Log in to your Account

Graham and Sharon Nichols moved to Ecuador on December 15, 2011 to start their first term of service. They are currently in language school in Quito. The Nicholses’ desire is to make disciples through their ministry in Ecuador.

Here, Sharon shares her testimony of the incredible way God used the season of support-raising to increase her faith and prepare her for the mission ahead.

God called Graham and me to full-time cross-cultural ministry six-and-a-half years before we landed in Quito, Ecuador on December 15, 2011. Our path toward fulfilling his mission call on our lives has been long and at times heartbreaking, but as we looked to Him for all things, we trusted His promises and knew He would never once leave our side. We sought hard after Him. 

We were approved and commissioned by The Mission Society in the spring of 2008 and planned to be in language school a year later. When that didn’t happen, many questioned our calling to cross-cultural missions. So many people who had gone before us had not endured the support-raising difficulties we were experiencing. There were days when we would weep at the feet of Jesus and cry out, “When were we going see light at the end of this long tunnel? When were we going to get to go?”

But God in His sovereignty took this time to build us up in Him, to strengthen us in Him, and to remind us of who we are and to Whom we belong. He was preparing us for the even tougher times when following Him to another land and culture would bear down on our souls and try to diminish our joy. Our desire is to make disciple-makers, and He did not prepare this for us to do only to have us fail.

As we studied His Word, over and over God pointed out His faithfulness. We read books by missionaries who also told wonderful testimonies of God’s faithfulness. So, we pushed forward seeking prayer and financial support, but not failing to serve Him in the midst of deputation. We praised and worshiped Him when times were good and when our bodies were tired from travel and our hearts were broken from the long struggle. No matter what our emotions, we could not wait to give to God and put our tithe back into the church. We made pleasing God our priority.

And, even so, for two years our funding was up and down - never really getting to the point where we would be able to move forward in mission. In 2010, on a medical training mission in Peru, the Holy Spirit spoke to our hearts, and God pushed us further toward total dependency on Him. Graham was to give up his job and we were to rely on God’s provision day by day. We had already sold or given away all we owned except for a car, clothes, and a couple of computers. Graham’s paycheck made us feel secure, but God wanted to be our security. He was asking us to do more, and for us, that was a bit scary. 

I prayed and cried as I typed Graham’s resignation letter; we knew once accepted we would be truly dependent on God, not only for our day-to-day living expenses, but to keep us healthy since we would no longer have insurance. My prayer was not for a “sign,” so to speak, but for peace that this was not only God’s will for us but the right timing. Once the letter was sealed in the envelope, I went about my day. Later that afternoon, there was a knock on our front door. A woman stood there with tears in her eyes. She said, “You don’t know me, but I receive your monthly newsletter from someone in your church. Can I come in?”

She sat down and began to cry. She said she had never heard God’s voice speak to her heart as clearly as when she was just now driving by our house. She heard Him say, “Turn around and give Sharon some peace.” Then she handed me a check for $1000. The check was gracious, but hearing the word “peace” was not only astounding, but a complete affirmation that this was indeed what God wanted us to do and that the timing was perfect according to His plan for Graham and me.

During our support-raising, our home church, Lewis Memorial United Methodist Church, gave us a home in the church’s Mission House. While living there for the last 16 months before we moved to Ecuador, our monthly living expenses were around $1,300. For us it might as well have been $5,000. No income is no income no matter how much your monthly budget is. But God in His kindness toward us honored our obedience, and each month for the full 16 months, He provided and met every need. Not once did a bill go unpaid. We always had plenty of food in the house and had everything we needed. We never asked anyone for anything. God provided through so many just by laying our needs on their hearts and they, in turn, obediently gave. We gave God our first fruits and tithed on every cent. Often times our tithes were as little as $2.50. But we sensed God was pleased and honored because we were doing what He asked. It still amazes us that we lived on absolutely nothing but were given everything.

Because of this time of complete dependence, our witness changed. Our awe of Who He is changed. People saw that in us, and doors began to open like never before. Our church changed in the way they responded to God and took care of each other. Our youngest son, who is still in college and was living with us, was witness to God’s daily provision. During this time he heard the call of Christ on his life, and now God is preparing him to serve cross-culturally as well.

While waiting, God poured out His blessings upon us in more ways than we could possibly imagine. From the choir loft of our church, I had often dreamed of seeing our two grandsons serving as acolytes. Because of their young ages and our preparing to live far away, I thought that was something I would never get to see. The Sunday those two little boys brought the light of Christ into the church has been and, I think, will always be one of my greatest gifts from God. As parents and grandparents our hearts' desire is for our children and grandchildren to know the Lord Jesus and serve Him. Had God sent us to Ecuador earlier, we would have missed one of the most endearing moments of our Christian lives. God knew what witnessing that precious moment would mean to us and how it would keep us pushing forward with gratitude for all we have been given.

We have taken each day as a gift to see God work in our lives, to be witnesses to the movement of His hand, and to grow closer in relationship with Him. When our daily joy came from experiencing His goodness, the urgency to "go" was not in the forefront of our lives any longer. Yet here we are, in Ecuador, according to His perfect timing for us.

God may never ask you to leave those you love most in this world for the sake of the gospel, to walk away from the security of your job to follow the path He has chosen for you. But if He does, trust the Creator of all things. We may not always know the direction or timing He is leading, but we know the One Who is leading. And in Him we can place our trust.