Here and Now, There and Later.
Did you know that the average couple raising support to move to the mission field takes 18 months?
Jordan and I were trying to raise support and move to France in 6 months. It was ambitious, but we knew that God was able. He still is able. It's evident that He is continuing to open the door for us to go to France, but it's also evident that we won't be moving there in June, as we had originally hoped. God's plans are better than ours though, so we will continue to share our story with people and trust Him to bring more partners for His ministry in Aix-les-Bains.
Off and on over the last few weeks, I have felt a little discouraged. It feels like we've been at 37% of our monthly support goal for a long time (though that's not true). After our long trip of focused support-raising where we met several new people and reconnected with a lot of old friends and many family members, we returned to PA exhausted and didn't know what to do next. Who else can we talk to? What else do we say?
We were informed by a church that the support they'd verbally committed to us several months ago was under the contingent that we have a departure date. But to have a departure date we have to have the money; it's a catch 22. To us, this says that the church hesitates to commit because they are unsure of if we'll actually make it. But it's not a matter of IF we move to France, it's a matter of WHEN. Our fear is that there are individuals who believe this, too. Pray with us that we would be content with God's timing and not our own.
Last Friday (May 11), I cried out to God, "Lord, encourage me today. Remind me of Your purpose, not my own. Show us Your power. Move in peoples' hearts to partner with us generously and whole-heartedly...God, provide a miracle. Move us to France." Ten minutes after closing my journal, Jordan ran up the stairs with his computer staring at our support account. $1000 had been added to our account (from several different people - some of which we don't even know)! "Thank You, Lord. That is the encouragement we needed!"
This week we saw another generous donation from a couple who continues to give and give and give, above and beyond what we'd ever anticipated. We have been blessed, and we praise God for these partners in ministry!
And then we received an email that reminded us that God is using us to minister to people now:
Jordan and I were trying to raise support and move to France in 6 months. It was ambitious, but we knew that God was able. He still is able. It's evident that He is continuing to open the door for us to go to France, but it's also evident that we won't be moving there in June, as we had originally hoped. God's plans are better than ours though, so we will continue to share our story with people and trust Him to bring more partners for His ministry in Aix-les-Bains.
Off and on over the last few weeks, I have felt a little discouraged. It feels like we've been at 37% of our monthly support goal for a long time (though that's not true). After our long trip of focused support-raising where we met several new people and reconnected with a lot of old friends and many family members, we returned to PA exhausted and didn't know what to do next. Who else can we talk to? What else do we say?
We were informed by a church that the support they'd verbally committed to us several months ago was under the contingent that we have a departure date. But to have a departure date we have to have the money; it's a catch 22. To us, this says that the church hesitates to commit because they are unsure of if we'll actually make it. But it's not a matter of IF we move to France, it's a matter of WHEN. Our fear is that there are individuals who believe this, too. Pray with us that we would be content with God's timing and not our own.
This week we saw another generous donation from a couple who continues to give and give and give, above and beyond what we'd ever anticipated. We have been blessed, and we praise God for these partners in ministry!
And then we received an email that reminded us that God is using us to minister to people now:
"...I just get so amazed (even though I know I shouldn't) when God is so evident in things! I still think about that morning when I thought about missionaries to Europe (or at least that part of the world) wondering why we never hear about people going there...then low and behold y'all show up at our small group lol!!
Thank you so much for praying over [my husband] the way you did. [He] had a physical that next week that I had made b/c of his aches and pains but when we sat down with the doctor [he] told him that you had prayed over him and he has not hurt since....and to this day he has not complained about his elbow, knees, neck, back...nothing! Praise God for not only answering your prayer but for sending you when he did and you hearing him!"
I share this email and the news about our generous ministry partners so that you will join us in praising God. I do not share this for our glory, or for the glory of those I'm writing about, but for God's glory and His alone!
Sometimes this process of support raising feels like a waiting game. When will we have enough support to go to pre-field training? When will we have enough support to move to France? When will we move? When will we learn French and start ministry? We wait and wait and wait. But we were reminded that God has us exactly where He wants us; He is using us here and now...and we trust that He will also use us there and later.
"I praise you because you are to be feared; all you do is strange and wonderful. I know it with all my heart." - Psalm 139:14 GNT
If you would like to join us in the ministry that God has us doing now, please follow the instructions here.
If you would like to join us in the ministry that God has us doing now, please follow the instructions here.
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