Kingdom Connections

American military personnel are accustomed to packing up and going wherever the military sends them, whether it is a six-month unaccompanied deployment or a three-year duty assignment in the U.S. or overseas. Accordingly, Cadence staff may have only a few months to invest in those who attend their ministry and usually no more than three years.

Cadence staff Deric and Rebecca Sneller understand the difficulties these transitions bring more than most. Not only have they served with Cadence since 2014, but Deric is also a chaplain in the Army Reserves. As directors of the K-Town Hospitality House in the Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC) in Germany, they welcomed Marlina into their ministry this last year, knowing it would only be for a short time. She quickly became a significant member of their community, as she shared in meals, holidays, outings, and ministry, and even blessed them with a date night. Marlina shares what her time at the K-Town House meant to her:

Where am I to begin with the blessings the Sneller family left on my life in the span of just nine months? From the start, God’s grace and love were orchestrating it all. My new husband and I (both active-duty Army) had just been reunited after spending our first year of marriage apart when I received the news I would be leaving once again for Germany. 

By late June of 2023, I arrived at the KMC for a nine-month rotation with a unit that was still new to me. My heart was heavy and conflicted. When I met the Snellers, their family was an instant joy to be around. They reflected the much-needed love of God for which my soul was searching. They opened their home and hearts to me, displaying true hospitality. Their steady trust in the Lord and His plan for them has been a testament to faith and something I admire.   

When we met, they had also just arrived in Germany and were starting their ministry from scratch. Watching Rebecca fearlessly invite anyone the Lord put on her heart amazed me, as did their trust in God’s process and vision for what ministry would look like in their new context. From being involved in their new and growing ministry, God showed me that even things that seem temporary can have a long-lasting impact; kingdom connections are eternal. 

—Excerpt from Deric and Rebecca’s March 2024 newsletter

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