Housing Blessing
Temporary Housing Needed for a Missionary Family in the Phoenix Metro
Who We Are
Hello, we are the Cook Family! Thanks for taking the time to learn more about us and the new adventure God is stirring in our hearts. Let me begin by introducing myself. My name is Tyler Cook, and I am the Co-founder & Executive Director of Revive & Awaken Ministry. My wife Sarah and I are passionate about fulfilling the Great Commission as we live out the First Commandment. We met nearly 12 years ago on the mission field in Kolkata, India serving women affected by human trafficking. We have been blessed with three amazing children Bella (9), Liberty (7), & Uriah (6). We desire to minister the love of Christ together as a family on mission.
Our New Adventure
Each year God usually releases a word or phrase that ends up being a theme for our family and ministry that coming year. At the beginning of 2022 I felt the Holy Spirit give me the phrase “flip upside-down!” I had my own ideas about how that phrase would play out, but as usual, God surprised me. Sending me to Western Europe for a month, telling me to transition out of leadership at the Illinois Valley House of Prayer, and calling our family to move across the country is only the half of it! I invite you to check out the rest of this page (the videos go into much greater detail about the journey) to learn more about what God is up to and how you can support us along the way!
A Time of Transition
Towards the end of my trip serving Ukrainian refugees in Poland, something unique began to rise up on the inside of me. Though I didn’t know it at the time, the same thing was happening in my wife Sarah. After being home for close to a month the reality that God was transitioning us into a new season of life and ministry became evident. The Lord was calling us out of leadership at the house of prayer we had helped plant nearly 5 years ago. Strangely, the city of Phoenix, AZ began to burn on our hearts accompanied by a vision for planting a new expression of church within the region. After a short visit to go with much prayer, counsel, and prophetic affirmation God confirmed this call to prepare to head west.
Missional Connections
As we began our transition process, God set up a powerful divine connection that confirmed we were on the right track. On Sarah’s birthday, a friend shared a podcast she thought we would be interested in. This podcast sparked a connection with a team of church planters located in Chicago’s suburbs. This team was experimenting with a new way of doing church that resembles a 21st-century version of the Book of Acts church. And guess where they feel called to pioneer this unique expression of church … that’s right, Phoenix, AZ. We have now become more involved with this team, and as far as we can tell, it appears God has linked us together to pursue this next great missional adventure!
What’s Next?
Here’s what is on the horizon for our family. We are nearing the end of our season of strategizing and support raising in North Chicago. Our team is set to move to the Phoenix area in February to begin our church-planting endeavor. Our family has heard clearly from the Lord that we are meant to follow the same timeline.
Housing Need in the Phoenix Metro
In our preparation for the move to Phoenix, we have explored many different housing options: buying, renting, rent-to-own, etc. We are still at the beginning stages of raising our financial support as missionaries to this area and are finding it challenging to find a home that we can afford at our current income level. We have experienced substantial growth in our monthly donor base, but will still need some more time to get our income to where it needs to be to fit the economy of Phoenix. As we began to consider this move, we felt the Lord inspiring us to reach out to the body of Christ in the Phoenix area to assist us with temporary housing. God continues to highlight the commissioning of the disciples in Luke 10 as a pattern for us to follow.
Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace be to this house.” If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house. Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” - Luke 10:3-9 (NASB)
How You Can Help
First and foremost, we ask for prayer that we would rightly discern God’s direction for our family and be strengthened with bold faith to obey His will. Second, if you or anyone you know is able to provide housing for our family over the next couple of months, please fill out the contact form below. We are open to multiple housing options including living with a host family. We will need housing starting on February 23, 2022 going through April 2023. Thank you!
Along for the Journey!
We do have a small (appx 15 lbs.) apricot poodle that will be joining us. His name is Oakley, he is 1.5 years old, and he is hypoallergenic, does not shed, and is fully potty-trained. He has a very loving caring demeaner and is great with children. He is very respectful of other people and their belongings.