After hearing how God prepared Hannah to work as an administrative assistant at Revive Our Hearts (after reading today’s post, you can read about that here), it was even more exciting to watch her enthusiasm grow as she spoke of the ministry she will get to have and the outreach opportunities that are before her.
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B: How did you initially hear about this opportunity?
H: One of my college teachers, another teacher that I learned so much from, Miss Wagar, called me in and told me about that Nancy Leigh DeMoss was looking for an administrative assistant…. Basically it started with a phone interview around Thanksgiving, and before I returned in the Spring, I had the job. The interview was like a conversation—we just connected. They have the same heart that I saw at NIU with the staff: authentic Christianity. I was so excited that the Lord opened the door. It was definitely Him. I give all the glory to the Lord.
B: Are you doing any work with them now—before you officially begin?
H: I volunteer a little bit actually. There is a conference coming up (Revive ’13, which was held this past weekend in Schaumburg, IL), and I’ll be helping at that. Also, because it’s so close, I’ve gone up there a few times this summer because they have prayer meetings on Monday mornings, so it’s a great time to be there and to keep them informed on how I’m doing.
B: So help me—and the readers of Petals from the Basket—wrap my mind around this: for most people, when you hear, “you’ve got a job with us,” usually they say something like, “okay, on August first; you will assume this role; you will fill this position; and here’s when we need you to fill it. But it doesn’t sound like that what’s happening here.
H: The majority of the staff at Life Action and Revive Our Hearts raise their own support—like a missionary. All of the money that comes in—because Nancy is an author, and of course, there are funds coming in from that, all of that money is used for further outreach, so none of that money goes toward staff salaries. So I’m in the process right now of raising monthly support, and basically, I’m looking for people who will partner with me in ministry, because I can’t—we can’t—do what we’re doing without people who will pray and people who will give if God leads them to do that. And so, right now, I’m looking for people who are passionate about women’s ministry and about revival and getting out the counter-cultural message about biblical womanhood. Once I have 100% of my monthly support—to meet my needs financially—then I’ll begin working. The starting date is unknown.
B: So where does that leave Nancy in the meantime? Who is serving as her assistant until you complete your “deputation?”
H: Other people are filling in. Others are carrying extra responsibilities right now to help meet the needs.
B: You helped answer a question I know I have had, and one that I’m sure many others will have: why aren’t you just on staff, pulling in a regular paycheck? It makes total sense, and I honestly love that the money that comes in is used for further outreach. It’s an amazing thing. It also gives a lot of us opportunities to reach people we would never reach—through you—and to make that possible.
H: And they will not let me start until I have full support because they want this to be my full focus. I love that I simply share the burden, and God will take care of laying it on people’s hearts and lead them to give. That’s all in His hands. So I am committing my time to that right now—it’s my full-time job. And it will continue to be. It’s a partnership. I want to invest in them as much as they (those who donate through finances prayers) are investing in what I’m doing. They are a blessing to me, and it goes hand-in-hand. I want to be a blessing to them and partner with them. They are not just giving; they are partnering in the work with me!
B: So how will you communicate with them? I know you have your newsletter. Will that be your main source for communication? And will you continue that even after you reach your target support amount?
H: Yes, it will, and yes, I will. I want to use that right now during the deputation process to keep everyone informed on how I’m coming along—for accountability’s sake—and then once I start, I want to share with them how God is working and how they can pray for me and how they can pray for Revive Our Hearts. Because I have people who are partnering with me by praying, and so they want to know how to pray.
B: Sometimes people think of you as an administrative assistant, and they think you’re typing at a computer all day, answering phones, and filing. Once you are there and actually in this role, what will you actually be doing? What does your “job description” primarily entail?
H: It is going to be a variety of things. When Nancy travels, I will be her assistant as she speaks at these conferences. She always has someone who is right there with her to help with whatever she needs—kind of as her contact person—so I’ll be right there with her when she travels. And then I’ll probably be helping with a lot of correspondence, and I know there will be a lot of little things I can help with in this role as well—I just don’t know what all of those are until I’m needed to do them. I’m primarily there to serve and assist. My job is to serve the administration, and it will be different from day-to-day as to what their needs are.
B: See, I love that kind of variety. I’m not a nine-to-five kind of gal! You must like that too.
H: I do! I find it so satisfying if I can help someone—like Nancy, who is good at speaking and writing—and I can help take away those other responsibilities and let them focus on what they’re gifted with, that’s the most satisfying thing to me. That’s one of my gifts.
B: You just mentioned using your gifts. What are your gifts? And I don’t look on your reply as arrogance. These are God-given gifts, so by sharing them, you’re not praising yourself; you’re praising Him!
H: I mentioned earlier that just practically speaking, I think through details. I’m a big-picture person, and I like to know how things work. If I don’t know how something works, then I don’t tend see the point. And so it’s helpful for me to see things and know: this is the main goal, this is what we’re trying to accomplish, and this is what needs to be done to make that happen. I think this is an area that will be very helpful to Nancy. She’s a detail-oriented person too; she thinks through those things the same way, so I’m hoping I’ll be a help to her in that way.
Personality-wise, I have the gift of harmony. I like to find what we have in common and stick to that. I don’t like debating for debating’s sake. Let’s just find what we agree on, use your strengths and mine to use what we agree on to help us get the job done. And I think that will help as I work alongside people—to focus on their strengths and on these things.
B: I went to the Revive Tour in Chicago this year. I had never had the opportunity to hear Nancy Leigh DeMoss in person. I’ve enjoyed her writing for years—I feel that she’s not just writing to write; she’s writing what she feels God has laid on her heart. You don’t read her books and feel like you’ve already read the exact same thing in one of her other books. It’s fresh, new, and written with a purpose. Anyhow, at the Revive Tour session, they talked about the exciting outreach in the Dominican Republic. Will you get to be involved in that in some way? Because I know you have relatives with ties to the DR.
