We are singing praise to our Father in heaven as He proves himself, yet again, to be faithful in all aspects of our lives. Because of our move to an apartment, we had to find homes for 2 of our 4 pets. We rescued our cat, Tyanna, from the pound 11.5 years ago and rescued our dog, Mandi, off the freeway 8 years ago. Needless to say, we have been pretty attached to our pets. They have been a huge part of our family as our boys have grown up. But like I told a young man going through some hard changes, "just because we are doing the right thing, doesn't mean it is easy!".
Yesterday, our cat went to the best home we could ever imagine for her to go. The gal who took her is a very dear, family friend and will provide a great "retirememt home" for our kitty. Today, I will be taking our sweet dog to a couple in West Seattle. They have always had dogs in their home and they have recently lost theirs. Mandi spent the weekend with them last weekend and did very well.
We are sad about saying good-bye to our pets, but we know the Lord is sovereign and has shown us that he cares about everything in our lives, even finding homes for our pets. For this, we are thankful!
Monday, April 23, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
Our new site!
Hello family and friends!!
We are thankful you are here to check out our new website and catch up on all the excitement going on in our lives as we prepare to go overseas.
This first blog is just to inform you a little about the site. You should be able to check in here as often as you wish to see any updates on our progress. Newsletters take a lot of time and by the time I get them in the mail to you, they are already obsolete. That doesn't mean they aren't helpful, especially to those who do not use the internet very much, but things have been changing so much, so fast for us, we thought this would be much better to keep you all updated.
We want you to be aware of the lack of some information on this site. For security reasons, we will not be mentioning our sending organization, our landing organization nor any names of people involved in either one. We even decided to keep out the name of the country, though it is big enough to not be much of a worry, to help keep our site out of certain web search engines. This will also allow us to be free in our speech in regards to our service to the Lord.
Please email us with any questions you have or even if you just want to send us a note. We look forward to hearing from you and hope this will make keeping up on us a little easier.
Blessings!
We are thankful you are here to check out our new website and catch up on all the excitement going on in our lives as we prepare to go overseas.
This first blog is just to inform you a little about the site. You should be able to check in here as often as you wish to see any updates on our progress. Newsletters take a lot of time and by the time I get them in the mail to you, they are already obsolete. That doesn't mean they aren't helpful, especially to those who do not use the internet very much, but things have been changing so much, so fast for us, we thought this would be much better to keep you all updated.
We want you to be aware of the lack of some information on this site. For security reasons, we will not be mentioning our sending organization, our landing organization nor any names of people involved in either one. We even decided to keep out the name of the country, though it is big enough to not be much of a worry, to help keep our site out of certain web search engines. This will also allow us to be free in our speech in regards to our service to the Lord.
Please email us with any questions you have or even if you just want to send us a note. We look forward to hearing from you and hope this will make keeping up on us a little easier.
Blessings!
Friday, April 13, 2007
Big Updates - April 2007
This is rather lengthy, but since it is the first update in a long time, there is much to share. So please, if you have the time to sit and read, do! We so appreciate all of you who hold us up in prayer, give encouragement and support us in so many ways.
I am sure many of you are wondering if we have decided to drop off the face of the earth but we want to assure you that we have not. We are still here in the good ol' US of A, busily trying to settle into everything the Lord is providing us.
Since our last newsletter, there have been many changes that have come our way. Let me just start by saying, "yes, we are still planning on going overseas to do mission work". The Lord has been so faithful the last two years since we started this journey. He has been faithful in growing us closer to Him by stretching us beyond our comfort zones. We know more now then ever before what it means to wait upon the Lord and to trust Him in everything. We felt like we weren't moving and weren't sure what the Lord had in store for us but we continued to trust Him in His plan. Now, as one person put it, we are hanging on for the ride. That may not sound very spiritual but the reality is He opened a door and His will has taken over our lives. Let me try to back up and explain things a little better.
In January, while Paul was listening to a broadcast on Focus on the Family, the Lord took hold of his heart and broke it for a people group in the country we were preparing to serve in. It was for the children who seem to be easily thrown away in this particular country. After much conviction, prayer and guidance, we approached the people heading up the organization with whom the story was about. This door was quickly, but graciously, closed. At first it seemed to be somewhat disappointing. I mean, why would God want us to change our mission focus from what we have been preparing for, to this, if it wasn't in His will? But our Lord is sovereign and we trust His sovereignty.
In February, shortly after this door had been closed, our organization contacted us about wanting us to meet a couple that was in the states for a very short time and thought we really needed to meet them. They had been in their host country (same as the country we are preparing for) for around 12 years and would be a good connection for us. We agreed to meet them even though we had no idea what they were doing and why they were here. After a 3 hour meeting, I, who is not easily excitable, was on the edge of my chair wanting to ask, "how soon can we come?". It seemed, to me, they were affirming everything I had ever thought but not expressed to those around me.
