“We felt very restless,” said Rick and Karen Sawatzky as they looked to the future.
In the summer of 2022, Rick was sixty-three years old, and Karen was sixty-two. The couple, both teachers by profession, lived in Winkler, Manitoba. In recent years, while semi-retired, they had taken a variety of short-term job opportunities that always seemed to be available. But this year was different.
“This year, there was nothing on the horizon,” said Karen, “and it was unsettling. We told each other that we wanted purpose in life even though we were at the end of our careers. We didn’t want to miss God’s call on our lives.”
“I just wanted to be obedient,” said Rick. “We knew we couldn’t have a relationship with Christ unless we were willing to follow him every day of our lives, even in our sixties.”
So, as they looked to the future, the couple asked God a simple question, “Is there anything you want us to do?”
In the past, at that time of year, Rick and Karen would get a call from Ewald Unrau with Multiply and they would talk about various projects and opportunities to give. “But this year, I phoned Ewald,” said Rick, “and we talked about our restlessness, and I asked him if there was anything that we could do through Multiply in Europe.”
Ewald was intrigued. He told Rick that the next step would be to talk to Multiply’s Regional Mobilizers in Central Canada, Lloyd and Carol Letkeman. He also told Rick that Lloyd just happened to be in Winkler that weekend on a rare visit to their church and that they should introduce themselves. As well, he mentioned that Johann Matthies, the European Mission Director, who lived in Germany, just happened to be in Winnipeg for meetings. The timing of all this, Ewald noted, seemed to be more than a coincidence.
The following Monday, Rick and Karen met with Lloyd and Carol and Johann Matthies in a coffee shop in Winnipeg. They talked for two hours about service opportunities in Europe. “By the end of our conversation,” Karen said, “they were ready to move forward, and we were eager to see what was next.”
At that meeting in late August, Lloyd and Carol told Rick and Karen that their next step would be something called FOCUS Internship, a nine-month training experience toward long-term ministry, which could possibly include a service component in Europe. The FOCUS training was scheduled to start in three weeks at Fort Garry MB Church in Winnipeg.
“See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.”
Revelation 3:8
In the midst of these rapidly unfolding events, God spoke clearly to the couple from a verse in the Book of Revelation (3:7-8): “These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open... See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.”
“It was a bit scary and sudden,” said Rick, “because we still had so many questions, but there were also too many coincidences. Doors were opening and we just kept walking through them.”
Three weeks later, Rick and Karen arrived at Fort Garry for FOCUS Internship training. Even as they drove into the parking lot of the church, they felt the weight of their decision and they wondered if they would fit in with the younger participants. “Honestly,” said Rick, “it felt like we were arriving at a youth night.”
During one of the most stretching times at FOCUS, Karen was feeling very weary. “We were driving down Henderson Highway on our way to Fort Garry,” she said, “and I looked over and saw this little wooden sign that said, Press on, and immediately I thought of the verse in Philippians where Paul writes, ‘I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.’ And I thought, oh, that’s interesting.”
On their drive home that same day, Karen saw another sign just like the first in a completely different location. The next day, on a walk by the river, she ventured off the path and made her way through the trees. On the limb of a tree, seemingly out of sight, there was another sign and the message again, staring her in the face, Press on.
That same day, Rick was in the city and saw some graffiti art on the side of a building. In the midst of the artwork was a simple message, Press on. He took a photo so he could show it to Karen when he got home.
“Literally, everywhere we turned,” said Karen, “we saw that message. We knew God was speaking to us. Then, a few days later, in our FOCUS Bible reading, we read Hosea 6:3, ‘Oh that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him.’ We knew we needed to press on to know him and obey him.”
Rick explained how community life at FOCUS training made adapting to everything easier. “The teaching was amazing, and the fellowship was deep. Our fellow interns were all very accepting. Lloyd and Carol, and Johann and the Multiply team in Europe, have all been so supportive and flexible. In fact, everyone in Multiply has been amazing and helpful.”
It was Johann who initially pitched the idea of them going to Lithuania for their assignment as FOCUS Interns. “We trusted his judgment,” said Rick. “Johann knew of a number of possible locations in Europe, but that one seemed to suit us best.”
It was not an easy transition to Lithuania. “When we arrived,” said Rick, “we were very aware of how different everything was there. We had left the safety and familiarity of our little city on the prairies.”
However, Rick and Karen adapted, and before long they were thriving in Lithuania, investing in local churches, encouraging leaders, and building friendships. Their hosts in the country are Gediminas and Kristina Dailyde, Multiply workers and church planters in Vilnius.
“Gedas and Kristina have been fantastic,” said Karen, “and so have Pastor Arturas and his wife, Vita, and their congregation. We appreciate them so much.”
According to Rick and Karen, these churches were both hospitable and spiritually vibrant. “We have really seen the Spirit of God at work among them,” said Karen, “and we feel so privileged to be a small part of that. We have been inspired by their love and devotion to God.”
During the past few weeks, God has opened many more doors of service for the Sawatzkys in Lithuania. “You know, we came here to serve, and to see where we could fit in during our time here,” said Rick, “but whatever we’ve given here among these people has been overshadowed by what we’ve received from them.”
“Whatever we’ve given here among these people has been overshadowed by what we’ve received from them.”
By the end of April, their assignment in Lithuania will be complete, and Rick and Karen will return to Canada for their FOCUS debrief, which will wrap up in early May. The couple will have much to process at that time about the past year’s journey and about future ministry opportunities. Whatever they face, however, they will remember God’s clear message to them to press on.
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Is God calling you to explore your calling to long-term ministry? To learn more about the FOCUS Internship, go to multiply.net/focus