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The Cadence Way — We Send
70 Plays4 months ago
Cadence missionaries Matt and Meredith Snell talk about what it looks like to "send" military members to their next duty station, equipped and mobilized for ministry in whatever context God calls them to next.
Learn more about Cadence: https://cadence.org/
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Transcript
Introduction and Hosts Reunion
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to In Cadence, where we talk about what it looks like to share the gospel in our lives with the military community. Join us as we talk about what God is doing in the lives of our service members and how we can be a part it.
00:00:23
Speaker
Hey, this is Dave and here in the Cadence office joined by Brian. What's buddy? Nothing. It's good to be back together. It's really good to be back together. we The Lord takes us a lot of different places and it's nice when we get to be in the same room.
00:00:39
Speaker
Same room together, get to report a co podcast in with some good friends today. Oh, yeah, absolutely. And great cadence people. You actually know them. You go back quite a ways, don't you?
Meet Matt and Meredith Snell
00:00:50
Speaker
Yes, we're joined today by Matt and Meredith Snell. And our family's paths crossed when Matt Meredith PCSed. For those of you who aren't familiar with the military, that means they got ah moved to Grafenweir, Germany by the military. And Matt was still in the army.
00:01:08
Speaker
And the joy of our lives overlapping, my family was running a cadence hospitality house in Grafenweir. And they arrived and we got to share life together for five years.
00:01:19
Speaker
Well, at least Meredith and the kids and us got to share five years. Matt was deployed for two of the five years. um And the funny story too, is ah the day all their household goods arrived,
00:01:31
Speaker
in Grafenvir was the day that Matt deployed to Afghanistan for the first time. But that wasn't your first taste of Cadence. So rewind a little bit from there and tell us a little bit about yourselves and your connection to Cadence before you became Cadence missionaries. so Yeah, well, thanks, Brian. Thanks, Dave. it's It's really a pleasure for us to be here.
00:01:49
Speaker
And our Cadence story really begins way back at the beginning of our military career.
Military Career and Cadence Introduction
00:01:55
Speaker
So we were ah career military family, 22 years in the Army. And our first assignment in the Army was Fort Drum, New York. And, ah you know, we came out of a Christian home.
00:02:07
Speaker
We went to a Christian college, and then we joined the military, and we found it hard. And despite all that we had been given, we still found it difficult. We always say that Fort Drum was cold, dark, and isolated, and we felt that immediately on arrival.
00:02:23
Speaker
And we were really struggling. to find our feet. Meredith and I had just gotten married and I was just starting my career in the military and we were just struggling.
00:02:35
Speaker
And ah it was about that time that we were first introduced to the ministry of Cadence International. um We met ah the missionary who was just starting a house here at Fort Drum in 1928.
00:02:47
Speaker
Between 1998 and 99, he was planting that. That was Lou Harrison. And he had just opened the house in the North Country. And ah that was a place that we found so much strength and encouragement for us as a family, as a couple. Yeah, it was just a joy to jump in.
00:03:07
Speaker
And it gave us a community. It also gave us a place to serve. And so we were we were all excited about joining Cadence at that time. And the Lord said, say put, we have, I have you where I want you. The army is your mission field. We had always thought that we would do Matt out four years after for his college education. And so we thought we were going to do four years and out.
Mission Field Calling and Cadence Role
00:03:31
Speaker
And the Lord said, I have you where I want you. The army is your mission field. And so um We really felt equipped by lou and Linda, and we'll talk about this more later, but to see to be Christians in the military and care for the people around us that way. And we we felt equipped by Cadence, and now it's our joy to get to do that for other people.
00:03:56
Speaker
And when you say North Country, how far north are we talking? So we're talking um about an hour north of Syracuse and about 30 minutes south of the Canadian border. So Fort Drum, home of the 10th Mountain Division, is just a very much isolated. If you're not going there intentionally, you're probably not going there.
00:04:17
Speaker
That's a good way to put it. So you guys, ah you did time there and um throughout your military career kept bumping you along. I know you then ran into my brother and his wife in the military and they were ones who told you when you get to Grafenvere, you got to look up the Cleggers at the Grafenvere Hospitality House.
00:04:36
Speaker
What's fun about that is we met Jimmy and Katie when we went back to Fort Benning, now Fort Moore, and we sent them to Lou and Linda. We sent them to the Cadence House at Fort Drum because that's where they were headed.
00:04:50
Speaker
We said, you've got to find Lou and Linda. You've got to find Cadence. And then they sent us to you when we left Cadence. Leavenworth for Germany. Super fun. So fast forward then past the Grafenweir days.
