Woahhh, my friends, this one is amazing. I have known Kristi Katayama for over 10 years and she has the most life-giving spirit about her. She and her husband run an organization called Crossover Global on a mission to reach unreached people groups with the gospel by planting multiplying churches. They have 3 children and Kristi finds herself in a new season with no kids at home. She's a people person and it radiates! At one point she said, "I feel more love from the Lord when He allows me to be part of someone's story." She talks about how difficult it can be to find joy in the mundane tasks of life and how encouraged she is by God's steadfastness. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.
Woahhh, my friends, this one is amazing. I have known Kristi Katayama for over 10 years and she has the most life-giving spirit about her. She and her husband run an organization called Crossover Global on a mission to reach unreached people groups with the gospel by planting multiplying churches. They have 3 children and Kristi finds herself in a new season with no kids at home. She's a people person and it radiates! At one point she said, "I feel more love from the Lord when He allows me to be part of someone's story." She talks about how difficult it can be to find joy in the mundane tasks of life and how encouraged she is by God's steadfastness. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.
Hey friends, welcome to Real stories of life with God, a podcast with a pretty explanatory title, because that's what we're here for a conversation with real people about their unique life with God. I'm your host Chelsea Eubank, and I'm so glad you're here. Let's jump into today's episode. Thank you again for making time doing it. I'm so stoked. I was. I was thinking about, was telling John. I'm like, I'm pumped to talk to her about my podcast questions. But I'm also just selfishly pumped to talk to her. You know,
Kristi:that's what I said to Chelsea. I was like, I mean, she knew us before we were even a family. And then now we're this this whole family and doing all these things. And I just feel like it's, you're talking to someone who's been there at the beginning. So thank you for inviting me to something that's very special and your journey. And like, hitting, this is very cool. Chelsea, thank you.
Chelsea Eubank:Thank you. It's so much fun. And I was amazing about you. And Ken, for me, personally, is so that that trip we went on kind of you went on, we went on to back to back, you know, and I think it was in 2007. Maybe. And I just remember having a handful of encounters with the Lord that I still think about to this day. Wow. You know, I mean, so it was like, everyone's kind of connected. That was the first trip John and I really connected as friends. You know, he right? Yes, yeah. He wrote, he wrote a bunch of people like notes on the way home but he gave me one I still have it. He was talking about No, so amazing. So even like those couple of years where we really started getting to know y'all in the group and everything or just the roots are just tangled all. Yeah, awesome.
Kristi:This is wild. That's, that's amazing. I did not know that about you and John. So that's good to know that y'all had those beginnings there. It's
Chelsea Eubank:so fun, though. I love it. I love it. Okay, so give us give us a few details about you, your kids with a little bit, but we can repeat some of that.
Kristi:Yes, um, I have been married to Ken, for 16 years, this February this past February, as marrying a foreigner has been really a trip because you give each other grace from the beginning because the language barrier. Oh, so it's been so neat to see what the Lord has done in his life leading up to our marriage and my life and then for us together to join in on this mission as a family has been incredible. incredibly hard. Incredibly Great. Incredibly. We have incredibly glory award. And then we have three beautiful kids. I mean, their stories of infertility times and lost and all of that. But right now we have Gabriela who's 10 and just a doll. And then Lincoln and Isaac, seven and five, and they are buckaroos is what sister calls them. We can't even stop them from all the hoops that they get into. And just all boy and brothers to the end and such a blessing. We're in the process right now of adopting. Word fits coming. Yes.
Chelsea Eubank:Oh, local, like domestically or international? Yes.
Kristi:Yes. Yeah. So cool. And so the words just revealing that they're incredible ways. And we love the local church, because we do is plant churches all over the world. And so we, the Lord definitely led kin to adopting through the through the church and the church being a part of that and all that kind of stuff. So it led us here because I thought we would go overseas we have access to 37 other countries. Right? But right, and you never know till it's done but it's exciting how how it's come about? Yes, that's us. My family's in Arkansas is still in Brazil. And so our family is our church family here and our cost of our global family. And yeah, that's that's definitely us.
Chelsea Eubank:I'm going to read through the verses that inspired to my questions. Yes is asked which come in the logs the greatest and he says Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind in the second love your neighbor as yourself. My first question for you is what currently stirred your love for God.
