Hello! Welcome to our missions support page! We are Lowell and Shay Ballew and we live in a suburb south of Houston, TX. We have been married for 28 years and have four grown children, one wonderful daughter-in-law, and one amazing grandson.
After 30+ years in full time vocational ministry leading worship in the local church, Lowell was called out to the marketplace to do real estate for a few years. However, after a 2 year period of sabbatical, rest, sitting at the feet of Jesus, and a lot of prayer, we began to feel a clear call to ministry and missions again. We both had a call of missions on our lives from a young age and both separately and together went on several short term foreign mission trips. From 2011-2013 we served as missionaries in South America with Ripe For Harvest. With our four kiddos in tow, we committed to living in Cochabamba, Bolivia for two years, leading worship in a local church, leading the youth group, and teaching art and music at a Christian School.
Now, in a new season of life, we have felt the call to GO once more! In November of 2023, we were introduced to NATIONS House of Prayer and Coreluv, Intl. in Houston. We met the founders and directors one night at a worship night and began a conversation that would change everything. After much prayer and discussion, we both felt it was very clear that the Lord was leading us to join the staff of NATIONS. So, in March 2024 we gave them our yes and dove right in.Â
As staff missionaries with NATIONS, we help lead worship and prayer sets throughout the week at our ministry headquarters, located strategically in the third ward of Houston. We have a prayer room that is open 3 days a week, with prayer sets that the public is welcome to attend. These times are set aside to meet with Jesus, worship Him, sit at His feet, and for intercessory prayer. Lowell also plays in the band for our first Friday worship nights, which take place the first Friday of every month are widely attended by many in the community and a lot of young adults. GEN Z is so hungry for Jesus and desperate for authentic, heart felt, transformative worship and it has been incredible to watch the growth.
NATIONS had its first ministry Internship Summer of ’24 and we look forward to continuing this amazing time of raising up new disciples and followers of Jesus every summer. We will also be helping pioneer NATIONS SCHOOL, which will be a 9 month long discipleship school that will include intensive Bible classes, time in the prayer room, and a 6 week long mission trip to either Haiti or Honduras, where Coreluv (our outreach arm) has established orphanages and feeding centers. We are hoping to be fully funded by this time so that we can be a part of the first NATIONS DTS!
We are also involved in local outreach in the community, doing food drives once a month in partnership with the Houston Food Bank, hosting cook outs for the residents of a low income retirement community located adjacent to our building, doing school supply, uniform, and toy drives for the children that live in Cuney Homes, which is government housing project just 3 blocks from our building. We will also be involved in reaching out to students at UofH - the Lord has begun to open doors and make connections with students and staff on campus and we have been able to host a few gathering in partnership with another ministry called Hope In Houston.Â
In March 2025, we will be helping pioneer the planting of NATIONS CHURCH as well! We are so excited about being a part of the foundational team to help create a Sunday expression of worship, prayer, solid Bible teaching, and children’s ministry.
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As we work towards the goal of being fully funded to allow us to be full time inner city missionaries, we are tent making to make ends meet. The closer we get to our financial goal, the more we are able to serve and work in the city. Would you consider joining our team as a monthly financial supporter and/or prayer partner? We know that where you give your money matters, so please ask and seek the Lord if you he would have you give! We are so grateful for any and all donations to our ministry and so humbled that you would consider sowing into the Kingdom by becoming a financial partner with us! Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or would like to learn even more about NATIONS and Coreluv, Intl.Â
Our monthly financial need is $10,000. So far we are at about 15% of our goal. Thank you, again, for considering helping us reach our goal of being 100% funded!Â
For His Kingdom -Â
Shay & LowellÂ
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