00:05:03
Speaker
And how'd you guys end up no longer in the army, but still serving the army? So really, it was a conversation with you, Brian, that really led me to kind of start heading um to serve with Cadence. I remember I was trying to make a big decision in my career about what was next.
00:05:19
Speaker
And I was talking with you and you said, whatever you do, don't make the decision out of fear or pride, but out of faith. And, you know, when I stepped back at that point of where I was and where our family was, and I looked at it through that lens, I said, okay, I think the Lord is releasing us to go and serve with Cadence.
00:05:38
Speaker
And so we really started to off-ramp from the military, which led us to Covenant Seminary in St. Louis. So i I got a master's in biblical training there at Covenant Seminary. And then from there, we went to our first assignment with Cadence, which was here at Fort Drum, New York.
Return to Fort Drum and Ministry Start
00:05:56
Speaker
So we kind of see it as ah A full circle. you know, our career began at Fort Drum and now our career with Cadence began again at Fort Drum. We now live in that same house that we used to be in three times a week during the years that we were here.
00:06:12
Speaker
I love how the Lord has brought that full circle for you guys and the intersection of mission, because ah many people would be in the army and say, okay, this is the mission. And when that's done, then I'll go on to the next mission.
00:06:25
Speaker
And for the Lord to give you that word so early and say, this is the mission ah for the kingdom in the midst of your army mission, like they actually go together. And that's, that's a unique calling. That's a specific calling. And what a grace from God to give you that direction so early on. I'm sure it really,
00:06:43
Speaker
shape your time. And we're really talking about that missional living today. We've been talking about the Cadence way, and we have our five S's that really demonstrate the way that we do ministry within Cadence that's so valuable for the military community.
Cadence's Five S's of Ministry Explained
00:06:56
Speaker
so we've talked about we stay We serve, we shape. ah Today we're talking about we send. And then we also strive. We stay focused on military and military only. But we send, the way we say it is that we are constantly releasing military people transformed by Christ to live for Him wherever He sends them. You guys have already represented that in your story, but tell me a little bit more about what that means for you guys, being transformed by Christ and living on a mission wherever He sent you.
00:07:29
Speaker
Yeah, i I love that picture of we send. And I think um for a military family, sometimes it looks different every place that you go. But we caught the vision of hospitality as ministry when we were here. And we were so excited to, you know, as I said, we loved Cadence. We wanted to join wherever we went. But then the next 15 years, there wasn't a Cadence house. And so, yeah.
00:07:54
Speaker
until we got back to Germany with Brian and Amy. The element of our lives that changed, two of our kids were born while we were at Fort Drum. The next three came within three years. So we had five kids under the age of five.
00:08:08
Speaker
um When we were at Fort Drum, Matt helped lead a Bible study for singles. We were here a couple nights a week for loose Bible studies. And um we just couldn't go like that when we had five kids under five. but we still wanted to be a part of the mission. And so um we were always going to feed our family. And so we looked for people to invite into our home and and share meals with us. And then our kids got to be a part of it too. And so they're part of our mission and,
00:08:39
Speaker
And not detracting at all, but but part of it, catching the vision. And it's been exciting to see them then take that vision forward. Yeah. So we just always looked when our kids were young, especially our main ministry was around our table and we looked for who needed a home, who needed a home cooked meal, who um who we could love, who was around us then.
Hospitality as Ministry Practice
00:09:03
Speaker
um But then there are times when that has changed. And so sometimes we were part of neighborhood Bible studies and sometimes our friends hosted the studies and we were set up for kids. So we hosted the kids. Sometimes that's what being sent look like is being willing to host the the Bible study kids every week in your own home.
00:09:21
Speaker
um that idea of using what you have. So um when we were in Germany, we moved overseas with a 15 passenger van. And that was something that we had that the Lord could use. And the Grafhaus used it and Club Beyond used it. It was just like a floating ministry van that people could use because that's what we had. And that was unique in that place.
00:09:45
Speaker
But um there's an idea from experiencing God where Blackabees says, look for where God is at work and join in. And I think that's what I would encourage other military families to do because places change. As you go from place to place, the culture of that unit, the culture of that area, it's going to be different. And in the ages of your own kids, the the jobs of your soldier are going to change your capacity, but look for where God is at work and join in.
00:10:17
Speaker
i would have say I wanted to say it, Brian, but like one thing that you modeled so well for us was, I've never seen it like this, Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. And what you did with all of us at Graf, it was life-changing, you know, to to see like the worship and serve on Graf and Veer, to see the ministry at the Czech orphanage and the church there, and then to literally go to Burundi with you and, you know, take Emma for her to see that was, you know, it really, it cemented in my mind what it means to be sent, you know? And so, yeah, thanks for that.
