The Off Ramp

I have heard my parents preach more times than I could begin to count. (Although I can't say I actually listened that same number of times...) I've heard them tell their story. Occasionally, my brother and I were made to stand with them in front of churches, Sunday School classes, mission trip groups, donor groups.

I was reluctant to listen to their recent radio interview with WRHI Radio. I lived their story. I traveled to those same countries. I shared the same highs and lows. I didn't feel a real need to relive any of it. But Threads by Nomad and The Off Ramp were discussed, and curiosity won over.

I listened to the thirty-minute conversation this morning while folding laundry and putting on my makeup. And a weird thing happened. I got teary. Emotional. (The need to keep my mascara intact prevailed and I did not cry.)

The 40 years they speak to Tyler Cupp about are my whole life. They took me to France when I was 6 months old. My parents have spent 40 years embracing discomfort and the unknown so that they could show up for people in whatever ways they needed to show up.

The tears were pride. A realization that I have been witness to two remarkable individuals' lives—fallible but brilliant, dedicated, and open to others. All they have ever wanted to do was to love their neighbor exceptionally.

That has looked different decade to decade, and now it looks like Threads by Nomad and The Off Ramp. If you're so inclined, here's the interview: https://www.wrhi.com/2026/09/straight-talk-09-15-26-nell-and-butch-green-retired-missionaries-216695

- Christen

PS Mom, I knew you were young when you got married. But WOAH it never landed that you were THAT young until I listened to this. YEESH!

An Update on Bernard.

Many of you followed Bernard's story with us this summer. Here is an honest update on where things stand.

On August 18, Bernard received notice that his student visa request for Hungary was denied. The situation in Pakistan continues to grow more difficult, with new checkpoints between him and his university and a student visa that still has not come through, despite the university's repeated requests.

We are exploring every path we can find, safer transportation, contacts in Pakistan, options in Canada and Brazil, and a possible opening in an EU country. Some of these have already closed. Others are still pending.

Bernard remains hopeful and keeps going, even as the doors around him keep shifting. We wanted you to know exactly where things stand. The full update is on our blog today: https://www.theofframp.org/post/an-update-on-bernard

Four weeks ago, we opened a campaign hoping to raise $7,000. We just closed it having raised over $10,000, outside of the steady support of our monthly givers. We are still a little stunned writing that.

Because of this campaign, we can continue both of our Strengthening Families groups, keep supporting Bernard as he awaits word on his latest visa application, and move forward on our current projects without having to scale any of them back. We are also able to start looking closely at two new opportunities, one in North Carolina and one in Texas.

We shared several stories with you this month, but there were more we never got the chance to tell. The full thank you, along with a few more of them, is on our blog today.

Thank you for showing up for all of it. Thank you for getting us here.

Because of you, this campaign raised $10,000. Four weeks ago, we opened this campaign hoping to raise $7,000. We are writing today to tell you that, outside of the steady support of our monthly givers, you gave just over $10,000 in the month of July. We still can't quite believe it, and we wanted you to be among the first to hear what that mean...

Woah. Our minds are blown.

We set out to raise $7,000 this month. Thanks to you, we've raised about $9,500.

We are still a little stunned writing that. What started as an honest ask to help us keep our commitments turned into something far bigger than we expected.

Pictured here is one of the women who makes that possible on the ground in Uganda. She trains girls in the basket weaving program, passing on a skill that gives them a way to earn and a reason to stay connected to their community. Support like this costs about $131 a month per girl, and it's one of many programs your generosity is helping us sustain.

Can you help us reach $10,000 by the end of July?

We know that's a big ask on the heels of an ask you already answered so generously. If you're able to give again, or for the first time, we would be so grateful. And if you've already given, please know it mattered more than you probably realize.

You can give directly here: https://app.aplos.com/aws/give/TheOffRamp/donate

For about a year, we met with Josh and Valerie over Zoom before we ever met them in person. We knew their heart for girls in the slums of Kampala long before we shook their hands.

Valerie noticed that girls were dropping out of school once they started their cycles, simply because they didn't have the supplies they needed. She started by handing out reusable sanitary pads. When we finally traveled to Uganda, a women's group here had filled an entire suitcase with pad sets for her to distribute.

Valerie is quiet, but make no mistake, she is the driving force behind this work, and Josh is right there backing her up. Since we've known them, their vision has grown to include a sewing school, a baking project, and mental health classes, all aimed at helping girls stay in school and build a future for themselves.

We've helped them budget, set priorities, open a dedicated bank account, and secure sewing machines. In under a year, they've gone from an idea to ten machines and a real plan.

