Next Question : When are you moving?

Now that our number one question of "Where are you going?" is answered, the question  that follows is


"WHEN are you moving?"


 We would love to answer that and say, next week, but that can't quite happen.  Before we can move to Africa and be a part of the MAF's ministry to the DRC people, we need to have our full support raised.  That means 100% of the monthly amount it takes for a family to live overseas, needs provided.  We are so grateful for each of you that have partnered with us on a monthly or yearly basis. It is so incredible to see God at work and hear how He has lead people to give and be a part of our ministry with MAF.
We are currently at 61% and would love to be on our way to Africa early 2015.  At this point that seems impossible to us.  To raise 39% in 3 months!!!!!   We have just about maxed out our contact base, approached as many churches as we could think of in our area and beyond, and appealed to everybody we know.  Yet this is not impossible for God.  He takes our limitations and makes it an opportunity for us to see His power and His hand at work in our lives and the people that He is working in to be a part of this ministry with us.  He has seen fit for us to be in this process of seeking out ministry partners, for just over 10 months now.  He has seen fit to use this time to continue to teach us to rely on Him, to grow as a family and to slowly prepare our family for the transitions ahead.  He has stretched us and been our strength as we presented and stepped out of our comfort zone and met so many wonderful people who share the same heart for missions and are part of the sending force behind not only us, but other missionaries as well.

So how can you help?

 We want to invite you again to consider being a part of reaching the people of the DRC with help and the hope of the Gospel by partnering with us in our MAF ministry.  We are looking for 40 people who can give $75 a monthly.  Each $75 gift moves us one percent closer towards our full funding.  Maybe you are feeling led to give a portion of that, and that is great.  We are so grateful for each gift and know that God has provided it and He speaks to each of us individually.

You can also help by passing on our story to your church or missions committee.  Asking that they consider having us come and share about the work of MAF and our upcoming ministry to the Congolese people.  We love to share how God has worked in our lives, even as teens, and began to prepare us for this ministry with MAF.   You can also host a small group in your home.  Gather some friends and invite us to come and share about MAF's ministry around the world.

So as we press on to the FINAL 40, prayerfully consider being a part of this ministry with us.  Your gift enables us to go and serve the people in DRC, bringing support to the Congolese churches as they reach out to their communities with the Gospel of Christ.

Nothing is impossible for God but all things are an opportunity for Him to show us His power and our need to rely on Him.

The Big News

Yes folks, the wait is finally over.   We are excited to share with you all that we will be moving to


 AFRICA!!!!!!!!













We will be serving as part of the East DRC program (Democratic Republic of the Congo)  but will be living in  Kampala, Uganda where the heavy maintenance is done for the East DRC program.

DRC has seen it's share of tribal activity and has had a slow recovery from the effects of a violent civil war.  The infrastructure in the country is poor and deteriorating which makes the need for MAF so vital.    EDRC is recovering and becoming more stable, but for now, the heavy maintenance is done in Uganda. 

We feel this is a great fit for our family.  For one, the language is English, so the girls, and us, will be able to adjust to a new culture with out the barrier of having to learn a new language as well.  There are also great schooling options for the girls.  As much as I am open to homeschooling, we feel they will thrive more if they are able to be involved in school as they are here, and interact with more kids as they adjust in to a new culture.

We will continue to keep you updated as we learn more about Kampala and what life will look like, as well as the needs of the people in DRC which we will be serving.

We are so grateful for each one of you who have come along side of us in this ministry.  We are just over 60% and gearing up for the final 40.  We are eager to go and serve full time in Kampala, and are trusting God for his provision in the months ahead. 

Join with us in praying for the people of the DRC and that God would move in peoples hearts to be a part of this ministry with us.

 

"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.

   

Alberta in September - Don't miss out

You don't want to miss out on this exciting opportunity to hear how God is working in reaching those in isolated parts of the world with His message of hope and salvation.  We will be in Red Deer Alberta on Monday, Sept. 22 sharing about the work of MAF and our ministry with them.  We are looking for churches and individuals, passionate about missions and hearing more about the ministry of MAF that would be willing to host us for an evening, either small group in their home or bring us to their church.  We are willing to drive to any city in the province and would love to meet with you.  MAF's work is life saving and life transforming and we don't want you to miss out on being a part of it with us.  Dates on either side of Sept 22 are still available so consider how you can be a part of this ministry.  Pass the word along to others you know that live out west too and feel free to send us a message if you'd like to know more.

