a level where we, as believers are called to give generously. A line that’s really stuck out to me just in the last couple of weeks is we’ve been talking about the New Testament principle of tithing and does giving to missions count as tithing, or should it be an act of generosity? A local pastor just said, he said, “How much should people be giving?” His response was, “More than they can.”

Caleb Enns:

I think just understanding that we’re called to live financially by faith and that means that while Raquel and I will be earning substantially less probably than most people our age back here in North America, doesn’t mean we’re called to give less. And just because we’re giving of our time and giving of our energy and living in a different part of the world, doesn’t mean we’re not called even to give of our finances. We’re supposed to still give and walk in faith. Realistically speaking, where we’re going in Northern Thailand, if we just were to tithe our portion to the church that we plant, odds are we would probably be giving more than everybody else in the church. That’s just the tithe. But there’s a certain level where no, we’re still called to give generously. And we’re still called to give so that we pursue God in faith with our finances.

Daniel Markin:

Right.

Raquel Enns:

I’d say to the guilty feeling, I get that even now. All of a sudden I realize how entitled I am when I’m upset, because I’m in a basement suite where the furniture was already there and it’s not that couch that I love and that I want and I get all upset about it. Even now there’s that entitlement settles in and then feel guilty about that. But I would say even there’s something to questioning that guilt. If that’s something you’re feeling often, actually bringing that to God and asking in that case of why am I feeling guilty about this? Because is it that you’ve actually just given me this and I have freedom with it and there’s a joy to what you’ve given me and then I should just be thankful and celebrating and rejoicing? Or is there something that you’re asking of me that I want to hold on to it, so therefore I feel guilty? I think it’s a good thing just to actually bring to God and wrestle through why are you feeling that way.

Daniel Markin:

Yeah. As you guys prepare, what has been the most exciting thing, and then what has been the most frustrating thing?

Caleb Enns:

I think for me, they go hand in hand. A year ago, we started our financial support raising and we got 10 days into it and COVID shut the world down so we got formally put on hold. They’re like, “Yeah, you can’t go in people’s houses. Lots of people getting laid off right now.” We’re just like, “Okay, Lord, what is going on?” Then what was really cool was we were on a full pause and just so encouraging to us was that 10% of our support came in, in one week. It was just such an affirmation to me that even though the world was going crazy and even though there was so much that wasn’t in our control, I took it to be a message where it was just like, “Okay, look. Caleb, Raquel, I got this in control. You’re still going, even though it’s going to be crazy, you’re still going. Look right here. I’m taking care of you even in this time.” I think that was just a really, really big encouragement for me.

Raquel Enns:

Mm-hmm (affirmative). I think for me, one of the most encouraging pieces in prepping has been actually being part of this residency. Every other week we have class and there’s always some focus of church planting of some sort. I think then tied to that is me and Caleb ending up on the same page with a lot of how we view church planting and taking what we’re learning here and then contextualizing it to what it will be like in Northern Thailand with an unreached people group and feeling really actually like we are on the same page that this, we have the same heart. We really care about church planting education. That’s been encouraging. Yeah, no, we’re both on board with this.

Raquel Enns:

And then frustrating I would say it’s just been a slow, long process. Originally our plan was to be in Thailand last August. I think this year has probably been a blessing in disguise. It’s been really nice. We moved from Manitoba back to Abbotsford to be part of this program. So to be near my family and friends, that’s been awesome too. But then in frustrating is just the transitions of the moving, moving, moving, and knowing that we’re moving again, that’s been, I would say difficult.

Daniel Markin:

Well in a few months, you’ll look back on it and be like, “Wow, what a blast.” Then you’ll be in this new season. Friends, this was a pleasure. Thank you for taking the time to chat, taking the time out of your day just to share with everyone about what you’re going to be doing. It’d be interesting to be able to talk to you while you guys are in Thailand.

Raquel Enns:

Yeah.

Caleb Enns:

Awesome. Thank you very much for having us. It’s a pleasure to share what God is doing in other parts of the world.

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Isaac:

Hey, this is Isaac, one of the hosts of indoubt, a ministry of good news, global media. Is it possible that being a Christian young person could be any more complicated than it is today? How do we make right choices and decisions when so many opinions around us seem contrary to what it means to live for Christ? At indoubt, we hope to help make sense, biblical sense, of those difficult choices and decisions and also what biblical faith looks like in life and culture in 2021. So join us every week for another challenging conversation and our response as God’s people.

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