Working in Development for a ministry has taught me something I think I have always known, but perhaps never understood quite so deeply: faith and action are not opposites. They go hand in hand.

There is a quote I have always loved: “God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into the nest.”

There is something so beautifully biblical about that picture. We trust God completely for the provision, while still being willing to leave the nest and go where He leads us. Scripture is filled with stories of people who experienced the miraculous provision of God because they believed Him enough to take the next step.

I think about the widow in 2 Kings 4. She had almost nothing left, only a small jar of oil, and yet Elisha told her to go throughout her community and gather empty jars. Not just a few. As she poured out the little she had, God multiplied it. The oil continued flowing until there were no more vessels to fill.

What strikes me about that story is that she had to gather the jars before she knew how God would fill them.

I also think about Jesus' first public miracle at the wedding in Cana. Mary recognized a need before many others did, the wine was running out. She brought the need to Jesus, and then, with remarkable faith, simply told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Jesus instructed them to fill large jars with water. They did the work. They filled them to the brim. And somewhere between their obedience and God's provision, the water became wine.

Again and again throughout Scripture, we see this pattern: recognize the need, bring it to God, take the step He puts in front of you, and trust Him to do what only He can do.

I see that same principle constantly in ministry.

At The WellHouse, we know the needs are great. Providing safety, housing, advocacy, medical care, counseling, education, transportation, employment opportunities, and long-term support for survivors requires significant resources. If we looked only at the size of the need, it could easily feel overwhelming. But we don't serve based solely on what we can see today. We serve with faith in the God who already sees tomorrow.

That doesn't mean we sit back and wait for provision to fall into our nest. We make the phone call. We write the grant application. We invite someone to tour campus. We tell the story. We build the relationship. We ask boldly. We steward carefully. We pursue every opportunity God places before us.

And then, we trust Him. We trust Him to move hearts, to open doors we could never open ourselves, to multiply what is offered, to provide the right people, resources, relationships, and opportunities at exactly the right time.

Faith isn't believing that we don't have to do the work. Faith is doing the work while believing that the outcome ultimately belongs to God.

As we move forward in this mission, I pray we will continue to be people willing to gather the empty jars before we know exactly how they will be filled. People who recognize the need, bring it before Jesus, and then have the faith to “do whatever He tells you.”

Because we have seen it before: when God's people faithfully bring what they have and obediently take the next step, He is able to do immeasurably more than we could accomplish on our own.

So we will keep leaving the nest. We will keep pursuing. We will keep asking. We will keep believing. And we will keep trusting the One who has always been our Provider.

Development Update: Fall 2026