00:11:01
Speaker
i mean, that was huge for our family. You're welcome. And Praise the Lord. Honestly, like ah when we moved to Graf, had no idea that those things would come about and God and his goodness, his creativity ah and him speaking to us and telling us, go pursue those things. So it's that's where like it's it's contagious.
00:11:26
Speaker
It's fun to think. I mean, when we we talk about the idea of we send, it naturally implies a going out message. And yet you guys have even just flipped that 180 degrees and said, well, wherever God's at work, we'll be a part of it.
Importance of Community in Military Life
00:11:42
Speaker
And sometimes being sent means allowing people to come into our home and that the incentive bringing them in. Yeah.
00:11:51
Speaker
I think that's the beauty of the hospitality ministry. You know, the love of the stranger to invite them in, to sit around the table. And with the military, that's such a huge aspect, right? Because everybody's away from home.
00:12:03
Speaker
And so to be invited into a home is a powerful part of the ministry as well. Well, love the way you guys said it, like, what has the Lord given us? And how can we use that instead of if the Lord gave me this, then I would sort of got that longing or ah conditional sort of experience. But instead, living on mission is really, okay, what do we have? What can we do?
00:12:28
Speaker
let's Let's get it done. And you guys have really loved that out. So often within the military, this is the the unique challenge and blessing.
00:12:40
Speaker
So for people who aren't familiar with the military, they probably have an idea that soldiers move in their families every two to three years. I mean, it was a rarity that you guys were in Grafenbeer with us for five years.
00:12:51
Speaker
That was free not the normal. So how does that ah impact how you guys love and invest in the families when you're only going to have them for a few years?
00:13:04
Speaker
Yeah, I think one of the things that it really makes me think of is you're always preparing them to be sent out, right? I'm preparing them on Friday. I'm preparing them to be sent out into the work week next week.
00:13:19
Speaker
um You know how it says in Ephesians that the role of the pastors and the teachers is to equip God's people for works of service, to help them to become mature, to help them to grow in unity, to help them to grow in knowledge.
00:13:32
Speaker
So that equipping begins like as soon as they come and it's preparing them to be salt and light in the office, in the workplace, in the field, wherever they are.
00:13:43
Speaker
And then in a place like here at Fort Trump, you know, we have people typically for three years, but in the midst of that three years, they're going to do at least one nine month deployment. So right now we have one brigade deployed. So that's, you know, whatever, 5,000 or so. And there's another brigade that will leave this week. And so that's a lot of individuals that are going to be gone. And so it's part of it is how can we prepare them to be sent even to a ah TDY or a deployment so that they are salt and light in that environment?
00:14:14
Speaker
And one of the things Meredith and I were talking about that that we picked up from Cadence, particularly from your ministry, Brian, is to keep what we do simple so that it can be replicated, so that you have disciples that make disciples. You know, something as simple as like, hey, guys.
00:14:33
Speaker
read the proverb of the day and talk about it, and then pray for each other's needs. You can do that in Afghanistan. You can do that in Syria. You can do that in Kuwait. um And so that gives them something simple that they can put together and that they can do.
00:14:49
Speaker
And so um that's really preparing them for those deployments. And then I think, too, when we think about sending people out from the ministry, you know, when they we hit that PCS time where they're going to leave us, um one of the things we talk about is we try to not think about it as them leaving, but as them being sent.
Affirmation and Symbolic Gestures
00:15:09
Speaker
And that changes the dynamic a lot because then it's about them being on mission at the next place. You know, it's kind of like in Acts when it says Paul and Barnabas were set aside for the work to which God had called them.
00:15:27
Speaker
And so what does God have next for this soldier? What does God have next for this family? And I think for us, that is exciting um to see them go out with a sense of purpose.
00:15:39
Speaker
e And do you guys do anything specifically as they're getting ready to move that helps them within that the last window before they're leaving you guys to help them really to crystallize that idea for them?
00:15:52
Speaker
but One of the things that we do, which we actually picked up from our field leaders, Danny and Catherine Perez, is when it's time for someone to leave, we bring them up in front of the group and we ask the entire group to affirm the gifts that they have seen in those people.
00:16:11
Speaker
And that is such a moving and powerful time because what it does is it says, this is what we see in you. This is what we see God doing. Like this is the light of Christ that's shining through you.
00:16:24
Speaker
And so when you go to your next place, How can you use that gift? And sometimes I think people don't even realize the impact that they've had on the community.