With our previous location we were looking at Paul being gone days at a time leaving the boys and I to figure out our own ministry outreach as well as figure out how to live in a new culture. There was also the thought of the hosting organization "not needing us but would take us in" and we might offer some stability for them since we weren't planning to be "short timers". We were feeling discouraged and felt like we weren't making any progress but continued to trust in God to place us where ever He wanted and when He wanted, according to His will.
This new location would allow our whole family to work together teaching English as well as offer many different ministry opportunities. Exposure to the different ministries will allow us to learn how to use our gifts and seek what God wants us to be doing. We would have easy access to language learning, cultural adaptation and relationship building. This would also give the boys an opportunity to have some cross-cultural training in a somewhat comfortable setting. (Training is something that is not readily available to kids going overseas and is somewhat disheartening.)
Once both sides shared their stories, the meeting ended with the comment, "I don't want to scare you, but we have been praying for a family to come and work with us". What? Us? Immediate goosebumps! And to find out during their sharing, they have only established there "new" ministry in January 2007! More goosebumps!!
Again, if we ever wondered why we were still here in the states waiting upon the Lord, this would be a huge revelation among the many we have been given over our two year journey. We serve an awesome God who plans everything to every little detail. We don't always know what that is, where, when it is, how or why, we just know to step out in faith where He leads.
After much prayer and guidance, we received an invitation and accepted it. Since then, the Lord has taken a stronger hold of our lives and put it on fast forward. At the end of March, we moved out of our house in order to do some construction and then we will put it on the market to sell. In the meantime, we moved into an apartment not too far from where we lived. The move has gone smoothly and everyone seems to like it here. The hardest part, as many of you know, is we had to find homes for two of our four pets since the apartment only allows a maximum of two. We would've had to find them homes eventually anyway and will still need to find homes for our two remaining cats. The Lord was faithful in opening up two good homes and we are thankful for that.
So what's next?
We are still working on some things in the house like cleaning up the yard, getting a few random things out of the garage and then having a big garage sale soon. We are praying that the house construction goes smoothly and that we can put the house on the market and that it will sell quickly.
A vision trip is in the planning stage for the end of June or July. Paul and I plan on going over for 10-14 days to experience the culture, gain perspective on the what, where, when and how's of the work we will be doing there. We are very excited but need prayer for provisions, the Lord's timing and care for our boys while we are gone.
More studies!! We are about finished with our Perspectives class - yeah! If you have ever had an interest in missions; God's purpose, the history and stradegies of, this is a great class. It is hard work for us but we are praying to finish strong and then we will be digging more into our MUP study list to try to finish that. Unfortunately, our lives are busy with work, kids and everything else life has which makes it hard to study in length. So we need to just work at it diligently a little at a time.
In the meantime...
Budget! We are working on getting a new, current budget so that we can let you know exactly where we are financially. The new location will be somewhat cheaper to live so some "needed" numbers will be changing.
Pray for peaceful and joyful hearts as we try to stay up on our daily lives as well as try to accomplish the things needing to be done for the mission field.
For Paul to have some relief from his long days of work. He is currently leaving for work at 3:30am and not getting home until 4-ish pm.
For me to get back on track with schooling the boys. I haven't done a good job of keeping on schedule with all the moving around.
We can't say for a fact, yet, when we are leaving the country into our ministry, but we feel we are still expected to plan and make goals. Right now, our apartment lease is up at the end of September. We feel it is possible to have all our finances together by the end of our lease and then will be available to leave. The last couple of years has been proof that though we make our own plans, we need to be trusting God to put His own plan into play.
The Lord has been providing for us with many praises along the way. We are so thankful for so many things, even the tough times. Sometimes, when we find ourselves in the depths of a trench, it is just where God wants us to be. But He is faithful! If we continue to trust in Him, he will provide straight paths. (Prov. 3:5-6)
I know this has been extremely long, but I hope it catches you up on all the many changes going on in our lives as we move forward to our destination overseas. If you have any questions or want more details, email us and we will do our best to answer your questions. Check in often to get the latest. I will try to keep this as current as possible. Thank you for many prayers. Your loving support has greatly sustained us and we appreciate each and every one of you!
Blessings!
I am sure many of you are wondering if we have decided to drop off the face of the earth but we want to assure you that we have not. We are still here in the good ol' US of A, busily trying to settle into everything the Lord is providing us.
Since our last newsletter, there have been many changes that have come our way. Let me just start by saying, "yes, we are still planning on going overseas to do mission work". The Lord has been so faithful the last two years since we started this journey. He has been faithful in growing us closer to Him by stretching us beyond our comfort zones. We know more now then ever before what it means to wait upon the Lord and to trust Him in everything. We felt like we weren't moving and weren't sure what the Lord had in store for us but we continued to trust Him in His plan. Now, as one person put it, we are hanging on for the ride. That may not sound very spiritual but the reality is He opened a door and His will has taken over our lives. Let me try to back up and explain things a little better.
