We Had No Idea
When God birthed our church, we had no idea of the amazing God stories that would come from His work in Las Vegas. Below you will find the pictures and stories of a few people, just like you, who put their “Yes” on the table while attending Hope. Through different situations and circumstances, all of these families are now serving the Lord cross-culturally as full-time missionaries!
THE STEVENERS
Bill started attending Hope in 2003. Although he had been in church all his life, God did a major work in His life leading Bill to take the step of following Jesus in baptism. At the time, Bill had no idea all God had in store for the next chapter of life!
Over the next two years, Bill met his lovely wife Sandy at Hope, and starting taking mission trips to Honduras. Over a few years of leading teams to Central America, Bill and Sandy realized that God was calling them to relocate for the sake of the Gospel.
In 2009, Bill and Sandy retired early and moved to Costa Rica for a season of language and ministry training. The next year they moved to Mississipi, a base for their ministry in Central and South America. Over the next three years, they provided ministry training for pastors who had never had an opportunity to receive formal training. In 2013, the Lord redirected their work to a ministry in Paraguay.
Today Bill and Sandy live in the small town of Tobati, helping care for abused children and providing training for women, a living example of James 1:27: “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress…” While serving at Su Refugio, God placed it on their hearts to take yet another step of obedience. Today they have full guardianship of three sisters who were at the home: Adelia (15), Andrea (13) and Keila (11).
Bill and Sandy’s story is a reminder that God’s calling doesn’t have to fit a certain mold. Bill’s background is in computer science and Sandy was a loan officer and office manager. Neither of them had traditional ministry training, but God has used them in ways they never imagined. They are passionate about getting people out of their comfort zone and involved in God’s global Kingdom work, whether through short-term trips, or prayer or financial support for those in the field.
For more information and ministry updates, visit their BLOG.
THE MILLIGANS
Andy and Amy Milligan joined Hope in 2005 while Andy was working for IBM. In 2007, Andy took a vision trip to Cairo with Hope. The following year he stepped up to lead a mission team to develop Hope’s strategic mission partnership in Zambia.
In 2009, Andy and Amy followed the Lord’s leadership to leave his jobs in the US and move to Africa to start an initiative to supply therapeutic foods for malnourished children across the continent. After a couple years of working on that project, the Milligans joined Operation Mobilization. There Amy worked with OM Africa’s prayer ministries and the Freedom Challenge, which raises awareness and funds to help fight human trafficking and child labor around the world. Andy helped design and develop businesses that bless communities and give African missionaries a platform to serve the communities they’re seeking to see transformed.
In 2017 God called Andy and Amy to expand their ministry beyond serving missionaries exclusively. To answer this call, they transitioned from working with OM and began to leverage Andy’s experience as a business coach and consultant. They now engage African business people who are using their jobs and businesses as a catalyst for Kingdom expansion, while also serving to reach the least reached with the Gospel. Andy and Amy and their girls, Olivia (16) and Audrey (11) live in Pretoria South Africa.
Want to learn more about being a missionary? Get in Touch!
Get "The Weekly" In Your Inbox
Stay in the loop about all things Hope Church by subscribing to our Weekly email!