Kristi:I love that. Definitely people like I love that the Lord knew to make my personality love others as much as I was going to have to be involved with, with people in what we do. But nothing encourages my face more than to hear from our church planters. What's happening, what's going on? Then to be in our women's ministry at church here and to see like hard times, being brought before the Lord in prayer and prayer answered, and just the people up at the school for the first time because I have no children at home, I'm going up to their school and I am substituting and being involved and getting to see friends and other family members that we're going to do life with for several years, because schools a whole chunk of life. I love that. Like I thank the Lord for giving me a love of people. And then showing me himself in them. This is what I love about those who are timid those who are bold, those who are masked and hiding things from me. Like where can you encourage one of my sisters or brothers today. And so deaf, I feel more love from the Lord when he when he allows me to be part of someone's story or their journey or what they're doing, and hopefully fulfilling on both sides as the interactive people. So it's even like we were completely redoing crossover global up here, building all the land, like the Lord just spoke a whole word. And it's going to be an incredible thing that's unfolding on the acreage that we have here. So our landscaper guys here or the construction guys coming by? Yeah, just like, What blessing do we need today and what's happening? That that is not a burden for me. So he's kind to, just to, for the spirit to walk with me as I go to greet someone and not sure what they might need. So I hate to say that because I feel useful, but also just feel known and loved and a part of a team with my heavenly Father. Not like I did your task. Are you happy? But like we're in this together? You could do it yourself. But you want me to go talk
Chelsea Eubank:to them? Okay, cool. So, yeah, I love that. And I can relate to that, too. I think it's kind of one of the what kind of prompted the podcast for me a little bit because I feel like as much as I, like, obviously, I learned a lot from the Bible and the Holy Spirit and from other books and things, but I feel like I learned more about him from other people's experiences with him. Also, he like it reveals to me different sides, because they're wired differently. And so they might absorb something from him that I may not get it. So it's kind of cool to see a different facet of him with what they're learning or how they're hearing him. You don't know.
Kristi:Yes, and we always try to teach our kids like, they're someone else's when it's not your loss, like from a little age, get excited about what God's doing other people's lives, like there's not place for jealousy, there's a place for a purpose and for walking in it. And encouraging others that are beside you doing it like we just don't need anything but for us to be linking arms and in this kingdom together, you know. So you do that very, very well. Chelsea, I think you do that very well.
Chelsea Eubank:Thank you. Thank you. My next question is what currently stifles your love for God?
Kristi:Hmm. It is the everyday task. It is the mundane and routine because I do love the relational fluid, flexible, free spirit, like let's go. It is very difficult for me to continue to find joy in just serving in these mundane things having that To Do List sticking with it. And I don't want it to stifle my love for the Word but I become avoided or I become bitter about it or mostly avoided. And I need to I need to find joy in those places. And I would rather go be with a person than a task. And there's some people just driven that way. And so I don't want to completely just focus on all my weaknesses and become a whole new person. But I can't just have all the fun all the people all the time. And this season of quiet like we talked about with the kids and no one's around who's literally yanking on me needing me. What am I doing? How am I filling those spaces? Am I even caring for myself? That it's been a while since someone always needed me and there's that excuse so what what healthy choices Am I making for myself? And we just don't give myself permission to do that. I don't give my purse, give myself permission to be in the quiet to choose those routines that would be healthy benefits for us and our family. And and I don't want that to stifle my relationship with the Lord. That's why my answer is that because I don't want to look at him that I haven't pleased him and that's just not how the Heavenly Father looks at me. He is not waiting on my to do list to be checked off. He is not looking at me disappointed. And so I don't need to hide away from that. I mean, like we're always hiding in the garden like hi and It's just like, No, he knows that this is going to bring my family joy and success, but it is a, okay, if I need to work through some things with some other people right now and something come up has come up. And that task doesn't need to be hidden from him, it needs to be prioritized.
Chelsea Eubank:I love that though. I think that I think that is helpful. And I mean, first step is awareness, right when you know, and you can like, ask for help and be like, This is my thing. And I'm seeing this, but you know, can you help me with this?
Kristi:Yes, because I don't have the answer for that. I just know that it's a need, and that it's something that I tend to not take before the Lord, like, I would take a lot of other things before him. I don't take what I need to improve on all the time, or take that mundane to be like attitude needs adjusting in the middle of this. So I do not have the answer for that. But I am noticing that it is to grow in. He's so good to continue to journey with us and not Yeah, we just redo the face of the father when we would do it and tell anyone else as much we deal with people. You and I Chelsea? Yeah. You know what you would say to that sister in Christ? So like, say it to yourself? And believe it? You Yeah.
Chelsea Eubank:Okay. My next question is not a question. It's fill in the blank. The truth that God is blank means a lot to you because blank.