In January, while Paul was listening to a broadcast on Focus on the Family, the Lord took hold of his heart and broke it for a people group in the country we were preparing to serve in. It was for the children who seem to be easily thrown away in this particular country. After much conviction, prayer and guidance, we approached the people heading up the organization with whom the story was about. This door was quickly, but graciously, closed. At first it seemed to be somewhat disappointing. I mean, why would God want us to change our mission focus from what we have been preparing for, to this, if it wasn't in His will? But our Lord is sovereign and we trust His sovereignty.
In February, shortly after this door had been closed, our organization contacted us about wanting us to meet a couple that was in the states for a very short time and thought we really needed to meet them. They had been in their host country (same as the country we are preparing for) for around 12 years and would be a good connection for us. We agreed to meet them even though we had no idea what they were doing and why they were here. After a 3 hour meeting, I, who is not easily excitable, was on the edge of my chair wanting to ask, "how soon can we come?". It seemed, to me, they were affirming everything I had ever thought but not expressed to those around me.
With our previous location we were looking at Paul being gone days at a time leaving the boys and I to figure out our own ministry outreach as well as figure out how to live in a new culture. There was also the thought of the hosting organization "not needing us but would take us in" and we might offer some stability for them since we weren't planning to be "short timers". We were feeling discouraged and felt like we weren't making any progress but continued to trust in God to place us where ever He wanted and when He wanted, according to His will.
This new location would allow our whole family to work together teaching English as well as offer many different ministry opportunities. Exposure to the different ministries will allow us to learn how to use our gifts and seek what God wants us to be doing. We would have easy access to language learning, cultural adaptation and relationship building. This would also give the boys an opportunity to have some cross-cultural training in a somewhat comfortable setting. (Training is something that is not readily available to kids going overseas and is somewhat disheartening.)
Once both sides shared their stories, the meeting ended with the comment, "I don't want to scare you, but we have been praying for a family to come and work with us". What? Us? Immediate goosebumps! And to find out during their sharing, they have only established there "new" ministry in January 2007! More goosebumps!!
Again, if we ever wondered why we were still here in the states waiting upon the Lord, this would be a huge revelation among the many we have been given over our two year journey. We serve an awesome God who plans everything to every little detail. We don't always know what that is, where, when it is, how or why, we just know to step out in faith where He leads.
After much prayer and guidance, we received an invitation and accepted it. Since then, the Lord has taken a stronger hold of our lives and put it on fast forward. At the end of March, we moved out of our house in order to do some construction and then we will put it on the market to sell. In the meantime, we moved into an apartment not too far from where we lived. The move has gone smoothly and everyone seems to like it here. The hardest part, as many of you know, is we had to find homes for two of our four pets since the apartment only allows a maximum of two. We would've had to find them homes eventually anyway and will still need to find homes for our two remaining cats. The Lord was faithful in opening up two good homes and we are thankful for that.
So what's next?
We are still working on some things in the house like cleaning up the yard, getting a few random things out of the garage and then having a big garage sale soon. We are praying that the house construction goes smoothly and that we can put the house on the market and that it will sell quickly.
A vision trip is in the planning stage for the end of June or July. Paul and I plan on going over for 10-14 days to experience the culture, gain perspective on the what, where, when and how's of the work we will be doing there. We are very excited but need prayer for provisions, the Lord's timing and care for our boys while we are gone.
More studies!! We are about finished with our Perspectives class - yeah! If you have ever had an interest in missions; God's purpose, the history and stradegies of, this is a great class. It is hard work for us but we are praying to finish strong and then we will be digging more into our MUP study list to try to finish that. Unfortunately, our lives are busy with work, kids and everything else life has which makes it hard to study in length. So we need to just work at it diligently a little at a time.
In the meantime...
Budget! We are working on getting a new, current budget so that we can let you know exactly where we are financially. The new location will be somewhat cheaper to live so some "needed" numbers will be changing.
Pray for peaceful and joyful hearts as we try to stay up on our daily lives as well as try to accomplish the things needing to be done for the mission field.
For Paul to have some relief from his long days of work. He is currently leaving for work at 3:30am and not getting home until 4-ish pm.
For me to get back on track with schooling the boys. I haven't done a good job of keeping on schedule with all the moving around.
We can't say for a fact, yet, when we are leaving the country into our ministry, but we feel we are still expected to plan and make goals. Right now, our apartment lease is up at the end of September. We feel it is possible to have all our finances together by the end of our lease and then will be available to leave. The last couple of years has been proof that though we make our own plans, we need to be trusting God to put His own plan into play.
The Lord has been providing for us with many praises along the way. We are so thankful for so many things, even the tough times. Sometimes, when we find ourselves in the depths of a trench, it is just where God wants us to be. But He is faithful! If we continue to trust in Him, he will provide straight paths. (Prov. 3:5-6)
I know this has been extremely long, but I hope it catches you up on all the many changes going on in our lives as we move forward to our destination overseas. If you have any questions or want more details, email us and we will do our best to answer your questions. Check in often to get the latest. I will try to keep this as current as possible. Thank you for many prayers. Your loving support has greatly sustained us and we appreciate each and every one of you!
Blessings!
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