We have about two weeks left in our campaign to raise $7,000 for work like theirs. Supplies for a girl staying in school, materials for a sewing class, the everyday costs of building something that lasts, all of it depends on support like yours. If you're able to give, we would be so grateful.

You can give here: https://app.aplos.com/aws/give/TheOffRamp/donate

When Zeke and Sarah walked out of the airport with their two daughters, a group of us was waiting with welcome signs. Zeke looked around and said, "I never expected this. This is like in my country, when all the family comes to greet your arrival. Thank you."

They had less than a day's notice before they landed. A sponsorship program had just been shut down, and their family, who had been waiting in Germany, suddenly had nowhere to go. We said yes, and by the next afternoon we had a hotel room, meals, and the beginning of a plan.

That is what "still here" means to us. Plans change overnight, but showing up doesn't have to.

One week into this campaign, we've crossed $5,000 toward our $7,000 goal raised in July. We're grateful for everyone who has helped us get here, and for anyone who is able to help us close the rest of the way.

You can give here: https://app.aplos.com/aws/give/TheOffRamp/donate

I have a call today to talk to someone in Pakistan about Bernard’s situation. Prayers and good thoughts appreciated.

Bernard's story, and a looming deadline As he logged onto our Zoom call, we saw gray walls and a door behind him. Bernard told us he was still at the university, having just finished an exam, and realized it was time for the call. He didn't want to miss talking to us, so he sat down on the floor right there to visit.Bernard is a refugee f...

He logged onto our call from the university, gray walls behind him, having just finished an exam. Bernard didn't want to miss talking to us, so he sat down on the floor right there to visit.

Bernard fled Afghanistan after his father and brother were killed and his own life was threatened. He's spent the past several years chasing one door after another toward safety and an education, applying to universities across Europe and beyond, only to be turned away again and again.

A university in Hungary finally accepted him, and he's been attending classes there while waiting on the one piece of paperwork he still needs. He's down to a single door now. He needs a student visa from Pakistan by the end of this month, or he loses the opportunity he's worked years to reach.

We're one week into raising $7,000 to help cover efforts like his, funds that go toward things like tuition, room and board, and the ongoing support he needs while he waits. We've already reached $4,000. Read Bernard's full story on our blog, linked below, and if it moves you, we'd be so grateful for your support.

Bernard's story, and a looming deadline As he logged onto our Zoom call, we saw gray walls and a door behind him. Bernard told us he was still at the university, having just finished an exam, and realized it was time for the call. He didn't want to miss talking to us, so he sat down on the floor right there to visit.Bernard is a refugee f...

Three dollars buys a yard of fabric for a seamstress rebuilding her livelihood after being displaced twice by fire and flood.

Ten dollars gets a school-age child the supplies and transportation they need just to walk through the classroom door.

Fifteen dollars puts an ESL book in the hands of someone learning to navigate a new language and a new country at once.

And just over a dollar and a half provides one school-age girl in Uganda with reusable sanitary supplies so she can stay in school instead of dropping out, something 600 girls received through this program last year alone.

None of it looks like much on its own. Together, it's how we keep our promises at The Off Ramp and by extension Threads by Nomad.

We're raising $7,000 this month to continue this work, and we're already partway there. If any of these numbers feel like something you can give toward, we would be so grateful.

You can give directly here: https://app.aplos.com/aws/give/TheOffRamp/donate

This is baby H. She just celebrated her first birthday.

Her family was one we hoped to welcome to the United States. We had spent months preparing, gathering donated furniture, filling out paperwork, waiting on travel dates. Then the door closed without warning, and everything we had planned for them came to a stop overnight.

We helped them resettle in New Zealand instead. H was born there a few months later, into a community that welcomed her family with open arms. We still see her each week on Zoom. Before either of us can even say hello, her brothers greet us first. "How are you, Mum? I am glad to see you, Mum!"

That greeting has carried us through a hard year. Doors have closed. Plans have changed. Families we love have ended up in places we never expected. Through all of it, we have kept showing up, and it is only because people like you have shown up with us.

We have not made a public ask since early spring of last year. We have stretched what we have and leaned on the steady generosity of our monthly givers. Right now, we need to raise $7,000 to keep the commitments we have already made to families like this one and to the programs that hold them.

We are calling this season Still Here. If you're able to give something toward this goal, we would be so grateful. And if you can't right now, know that simply reading these stories and carrying them with you matters too.

Give here: https://app.aplos.com/aws/give/TheOffRamp/donate