Big News to Share

Ok, so we know we just posted a blog entry last night,  which makes it a new record to post 2 days in a row, but we just had to share with you.

As of today, our monthly percentage has climbed a little more and we are now at.....

 Yes we are now half way to being fully funded and being sent out to the field to serve with MAF.  We are so thankful for each of you that have come along side of us to get us to this point and can only wait with great anticipation to see how God is going to bring in the other half. 

We also have exciting news about our location of service.  We are soooo close to knowing where we will be moving to serve with MAF.  We have had some recent discussions with some of the office staff where we voiced some of our thoughts, concerns and views, and they responded to some of those thoughts and gave us locations where they thought we could fit in. So now, we begin to research those areas, and pray... and wait for a response.  And we request that all those who support us, financially, and/or in prayer, that you would pray for us now. Pray for God's direction, where He would have us serve. He's been in control from the get go, and there's no reason to think any different now.
Keep watching our blog.  The next post might just be about our destination country.

Ottawa trip Highlights

So after a week of vacation following our ministry trip to the Ottawa area, we are back to routine, well some what.  It is still summer so routine doesn't quite happen yet.  We had reported on Facebook during our time in Ottawa,  a little about how it went but wanted to be sure to share  some of the highlights on here as well, for those not on Facebook.
We were so thankful to be able to spend the week at Sarah's Aunt and Uncles.  The girls loved playing with their kittens and helping with the chores.  Thanks for your hospitality.

( A quick picture before we departed with those who were home that morning.

Aunt Nancy, Elisabeth and Gabrielle standing with our girls)

 

This trip was a little different than our trip north, with fewer events planned.   We had planned the trip in this time frame because we wanted to do it during the summer when the girls were out of school and could enjoy it with us, but what we didn't think about, was how everyone else is also on vacation.  So as much as we would have liked to have had a full week of ministry events planned, we were blessed by the 2 that we did have.

The congregation at Russell Reformed Presbyterian was very welcoming and we had some great conversations about the work of MAF and our ministry with them.  We were blessed by their giving and encouraged by their stories, of God at work and His faithfulness in all situations.   Now a very neat thing about this church is that they were holding their VBS a week after our visit.  After hearing our presentation on the Sunday, they decided to have us as their mission project and share about MAF and our calling to serve with the kids at their VBS.  How cool is that.

Our second event was at our friends house with their small group and again because it was summer, they had taken a break from their regular weekly meetings but invited everyone to come over to hear our story and ministry.  It was a small group but a great one non the less.  We were blessed to meet a great couple and also hear about the mission work that is happening in their church. 

A week in Ottawa would not be complete with out a visit to some of the museums in our nations capitol.  So we made sure to take in the sights of the Museum of Civilization and the Museum of Science and Technology.  The girls loved the hands on displays and the great Children's Museum that is part of the Civilization museum.

(Lauren taking Hannah for a motorbike ride. Not sure Hannah thinks it's a good idea)

 

(From the Quebec side of the river with the Parliament Buildings in the background)

 

So as we look back at the week, we can see that even though it didn't come together like we had first planned out, with a full slate of ministry events, it was still just the way God intended it to be.  Meeting the people that He wanted us to meet and growing us personally as we trust Him in all things.  Thank you for your prayers as we travelled and shared about the ministry of MAF.  Maybe it will be your town that we visit next. :-)

ADVOCATE Concert Friday, August 15, 7 pm

August is here and our fundraiser concert is fast approaching.  We have handed out posters to a number of area churches and local business, passed the word along through Facebook and email, and now we wait with anticipation of a great evening of worship.  Wyoming Baptist Church has graciously allowed us to use their facilities and we are so thankful.
ADVOCATE is a gospel music group from Simcoe, Ontario with a young southern gospel sound.  You can check them out on their website.  www.advocatemusicgroup.com

 

Make plans to join us Friday, Aug 15 at 7pm.  If you are unable to come, you can still be a part by helping us spread the word and be in prayer for the evening.  That God would be glorified and that many would financially come along side of us in our ministry with MAF.