Kristi:Hmm, the truth that God is steadfast. Hmm, that the because I can be grounded. And that is my word for this year. I haven't always done that. But it really came to me clear that my word for the year is grounded. And as you can see from our conversation, this girl is flailing about. She's just ready to go anywhere and also going everywhere. So the grounded like, literally physically the 50 acres that we're on now that we're stewarding to be a missionary homes and training centers and all the things to bless the community here and overseas. Like the physical ground, am I being an eve of this land? Am I caring for it and cultivating this ground to have growth for generations to come that I don't even have to worry about seeing he can receive the glory from that fruit? I'm grounded in my thoughts as I'm alone. And I'm spiraling into what this that and the other. Whoa, okay, because you were the same yesterday, today and forever. Because Colossians 117, you hold all things together, like I can be grounded in my thoughts in my tasks that I don't love to do. And in physical ground and where we are, and that as soon as you were talking to me about that question, oh, that statement? Oh, the Lord just said, See, this is why there's there's things that are stirring your your faith and things are stifling you. But I am a constant. And this is something we're going to grow in this year. And so thankfully, it's only February, February,
Chelsea Eubank:though, is my hope and prayer for the year because I realized how quickly I want to get out of an uncomfortable moment. I'm really good at escaping, you know, into Netflix or Yes, or dizziness, yes, or any anything to like, alleviate any discomfort or pain or whatever. I'm like, the opposite of escaping fast is being being in the moment and staying there with him. You know, like he can provide for me, he can sustain me in the moment that feels really unpleasant, or boring. Even it's not even like pain and suffering. It's just boredom that I'm now used to having everything satisfied or entertained super quickly, you know? 100%? Yeah, yes, I could totally relate to that, that wanting to be groundedness. And like the stability of that for my people. In a world that's very stressed out and divided and anxious for me to say, our feet are planted right here. And we're stable because he is stable. Right? Yeah. Well, because he's stable. Yes,
Kristi:it is such a firm foundation to be on and we do not need to be rocked or fearful or anything. And it's okay. It's not our tendency, probably probably to jump to fear. But we could have jumped to avoidance and we could jump to fulfilling and filling in all everything distractions. And so it's like, I'm not I'm not fearful, but am I grounded? Steady in a safe place that does just have peace flowing all over the place.
Chelsea Eubank:Because they can you know, like it can be done like that's the thing. I'm like, when I talk to people who are really struggling with a lot of things, it feels like this elusive, not possible thing he can give it. You can have the supernatural it's gonna seem. How can I be okay in the circumstance? I'm like, that's what he promises. But because it seems so outlandish. We don't think that's possible.
Kristi:Yeah, we're very good at fixing our own ways, especially over here working in these unreached people, group places where you can see the need, feel the need. It's different, when we can handle a lot of things on our own, we don't have to be as dependent on him. And then it's like, well, I've just been living by myself. And that's why I'm irritable, and tired. Not ready to give a word, because I'm in and out of season, it just happens to be the season that I'm with these people, but when I'm at a season, and things are just calm or different, I, I need to still be ready to give an account for the hope that lives within me. And that is, that is motherhood will take you on that whole roller coaster. And we can we do not have to ride it all over the place we can, we can stay steady with him. And I feel like this is also a word for where my kids are about to be, you know, like middle school starts for Gabriela next year, fifth grade. And I'm thinking, okay, like when things happen, and when they start to tell me so we did this or they went there, they said that to not be so dramatic in my real steady ready for them to continue to come to me, tell me what they're thinking. And for them that my mom's gonna be steady, no matter what I feel about this test about this friendship about this activity. They say she can be trusted. Yeah. And I will have to tap into the word for that. And I I'm so glad that he wants me to do that, that he's not that he is refining. It's like that. Okay, I'm glad I know this. Because now I can cling to you more, I can abide in you more I can stay connected to you more, thank you for making this difficult enough that I stay on my knees to be with you. Because you could do it. That means the enemy is trying to attack because we I am feeling something coming towards us. I need you even more than cost one of his loves always there for us. And he's always there for us. But for me to constantly realize it is a great place to be in and I can't, like I'm pressured. kind of comfortable. And I'm fine.
Chelsea Eubank:So true. So good. Last question is what is something you're looking forward to?
Kristi:Oh, I'm looking forward to our travels this year, I've got my first women's conference in Turkey that is going to hopefully launch into a lot of our other places where we're just going to be able to empower these women to love their families and love their communities well, and in a lot of these places, like the Bible is brand new Jesus's ways are brand new. And so they're they've seen a change in their husband, they're no longer beating them. They're no longer having this rage and anger, they they there is change. How does this woman respond to that? What does a woman have the word the men are learn in a lot of the especially the Muslim Hindu context, you've got a lot of males able to travel get together do that thing. And so this is going to see that wife at her kitchen table, this is going to see that wife completely masked up and in the the head job with only her eyes showing, like what is underneath there that the Lord is going to be able to say you are known and love and seeing you have a place in the kingdom, you have a place in this community and that you're meant to be like just all of that, that I feel like we have a lot of access to there's not much access for them to have that. And so will the Lord bless this and it be a thing that we can continue, because most of our churches are in homes. So a healthy family makes a healthy church. Yeah, so that family includes that wife and that mom, or this group of singles, you know, like, it includes that woman and we need to find some spaces to get in there and encourage these women. Some are very, very tricky, and we're not sure how we're going to get there. You know, my nursing career could come into some of that. But I'm definitely looking forward to the travels this year because it has been squelched a bit the past couple years. And then I'm looking forward to maybe it Yeah. Oh, oh
Chelsea Eubank:my God, he's so great.
Kristi:And then I'll look at Canada like number four, I mean, four and five or any is like Whoa.
Chelsea Eubank:Good. Thank you very much for taking the time seriously. Yes, listening friends. It means a lot that you added us to your day today. Thank you so much. Wherever you find yourself on your journey with Jesus. I hope you finished this episode with your faith cheered refreshed or strengthened. Until next time