00:16:34
Speaker
And so, and then we pray for them and we send them out. We give them a gift. our Our going away gift is a coffee mug, a Cadence North Country coffee mug. And we say, whenever you drink your coffee, like, please pray for us and know that we'll be praying for you, you know, because that's something that that makes us think of those people who have gone out.
00:16:57
Speaker
You think about the people that are whether it's a temporary assignment, a deployment, or a big family move, Are there words of wisdom, encouragement?
Advice on Finding Christian Communities
00:17:09
Speaker
if so If someone's out there listening to this and they're on the cusp of a big transition, it's some serious disruption in their life. And disruption can be a catalyst for positive change for us to really struggle.
00:17:20
Speaker
um Is there any wisdom that you you either have a habit of or would like to place into that space right before a big move, a big disruption that that helps with this category?
00:17:33
Speaker
One that I think is from a ah friend of mine. He was a Marine that ah ended up, he got out of the Marine Corps and went to seminary. And he said, the advice he always gives people is wherever you go, find God's people.
00:17:47
Speaker
And to me, that is so critical that that wherever you go, find God's people and connect. um And also, find Find Christian community, and if you don't find it, then start it. Be that catalyst.
00:18:04
Speaker
and And that kind of goes back to what I said earlier of keeping the ministry simple so that it can be replicated. And that's like something Meredith does really well. like She does the food. It's wonderful and delicious, but there's a simplicity to it that doesn't make someone think like, oh, I could never do that.
00:18:27
Speaker
You know, she might make a pot of soup and have some bread. and we we just serve water even like we don't even keep, you know, do anything special there. And it's something that someone could say, oh, I could do that.
00:18:39
Speaker
I see myself doing that.
00:18:43
Speaker
I think. Yeah. One of the pictures that helped me before a move and that I give to, I think, especially moms whose heads are spinning with, where will this kid find this? And where will we get this? And, you know, just of not all the unknowns, it feels like a free fall right before a move. It feels like you're stepping off of a cliff and it feels like a free fall because you don't know. But I just love to picture the hands of Christ receiving you.
00:19:12
Speaker
and and making an easy landing. And something that I said to a a mom this week who was looking at her second Fort Drum deployment as her husband leaves,
00:19:26
Speaker
some of the people that she leaned on during the last deployment have moved away. And I said, it's going to look different this time. God will meet your needs in different ways, but he will meet your needs.
00:19:40
Speaker
And I think that's what I would say in a move. It's going to look different this time, the way that God meets your needs as you PCS to that next duty station for a home, for a community, for whatever, it's going to look different, but God's going to come through.
00:19:58
Speaker
And so um just to take some of that fear out of it, I think is really helpful going into a move. And if you can as the the parents of the family can demonstrate that faith, it it buoys the whole family. You guys have impacted a lot of military families in this aspect and helping them understand what it means to be sent out.
00:20:25
Speaker
You also have six kids, two of those who are out of college, one who's a lieutenant in the military and one another one who's graduated college. How do you see being sent?
00:20:36
Speaker
You guys have lived it, modeled it for them, and they've caught it. How do you see it playing out in their lives? Oh, Brian, it's been so gratifying to watch our kids do what they saw us do, that when they move to a new community, they look for God's people. They find a church or a chapel to worship with. They look for places to serve.
00:21:01
Speaker
um They look for people to have into their own home opportunities to to be hospitable. um And just to see them expect God to show up has been so encouraging.
00:21:16
Speaker
We're excited ah about how Emma and Grace have really done that in their lives and as they've gotten into their different communities. And I know we've talked before, but even the the difference that they've experienced, Emma going to a military community and how quickly and easy relative it is to develop community and for Grace in a civilian community, how it's challenging.
Challenges for Military Families
00:21:40
Speaker
yeah And so there is an aspect of the military life because you only have people for a few years But where are you to get it? They look, they find ah the Christian community and they get plugged in quickly and well.
00:21:54
Speaker
Yeah, i I think military people don't have to be given this word of like, you know that you only have a short time. So you hit the ground and you start looking for those things.
00:22:06
Speaker
um If civilians are listening to this, um my word to them is love your military people well. You may only get them for a short time, but, um you know, those three years that they have with you are three years of 18 that a kid gets.
00:22:23
Speaker
um They need people to love them. Their teens need people to love them. Their toddlers need stand-in grandparents. Their elementary school kids need Sunday school teachers who see them even though they haven't grown up in the church.
00:22:37
Speaker
They need people to love them fast because they're going to be gone shortly. But they still, those little kids. Short tours are what adds up to a kid's life. And that's they need people who are willing to love them quickly and and let them move on in obedience to whatever the Lord calls them to next.
