Support Update

Thanks to all of you who have supported us prayerfully and financially! We have been overwhelmed by people's response!

Here is a quick update on where our support stands as of January 1, 2008.

We have had $14,220 come in towards our anticipated one-time need of about $20,000.
We are currently receiving or have been pledged a total of $1,760 per month towards our monthly budget of $3,500.

The $1,760 does not include a couple of current supports who have expressed that they will be increasing their giving toward us in 2008 or 3 or 4 other families who have committed to giving, but have not indicated an amount. So, assuming everyone follows through we are probably between $1,900 and $2,000 a month.

Please also be praying for us as we are in conversation with 4 churches about the possibility of joining our support team. Pray that God would guide and direct them as they seek to be stewards of the funds He has entrusted to them. Of course we would also pray that they would be lead to support our family.

If you have any questions about our support process or know of someone whom we should contact please let us know and/or direct them to this blog to find out more about what God is doing. The info packet on the right would be a great place for someone to start.

Back to the Jungle/Just be faithful

The evening of January 11th I (Jeff) left with 27 other men to go to Costa Rica for about 10 days. We went to Shiroles to work alongside the same missionary and church we worked with last summer. It was a great trip, although a difficult turn around after only being home for 5 short days. We worked in various areas ranging from cabinet making, building walls in a home, digging drainage ditches, footers, and septic tanks, and in medical clinics. While much was accomplished (which we North American men love to see) I believe more work was done in the hearts and minds of the men on the trip and in the lives of those we served and served with in Costa Rica. It is always a privilege to be an eye witness to God's transforming power as he calls people back to himself or to himself for the first time. It is also a privilege to be a small part of reaching out to a people (the Bribri and Cavecar indigenous people of Costa Rica) who have largely been forgotten. God is doing amazing things in this remote corner of the world and it is awesome to see Him work.

As for me I had a profound encounter with God sitting in a remote village in the hills. We had hiked in the day before with food to distribute, had worked with a local doctor in providing a health clinic, and held a short time of sharing the evening before. I sat reading in Ephesians. To be honest I was simply going through the motions as it was our time of daily Bible study. To make matters more interesting it was my turn to facilitate the discussion on the passage following our quiet time. THe passage for the day was Ephesians 1 and I got as far as verse 1 before God stopped me in my tracks. In beginning the letter Paul writes, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus." (NASV) As I thought to myself, I hope I can be described as faithful God spoke deep to my soul the phrase, "You are and that is all I ask of you." As tears flowed from my eyes I was overwhelmed with God's great care for me that he would speak simultaneously words of great encouragement and admonishment. I so often present to God what I have done for him, when I am not convinced he really cares what I do for him, but rather he is calling me to just be faithful.

5000, 10, 7, 2, 1!

As in 5,000 miles traveled, 10 states visited, 7 weeks, 2 blown tires, and 1 great trip!

We arrived back to Visalia Sunday evening after spending the last couple of months on the road. A quick tour of where we were and what we were doing.

Week One: Raising support at an open house in Colorado; celebrating Thanksgiving with Jeff's family; visiting Great Grandma.

Week Two: Began SPLICE training at Missionary Training International (MTI); Great Grandma's funeral

Week Three: 2nd week of SPLICE training, spent an afternoon with Jeff's Uncle Jim and family

Week Four: Began by being 'locked down' (see post; 'Weep with Those Who Weep'), final week of SPLICE training, visiting friends and supporters.

Week Five: Celebrated Christmas with Jeff's family, visited friends and supporters, drove to Arkansas (stopping in Kansas City to visit Tracey's Aunt Ruth, Uncle Terry, and Cousins), flat tire #1 (how else could we have seen the WalMart in Russelville, AR? By the way they have decent fried okra in their deli.).

Week Six: Celebrated Christmas with Tracey's family in AR, Tracey's cousin Joseph's wedding, Looked longingly at several golf courses.

Week Seven: Celebrated the New Year with Tracey's family and our friends the Pittman's (SI - Fiji directors), Support presentation, drove to AZ to visit Tracey's Aunt Janelle, Uncle Phil, and cousins (Stopping in Lubbock Texas to visit Gary and Cinda Smith), flat tire #2 (but west Texas is so beautiful that we are thankful to have been forced to drive 45 mph on the spare 'donut' for about 50 miles, okay we could have done without that, but we are convinced this flat tire is due to the comment made by Jeff the day before of "We better put air in the spare so we don't get stuck in the middle of no where in TX!"), travel home!

All in all a good trip!! We are thankful to have been able to see many family and friends. Thanks to everyone who opened up their homes to us (in 7 weeks we only stayed the first night in a motel! We need to meet someone in St. George Utah!) We are also grateful for the new friendships that were developed at MTI!

Jeff's Reflection from MTI

It is hard to summarize all that was learned and contemplated during a 3 week training program. It was a great time of preparation for us. Some of the richest times for me were precessing things after the sessions with Tracey. To talk about our hopes, dreams, and fears about moving and all that entails was invaluable. It was great to be able to talk and pray with each other without the usual pressures and responsibilities of life.

