Kids say it best!

Recently Madison and I were doing some errands and we were talking about traveling. I was talking traveling over the ocean. Madison said that she wanted to go on a big ship, but she said that she did not want to go on a ship like the Titanic. I said why not just curious to what she would say. She said "because it sunk". I couldn't help but laugh and say duh to myself.

Kids see, hear and remember much more than we give them credit for. As parents we have a great responsibility to train our children according to the bible. Anything less, it would be better to have a milestone hung around your neck and be thrown into the ocean. (Matt. 18:6)

We have been able to schedule several more meetings praise the Lord!

First Meeting

We were able to schedule our first meeting this week. What an answer to prayer. The last few weeks have been busy, with our mailings and phone calls. It is exciting for Heather and I to talk to our kids about going to the mission field and all of the details that it involves. Surprisingly the 2 older ones seem to understand what is going on. The questions are endless, especially from Madison who asks daily "When are we going to South Africa?"

The nights have finally started to cool off a bit and we have been able to go out in the evenings with the kids and play. If we let them they would play until they just fell over from exhaustion.

This last week we went to the science museum. The kids really enjoy interacting with the exhibits. Madison is our traveler so whenever we get a chance to go somewhere she is in heaven.

Mailing!

Well we have finally received our prayer cards and we are ready to send out our first mailing. These next few days and weeks are very important as we will be contacting churches to set up meetings. This can be a time consuming but necessary step.
We would like to ask you to pray for us as we make contacts that the Holy Spirit will burden hearts so that we can be able to set up a strong prayer team for our family, and also for the financial support that we need to raise to go to the field.
The verse that Heather and I regularly turn to is Isaiah 40:31 "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint".
God's timing is perfect, and to know that depend on Him, go by his schedule we are renewed. That is the commitment that we desire to have to God, and we pray that is your desire. Spiritual endurance, we cannot do it with out the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

Our goal is to be able to at least schedule 2 meetings by the end of the year. We value your prayer for our family.

Freedom

The last month has been a little interesting with Makayla and her little cast. Thankfully the Lord gave us the strength to get through it. Really I think it was harder on us than Makayla. At the end she was walking with it. It is so amazing how quickly kids adapt and heal. She is now out of the cast and running around with a little limp but that hardly slows her down.

This next week we are going to be sending out all of our mission literature. I believe all of you will receive it, but if we for some reason missed you, send us a note and we will immediately send you a packet.
Please pray as we begin to call churches in the next few weeks, that the Lord would allow us to schedule some meetings within this year. Heather and I are still planning on going to South Africa this spring for a survey trip. That is also a big prayer request. Many things have to fall into place for that to happen, but we serve a God who specializes in what we think is impossible.
Recently our youth group has started a study through the bible, and we began discussing the eternality of God. Proverbs 90:1-2 says "from everlasting to everlasting, You are God" it is so encouraging to know that we serve a God who is not only alive He has always been and he is in control over everything.

God's Refining Fire

Wednesday evening we were preparing dinner and we heard one of the kids fall. I ran in their room and Makayla was laying on the ground crying. I checked her out and could not find anything seriously wrong besides a bump on her head. Throughout the night she complained that her leg hurt, so periodically I checked it. The next morning she was still complaining about her leg and would not stand on it. We decided to take her to the urgent care to get it checked out. They took an X-ray of her leg and to our surprise found out the she had broken her femur(thigh bone).
Now we are home she has a partial body cast and will be in it for at least a month. Please pray that her pain will be minimal and for quick healing. Heather and I also would like prayer, because this next month is going to be a little difficult.
God is good and are thanking Him that surgery did not have to be done. Just when you think that you might have seen it all God allows you to go through another test. What an opportunity to show how you can trust God in every circumstance.

Beginning the Journey

To be able to realize that we are actually real missionaries is a very humbling reality. We are very excited to see what God has in store for our family. Knowing that our ministry here in the states is just as important as any ministry that we will be a part of in South Africa. The passage in I Cor. 1:27 that says ..."God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty"..., comes to our minds regularly.
These next few months are going to be very important for us. We need your prayer as we are going to be looking for churches to have meetings in and for us to create a solid prayer team.