00:22:58
Speaker
But um look for the military people in your communities and and love them quickly. but I think there's ah there's a ah blessing that goes along with that with military people because they they have a propensity for action.
00:23:12
Speaker
right they're They're also not, they're used to the uncomfortable. And so when you talk about mobilizing them to send out on mission, they're ready. they're They're going to jump in and they're going to serve and they're going to go deep quickly. And so...
00:23:28
Speaker
They're a huge encouragement to their community because of how they do that. Even when they're they get out and they're now veterans, they still have that mentality of, I'm ready to serve.
00:23:39
Speaker
I know it's only the first week, but I'm ready. and And I think that's a blessing to the church worldwide. That's a powerful statement. And I think sometimes we we honor our military, but we can overlook the force for the kingdom that our military families really are.
00:23:58
Speaker
And they're living it out all over the world right now. They're going to continue to do that. And for the church to come alongside, invite them in and partner with them in gospel ministry, it is such a powerful thing.
00:24:11
Speaker
um What a great exhortation for our churches. I love that. um Do you guys have just any quick stories like a family that stands out that you've poured into or you've received from another ministry?
00:24:23
Speaker
We've talked about how you've lived on mission, but do you have an example of another family that's doing it as well?
00:24:32
Speaker
I think there's one family, and this's ah they were really ah a fun family for us to get to know. They were actually a Coast Guard family. So they have a small detachment of Coast Guard here Fort Drum, and they really just joined in.
00:24:43
Speaker
And if there was ah small group, they would lead a small group, and they would help serve special events. And so they were just so involved in the ministry here and such a support and encouragement to us. And they've now moved on to their next assignment, and they're like,
00:25:02
Speaker
very interested in what they learned and what they saw. And they said, hey, we we want to continue to do this. And we even want to step into maybe into the associate field staff program that Cadence has. And so they they want to do this, what they've seen, even while they're still on active duty, you know, maybe as a a pathway to a a future job that they might like to do. But it was just such a joy to see them, you know, already come in serving and then to see them serve inside the Cadence community here and then now go to a community that doesn't have Cadence and really just keep doing the same thing.
00:25:39
Speaker
We've also been blessed by a family that has come in. They were Cadence. They were a Cadence family probably 20 years ago um under Danny and Catherine Perez, again at Fort Bragnow Liberty. And they came here looking for us and they were at the house that first Friday night and um have jumped into serving alongside us in so many ways. And so they had that, they were looking for God's people.
00:26:09
Speaker
You could tell they were trained to see people, to talk to people, to engage deeply. Like from day one, you know, they had been here one night and I was like, man, I feel like they'd been here a month because they were just that dialed in from, from having been in a cadence ministry before.
00:26:31
Speaker
There is an aspect about military ministry, about cadence ministry, other military ministries. um That is layer upon layer upon layer that of discipleship and transformation in a family's life.
00:26:46
Speaker
And as they experience that in one ministry and then move on to another, they get another layer And God just keeps building and they keep being sent. We like to joke that the the Department of Defense is one of the best mission sending agencies in the world.
00:27:02
Speaker
Absolutely. Yeah. They're regularly sending out God's people to all around the world be light and love. ah to the world around them.
00:27:13
Speaker
And so we love that aspect about your guys' as ministry. We love that you've ah you've lived it out when you're in the military. And now you're living it out as as cadence missionaries.
Invitation to Join Cadence's Mission
00:27:24
Speaker
I will say, if you're listening to this podcast and that excites you, the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few. We would love to have you. If you're listening to this podcast and you've got a nephew, grandson, cousin or something that's in the military, you can go to cadence.org, find out about where we have ministries around the world and get them connected.
00:27:46
Speaker
If you want more information, um you can email info at cadence.org. We'd love to be connected with you, whatever that looks like for you, whatever it looks like for cadence and the kingdom.
00:27:56
Speaker
Come be a part of it. And if you're on the cusp of a big move right now and you're listening to this, can we just close in prayer today and say a quick prayer for those that are about to be sent out somewhere?
Closing Prayer and Encouragement
00:28:10
Speaker
And if that's you, this prayer is for you.
00:28:12
Speaker
um Father, we thank you um that you are faithful and you are good in no circumstances beyond ah your care, your love, and your presence. You are with those that are being sent out.
00:28:25
Speaker
I pray for strength and courage and wisdom as each of these individuals pursue connection, that they look for your people. I pray, God, that you would make those connections possible.
00:28:37
Speaker
You would make them surprising and you would make them powerful, that you would strengthen and encourage everyone who is on the move as they listen to this. We thank you for them. we thank you for your work around the world. And we trust you with all of that.
00:28:51
Speaker
In your name we pray. Amen. Amen.