The principle that most impacted me is really quite simple and may not seem all that profound. The concept is to simply take care of myself and my family. To pay attention to signs of stress and to take practical steps to relieve it. To make sure that I and we are taking times to simply be with the Lord and are regularly practicing the discipline of Sabbath rest. From my limited experience abroad as well as in ministry it is easy for me to be consumed by my "work", the expectations of my supervisors, and of those around me. As a result the last person I think to take care of is myself. Yet to be effective and to have some longevity in Costa Rica I need to make sure that I am taking care of myself and our family in order to avoid burnout. In a way these are not necessarily new concepts to me. Rather it was more of a confirmation of what I knew deep down inside and permission in a sense to schedule in times of rest and restoration and to make them a priority.

I think at the core of pushing myself and stretching myself to thin is a desire to see God's kingdom extended and to do all I can to see his kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. It is easy to think that I am responsible for producing the results and then taking them to God. Rather I need to remember that I am not responsible for the results or for our work being successful. Rather my job is to simply be obedient to what he has called me to do and to be faithful. Part of that is making sure that I do my part to stay healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually, so that I am able to run a marathon instead of a sprint.

Weep With Those Who Weep

The last couple of days have been almost surreal for us at MTI. Most of you will probably already know about what has happened around here. On Sunday shortly after midnight there was a shooting at a YWAM base near Denver, and then after a church service at New Life Church, near Colorado Springs, there was another shooting. MTI is only about 10 miles from the second shooting. With many sketchy details and because MTI is also a mission-related organization, yesterday our building was in lockdown, with police patrolling the area regularly. Jeff, the kids, and I were actually away yesterday afternoon on the Santa Train Cog Rail in Co. Springs and didn't know about the second shooting until we received a call upon disembarking the train. However, on our way back to MTI, we saw New Life Church from the freeway, complete with flashing lights and a search helicopter flying overhead.

When we arrived back at MTI, someone had to open the door for us and we sort of scrambled inside. After a Wal-Mart run for diapers for some friends, Jeff had said, "Let's make sure everything is together in the trunk just in case we have to make a run for it." It was, and we hurried as quickly as we could, not wanting to believe the worst could even be a possibility.

We were greeted by worship songs coming from a group of our new MTI family that was gathered in the common area. Olivia and Sawyer melted into play with the other kids and dinner was served as usual soon after. The normalcy and fellowship uplifted everyone's spirits, and we fought fear in the evening by making gingerbread houses with the children! The festivities distracted us from the uncertainties and questions for a time. We have been thankful that the kids all seem to be oblivious to what has happened.

This morning we had a time of processing and sharing. It happened to coincide directly with the moment that I was hit emotionally with the reality of what happened. And not only with what happened here, but the violence that fills our world. Many of our friends here are heading to places of potential danger--Myanmar, Sudan, China--I don't know that any of us would have picked Colorado to be on that list. It is sobering to reflect on the darkness in each of our hearts. We all have such potential for good and for evil--and freedom. God forgive us and teach us to love instead of hate!!

As a mother, my greatest fear is that something bad will happen to my children. We are given no guarantees in this life except that God is faithful to walk with us in every situation. God is Good. We have no answers, and I grieve for all the moms and all the families today. And I pray that my children will be safe, and that they will choose Good as the path for their lives.

Thank you to all of you who have inquired about our safety and to those who are praying through this whole thing. Fellowship is so sweet.

In Awe!!

Have you ever been in awe of God's beauty? This morning we awoke to blue sky with trees, mountains and fields covered in a dusting of fresh snow. The God who created this also created you and I. More than that he created us in his image. I can only imagine how beautiful he is, as the beauty we see around us is a reflection of him. God knows just what we need to hear from him each day and today I (Jeff) am grateful to be reminded of his beauty, splendor, grandeur, and that he is God and I am not!

MTI

We are in the middle of a training program called SPLICE at Mission Training International (MTI). It is a 3 week program and we are enjoying our time learning about our heavenly Father, ourselves, each other, and getting to know new friends in the same stage of life as we are. One of the things we are learning to do is to live in paradox. This has proven true as in the midst of this exciting time of training we had the funeral for great grandma (see post below). We were also able to spend some time with Jeff's family before the program started as Jeff's parents live about an hour away. We have also found time for some walks in the foothills, playing on the playground, and yesterday visited Focus on the Family so the kids could explore "Odyssey and Witt's End" (their indoor play area, as it was cold and snowing!).

We have covered subjects such as conflict, life transitions, stress, life style choices, building community, sabbath rest, soul care, and entering a new culture. It has been a full couple of weeks with one to go! It has been a time of encouragement and introspection. We are still processing and reflecting on what God is doing in our lives and will post again soon with a window into our hearts. Please pray that God would continue to mold and shape us to be more like him.