Before Jordan and Keturah Paff met, God was developing in each of them a love for the nations. They thought that might eventually mean moving overseas. Instead, God brought people from around the world to their own cities and gave them opportunities to build relationships, meet practical needs, and share the hope of Christ.
Tell us your 15-second testimony.
J: There was a time in my life when I looked for life and joy outside of God, finding my worth and identity in things like sports, relationships, success, and what other people thought of me. But God, in his faithfulness, has pursued me, reminding me that he is where joy, life, and peace are found. Now I have hope and trust that God will continue to pursue me because that’s what he’s done my entire life.
K: There was a time in my life when my faith was more fear-based and about going through the motions. But God, in his faithfulness, has shown me that everything else is sinking sand compared to life with Christ. Now I can depend on Christ and trust him.
How did God develop in each of you a heart for the nations?
J: In college, I was involved with a college ministry at Austin Stone. Through a biblical community and discipleship, intentional people poured into me and helped me grow in my faith. There, I learned more about God’s call in the Great Commission. I knew people went to different places around the world to share the gospel, but I didn’t realize the Great Commission is a call for all Christians.
K: My mom fostered a deep love for the unreached in my siblings and me from a very young age. For much of my life, I was interested in doing some type of work overseas or with refugees. When Jordan and I met, we really connected on that right away.
Soon after we got married, we went through a nine-month missions program, similar to Watermark’s Discover Missions. We learned so much, and through that process, we learned that God wasn’t calling us overseas right then. It could still happen in the future, and we’re still open to it.
Through the program with our church and Launch Global, we were trained to become leaders in the program. That took us to Oklahoma, where we encountered and interacted with a lot of international refugees.
J: That was our first exposure to refugee-specific ministry. There was an entire hotel in Oklahoma City where refugees were staying, and for the first time, we saw a level of need greater than what we’d seen before.
K: These were people who didn’t speak our language, had fled war, and had no idea what they were going to do or where their next meal was coming from. We started meeting in their homes and building relationships. That really opened our hearts to the refugees in Oklahoma, but it also opened our eyes to all the refugees in other nearby cities.
How did you end up in Dallas?
K: When we knew we were going to leave Oklahoma, we asked, “What’s a city that has a high refugee population that we could minister to?”
Before we even decided to move, we came and did prayer walks around apartment complexes in Dallas, and then started organically meeting international families and refugees. We started to see that we could meet their tangible needs, like grocery deliveries and furnishing apartments, and, through those relationships, hopefully have conversations about Jesus, who could meet their spiritual needs.
J: At the beginning, the three primary things we thought would help were grocery deliveries, household items like furniture, and English tutoring. Eventually, we’ve become a trusted family that the neighborhood can reach out to for help, whether that’s a ride to a doctor’s office or getting their kids to school.
When we started coming to Watermark, we very quickly met and got to know people who shared a heart for the nations and refugees. Now, we have a pretty solid group of believers who are interested in having relationships with these families and serving them.
How have you seen God’s faithfulness throughout your lives?
J: When I look over my life, I think there’s been a consistent theme of me looking for life and joy outside of God and running toward other things. But God continues to pursue me. He’s faithful to pursue me over and over and over again. When I feel like I’m running from God, God is running after me faster than I can run from him.
That gives me hope and confidence for the life to come. I know there are going to be times when I look for life in other things, but I have hope, joy, peace, and trust that God will continue to pursue me because that’s what he’s done my entire life.
K: I always think of Christ as the solid rock. I can get so bogged down or carried away with the cares of this world—success, money, even the perfect marriage or family. But everything else is sinking sand compared to Christ and what I’ve found in him—the hope, joy, and love that he gives me. His hand has just been so consistent and steady in my life.
What would you say to someone who wants to live on mission but doesn’t know where to start?
J: There’s a time and place for training, but I think believers have more equipping than they think. You have God's command to go and do it, and you also have the Holy Spirit, who will help, empower, and enable you. You’ve got the basics to start building relationships with people right in your neighborhood, work, or school.