For the past year, I (Jason) have been dealing with ever-increasing sciatica in my right leg. Then, in mid-June, it hit me like a freight train in my left leg and took me out of work for a month.

Since then, I’ve had X-rays, gone through physical therapy, and eventually had an MRI that revealed a bilateral disc herniation at L5-S1 with severe nerve compression. I returned to work and pushed through the pain as long as I could, but eventually surgery became necessary.

On Friday, September 11, I underwent a discectomy to relieve the pressure on the nerves and begin the process of getting back on my feet. Thankfully, the surgery is now behind me, but the recovery ahead is going to take some time.

While ministry is my heart, it doesn’t pay my bills. The vast majority of my adult life has been spent in bivocational ministry, during which I’ve spent more than 20 years working in the pest management industry. It’s a career I enjoy, but it’s also a very physical one. On any given day, I may be carrying a backpack sprayer, inspecting a crawlspace, bending, lifting, walking properties, and spending hours behind the wheel. Because of those demands and the healing required after surgery, my doctor expects me to be out of work for approximately three months.

Unfortunately, I don’t have short-term or long-term disability insurance. So, while I’m recovering, we will be without my regular income while the bills (i.e., mortgage, utilities, groceries, medical expenses, and the unexpected) continue.

It’s also been a particularly difficult year for us even before my surgery. Earlier this year, our dog Rezy required emergency surgery, we had to replace the heat pump in our home, and in August we lost our dog Smokey. Between the unexpected expenses and the emotional weight of the year, we were already feeling pretty tapped out before we found ourselves facing surgery and several months without my income.

So, the part I’m not good at… laying out a need and making an appeal.

Our goal of $10,000 is mostly intended to help bridge the gap created by three months of lost wages while I’m unable to work, helping us cover our mortgage, utilities, groceries, transportation, medical expenses, and other basic household needs until I’m physically able to return to work, while also providing a small buffer of $1,500 for unexpected expenses.

Though I’ve done it before for ministry purposes, in total transparency, I’ve always found fundraising uncomfortable and stressful… even more so now. I would much rather be going to work every day and taking care of these things myself, but sometimes life puts us in a position where we have to be willing to sit down and receive from others.

Right now, my job is to heal. As much as I would like to rush the process and get back to normal, I also know that pushing myself too quickly could jeopardize the recovery and put me right back where I started. So, for the next few months, I need to give my body the time it needs to heal properly so that, Lord willing, I can get back to work.

Know that if you’re able to give, Myra and I are deeply grateful. If you’re not in that position, that’s okay. Sharing this fundraiser with others would be a tremendous help. And of course, we ask for your prayers.

Pray for my healing, for provision during these next few months, for patience on my part as I recover, and that when this is all behind us, I’ll be able to return to the life and work God has given me to do.

Thanks for reading this. We appreciate you and whatever way you can stand with us. You can donate directly to the GoFundMe linked below, or directly through Cash App / PayPal. All contributions gave outside of GoFundMe will be added as an anonymous offline donation to ensure an accurate goal amount.

Grace and Peace to You,
Jason & Myra