H: I do! They are planning to return there in 2015. So, Lord willing, I’ll be able to go. My brother-in-law is Dominican. And he has been such a blessing to our family, teaching us to work through cultural differences. My family is definitely a little more attached to that country, so I was very excited to find out that the Lord is really opening up the doors for this message to be given in the Dominican. In August, we [Revive Our Hearts] had a week of Revival, and I got to meet the ladies who helped to bring about this outreach there. They raised the support to get to come up for that, and I got to meet them. They are just overflowing and so vibrant! They are so excited to see God working—it’s been all about God just opening up doors. It’s nothing that they’re doing, and they would tell you that right away. It’s just the Word—pure and simple. So yes, it’s really exciting to see the Gospel get past those cultural barriers.
And even when you think of Nancy’s radio and Internet outreach all across the country. And her books are translated into many different languages, so it’s expanding, and I’m excited to get to be a part of that—to be part of a ministry that’s looking to reach outside the United States.
B: Several of my friends are unfamiliar with the work of Revive Our Hearts. So, if someone has never heard of Revive Our Hearts or Nancy Leigh DeMoss, how would you tell them who that is and what that ministry is.
H: Well, the mission of Revive Our Hearts is to reach women and to call them to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ. Today, we have so many women who are in bondage to their sin, and we want to share the Gospel with them and show them that they can be set free from that—to live a full, vibrant life in Christ. And it has to be in Christ. So Nancy is a single woman who has committed her life to teaching the Word of God to them, and God has laid that on her heart. She’s in a position where she can do that, and it’s just incredible to see the Lord using her. She’s just a vessel, and from what I know, she’s just a real, humble person who wants to be used by God. And it’s amazing to see what God can do through someone who is surrendered to His will.
Especially now, the need is so great. The message of biblical womanhood needs to be declared. We live in a society that has totally abandoned the scriptural roles God has defined for relationships. Even in Christian circles, feminism is often a part of the teaching. I even see how I can often tend to be a feminist in my ways, simple from teaching that creep into the Christian realm.
B: Because Nancy Leigh DeMoss is well-known by many groups and individuals, is there any element of this that intimidates you? It seems like either that or, well, almost a pride factor, could slip in and tempt someone in your role of “I work directly with Nancy Leigh DeMoss.” While it truly is an honor and an exciting thing, do you in any way fear that those elements will creep in?
H: From the moment I first heard about the position, I thought, “Whoa!” And I appreciate that people are praying for me in this area because it could be a temptation to give in to that. But that is not what I want at all. I need God to guard my heart from that. Through this process of raising support, well, the whole process has been really good for me. I have to work very hard for this, and it’s not like I’m just handed the job or given the job right away. I really have to work toward this. And I know that this is really what God wants me to do, because if it weren’t, I wouldn’t want to be working this hard. This whole process.
In the process of meeting the staff, I’ve realized again that they are just people, and they have problems and battle with temptations too. The week of revival helped me to see that. But I also saw that in the midst of their “humanness,” they realize that this is His ministry, and they want to just see Him work!
B: When I first began reading Nancy’s books, her intense use of Scripture really stood out to me. Unfortunately, many books for women are filled with opinions. I thrive on the fact that she implements so much Scripture! So what is your favorite verse—your go-to verse—in Scripture?
H: I would say that my life verse is Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” I love that it’s not about me. It’s about Christ—He is in me, and He is my life. It’s about Him. And that’s the prayer of my life: that everything I do will point to Him and count for Him.
B: If someone wants to have a part in the outreach and ministry of Revive Our Hearts, and, in particular, if someone wants to help you reach your full support level to that you can get there and be an a help to this ministry, obviously they don’t send money directly to you—because you want to be above reproach and question regarding that—so will you explain how that works so that people know that if they are sending something, you’re not just going to grab the money and run to the nearest shopping mall!
H: I have worked with the staff at Life Action to establish a monthly budget. That includes savings (a slight financial “cushion” for special needs) and living expenses, taxes, and other expenses I might have in a month’s time. So that’s how we’ve gotten to my goal amount. The money goes is given through Life Action, and they administer the check. Every month, I’ll receive one monthly check that will be used for all of those things. It’s basically my salary.
B: So they oversee all of the giving and the funds, right? If someone wants to give toward the work God has called you to do, can they go online somewhere, send a check somewhere—how, when, and where can do this? And maybe for someone who says, “I don’t know what my finances will be in three months, but I’d like to make a one-time gift,” can they do that somewhere, or maybe send a gift as God provides an extra hundred dollars that they would like to contribute to your work through this ministry—in other words, how can people help financially?
H: At LifeAction.org/support, you can go and there is a drop-down list where they can select my name, Hannah Kurtz. You can set up an automatic withdrawal; you can do a credit card payment, or you can send in a check monthly. Some prefer a one-time annual gift. Whatever God lays on their hearts.
People can help with finances, and they can help by praying as well. If they want to receive my newsletter, I have that available as well. But I really want people to know that this is a partnership. I want to be a blessing to them as much as they are a blessing to me and to pray for them and care about them as well. It’s just exciting to see God at work, and I love that others get to join me by being a part of that through the ministry of Revive Our Hearts!
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To read more about Revive Our Hearts, click here.
If God lays it on your heart to help Hannah reach her needed support level by giving a gift through Life Action ministries/Revive Our Hearts, click here, and then, from the pull-down menu of alphabetized staff member names, select “Hannah Kurtz.”
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