"The Lord himself goes before you"

We are just back from a great week in Alberta.  Not only did we get to enjoy some of the beautiful country side but also met with some wonderful people who have a heart for missions and are excited for people such as ourselves, who are going out to serve overseas.  Through out the whole trip we saw the evidence of God at work and His going before us.   As we were setting up the week to meet with churches and individuals, we had called a number of current MAF supporters to see if they would be interested in meeting a MAF family that is going to be heading overseas.  This was a bit of a stretch for us to make these phone calls but God is good.  He took our humble efforts and brought us together with a lovely couple who were willing to meet with us and hear our story.  It was such an encouragement to hear how they have been supporting MAF for a number of years and were thinking how it would be nice to partner with a family again.  Wow, only God could orchestrate that and we acknowledge Him for bringing us together with this couple.

On Sunday we were able to share at Northmount Baptist Church in Calgary.  The pastor there was a great advocate for us and shared how he had experienced the need for MAF, first hand while being in Irian Jaya, Indonesia a number of years ago.  His brother had broken his wrist and needed to be transported to hospital.  The MAF flight saved them a long trip over rough roads in order to get care at the nearest hospital.  The congregation in Calgary was very welcoming and we were encouraged by their interest in our calling and passion, and enjoyed worshiping with them. 

Another highlight from our trip was a small group dessert night at Caroline Nazarene church.  It was wonderful to get to know this group and to be able to share how God has brought us to be a part of the ministry of MAF.  Their encouragement and support was amazing and we are so thankful to have been able to meet with them.

A trip to Alberta would not be complete with out checking out the West Edmonton Mall and taking in the view of the mountains.  Although time did not permit us to travel into the mountains, we enjoyed the view of the foothills from Caroline.

 We also found a beautiful spot at Big Hill Springs, as we did a short hike along the trail through this Provincial Park.

We also met with friends living in Alberta and had a few other coffee or dinner chats and were overall encouraged as we continue through this phase of building our partnership team.  God is leading the way, if we will but follow His direction.

A great reminder for us this week was Deuteronomy 31:8 ^"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

At times, as we work through this phase of building our ministry team, we can get discouraged with how things work out differently then we planned.  We get focused on what isn't happening rather than what is.  This verse has been a reminder to us that God himself is going before us.  As we saw first hand in this trip, He went ahead and prepared peoples hearts to partner with us.  He is always with us and even when we feel stretched to do what is not comfortable, or when we have a different idea of how things should have worked out, God is with us.  He is going before us in all circumstances and we have no reason to fear, whatever the out come may be. 

So now it is on to more building of our ministry partnership team.  We are over 1/2 way in our monthly support and praise God for this milestone.   We know God has already planned out who will partner with us in this ministry and we look forward to the days ahead when this phase is complete and we move on to the next.   Knowing that we will continue to learn and see God move whether it is here as we build our partnership team or overseas serving the people in need there.