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Thursday, April 14, 2016

God is on the move

Wednesday night, our family had a fabulous privilege to travel to a sister church in Chester, a few towns over, to share about this Honduras journey that we can't stop talking about lately. We're good friends with the pastor and his family, so obviously it was a nice time to reconnect our families, but it also happened to be the first time our family has been to church since October on a Wednesday evening. (I was anxious about  bedtime and how it would affect behavior and attitudes on Thursday but far more important was our family being present all together for our first real sharing in front of a congregation about these mission hopes and desires.)


These friends were SO welcoming. We of course felt right at home and the girls didn't skip a beat when it came to mingling. 

In the preparation of the presentation, it seemed a bit difficult for J to really be as involved as I was, just because he had never been before so he didn't have much to share. But as he gathered important facts about the country and basic trip itself, I could see him really become overcome with desires to know more. This made my heart so happy!!
We put together a little power point and covered the basics. Then I followed up with a little more history and testimony of my past time in the country and how we feel God moving in our lives to pursue further ministry there. 
Y'all. I can't help but be excited. God IS on the move in our life and in everyone of those that surrounded us last night to pray for us, encourage us, support us, and truly desire to know "why is it that this gal is so passionate?!" 

We've now surpassed the point of being amazed in the Lord's provisions. And when we pray for God to do far beyond more than we can ask or imagine, I guess that's where we find ourselves now. :)

I spoke a little last night about how God's provisions and protection in my life have brought me to a place of praising God (inwardly). But my time in Honduras brought a new facet of Christian living to life: bringing GLORY to God through all things (outwardly). And we couldn't be more pumped to do that. So we praise God and pray that our testimonies would bring glory to him. 
Our verse of encouragement over these last several months has been this:
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all peoples! (Psalm 96:3) So, I won't stop, can't stop, and will not pause from expressing our joy, HOPE and gratitude!!!

It's so encouraging to see others get excited for us and about the upcoming trip. We take every piece of spoken support straight to our hearts and return thanks for it. 
There is a dear lady close to my heart in these last years...she told me the other day she can't help but think of us every time she hears "God is on the Move" by 7th time down. And now when I listen to it, I smile. Not because we said "here I am, send me" but rather because in sharing these pieces of our heart and greatest desires, others are seeing how God truly is on the move. Here, there, and everywhere. And that is the most important thing ever!!

Friday, April 8, 2016

Watching it unfold

The Ghent girls have been so involved in our Honduras trip and seem to carry the same excitement that Jeremy and I have for the week. Everyday for the last few weeks we hear "how many more days til Honduras?" And up until today, we'd respond with some large number, and lost count. But today, an exclamation of "we're just one month away!" Took me by surprise. ONE MONTH. FOUR WEEKS. 28 DAYS. 672 HOURS. It's getting so real! 
11 months ago, upon my return from Tegucigalpa, I longed with such emotion to return to that great city. Not because it was "fun" and not because the fashion and food were affordable. It wasn't because I took a week away from mothering, nor was it because I got a week of "vacation" from teaching. Instead, I was determined to go back because God had stirred up such a desire to do the hard, long, and draining work of ministry with the people in that city. Though part of me was a little skeptical-Jeremy won't be as excited and the trip will fall through. 
My soul was a bit downcast in the months that followed, in the uncertainty of how we would actually get back to Teguc. We began praying for the opportunity, the logistics, the financial responsibility, and the "what happens next?" part. We reached out to our nearest of friends and family and pleaded for their prayers for us on this journey. We sent support letters to a handful of these folks and asked to pray for these specifics:
1. For Jeremy's up to date passport to return in expedited time (without paying expediting fees)
2. To secure financial support for our trip. 
3. To arrange care for the Ghent girls in our absence. 

These three were burdens on our hearts and as we began to share with others that we were pursuing this call, affirmation came flying from every direction. Within a week, over half of the monetary support was delivered in the mail. And by the next week (13 days after applying for the renewal), we received Jeremy's new passport. While we continued to receive support and encouragement for the trip, Gods provisions through his people were confirming our desires. We pleaded even more as we realized arranging care for the girls was going to prove to be more difficult than we had hoped. Our families, though they support us greatly, were unable to assume primary care for the girls over the entirety of the trip. We were discouraged, realizing A. We couldn't go without having secured their care and B. They couldn't go with us this time. 

We asked a few folks, but all doors closed. Until this past week, literally out of nowhere, a couple from the church inquired if we had made arrangements yet, then offered to keep them Sun-Saturday of the trip. Friends, it was as if I heard the trumpets blast and it showered sunshine to blind me!!! They had seen our prayer requests in the church newsletter and had prayed about offering. 

So, now, four weeks out, we are so blown away at how God provides so specifically when you pursue him and does far beyond what we can imagine.