One Yes at a Time
PART 1 of 2
A Calling Shaped by Story, Adventure, and Slow, Steady Obedience
Nate and his wife Brenda (pseudonyms) didn’t set out looking for a business to start. Their journey into marketplace calling began much earlier — woven into the fabric of their childhoods. From early on, work and witness weren’t separate ideas; they formed a single integrated way of life.
Now, Nate and Brenda are preparing to move to Central Asia to launch something bold, relational, and deeply contextual: a climbing gym designed to create jobs, cultivate belonging, and offer hope to the next generation.
“We’ve seen in our own climbing communities how God gave us opportunities to engage with people who don’t know Him,” Nate reflected. “As we looked at one particular country in Central Asia — a place Brenda knows well — we saw that same opportunity among university students, working professionals, and young adults. People who are looking to the West with longing, but who also need to discover a deeper hope.”
A Gathering Place
For this couple, the gym is more than a business model. It’s a gathering place. A platform for presence. A way to host people rather than chase them.
Nate describes it simply:
“We wanted a platform where we weren’t walking around the city trying to figure out how to meet people — but where people naturally came to us.”
Their vision reflects Jesus’ own rhythm — public engagement paired with deep investment in a few. Alongside this relational focus, Nate and Brenda recognized something early: they didn’t want to walk this calling in isolation. Though Brenda’s family has long been involved in BAM, they sensed they needed a broader network of advisors and mentors beyond familiar voices.
And this led to a quiet first step.
When they reached out to MDE — long before they thought they were “ready” — Nate and Brenda were surprised by how much support existed even in the earliest stages. Through initial conversations, they learned that MDE offers guidance in business ideation, market research, language-learning strategy, and spiritual mentoring long before anyone moves overseas.
Obedience Beings with Yes
It’s a big dream for two people who have never studied business and never started one. But obedience rarely begins with expertise. It begins with yes.
“We knew God was calling us — and that we needed equipping,” Nate said. “This journey has been step-by-step obedience at each junction. God has made the path clear.”
Later this spring, Nate and Brenda plan to move and begin hiring. They’re praying now for the right team — people who are teachable, open, and eager to grow. And they’re trusting God for whatever comes next.
When asked what they would say to others sensing a marketplace calling, Nate’s answer is gentle and grounded:
“Your first step of obedience is just the first step. You’re not committing to moving overseas yet — just to saying yes to the next thing God is asking. That’s how this journey started for us.”
Their story reminds us: God does beautiful things through ordinary obedience — one step at a time.
Pray
But today, we simply invite you to pray with them:
Pray for Nate and Brenda as they prepare to launch this climbing gym in Central Asia — for wisdom, for favor in hiring, and for God to bring open and teachable people into their orbit.
Later this month in Part Two, we’ll share more about how MDE has come alongside Nate and Brenda — through business coaching, legal guidance, spiritual mentoring, and community — and what partnership looks like for new practitioners just getting started.