The Sacrifice?

                       VS     

Why would you give it all up?  Being asked this didn’t faze us at first.  Of course we would, for God’s calling!  Then it started to creep into our minds.  You know, it starts with little things.  You are out grocery shopping and see a cute table that would look perfect in that spot you were looking to fill in your home.  Then you think, I can’t take that with me, so maybe no. You are on a trip and find a coffee mug, but then you think, less is more for the shipping you are about to take on.  Looking around your home you begin to put imaginary labels on things, like “This stays” or “This goes” or even “Who would I give this to?”  Then you look at the people you are leaving behind, dear friends and family. Family, grown children, now there are tears beginning. 

When you first hear the question about giving it “all up”, your initial reaction is the full time employment that you are sacrificing. Everything happens so quickly once that step of faith is actually taken.  Somehow, with every thought, peace has overcome us both.  Not “somehow” but with God’s comfort.  His Word and encouragement through so many others that we have shared this new journey with have strengthened our faith even more.   That “cute table” is not even a second thought. Souvenirs are just a reminder of a trip that you will never forget.  Those wonderful people that fill your life are not gone.  They are not unreachable.  They will continue to pray for you.  Our children…they are God’s children.  We were blessed to be a part of their lives and this is not the end.  It is just different.  Praise Him for His comforting and Praise Him for all the people we have been able to add to our lives.  Now we look forward to joining God in His work as He adds more to the “Family”.  There will be tears, but not of regret or sadness.  But of joy of the wonderful blessings we were blessed to experience so far in this life.

So if you think of us, please pray for us. God will know at that moment what our needs would be. If you think, “I would have liked to have gone to coffee with them”, then please consider putting those coins off to the side and at the end of each month, please consider committing those coins to help support us.  We would LOVE to remain connected with you and for you to be able to join us as well.  If you are feeling led to, this is a way that you can be serving God as well. 

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;  bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.  Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.  Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.  Colossians 3:12-17

Please know we are in prayer for you daily!  Thank you to all of you!

The Prayers

Friends:      We are seeking prayer. 

 When we are praying to God, He gives us a directive to follow.  I Thessalonians 5:17  "Pray without ceasing".  We find this to actually be a difficult thing to do in our daily lives.  To stop the busy morning schedule of getting kids up and fed before school and catching the train to work or the never ending list of errands to run.  There are times that we pause for prayer to God before a meal- but not always.  There are times where there is genuine effort to be with Him in our devotional time.  But to actually pray without ceasing?  Is that even possible?  With God, all things are possible.  How would our schedules look if we did make time to pray without ceasing?  When we focus on keeping our eyes towards Him, each task we encounter seems to be small.  Peace creeps into our hearts and before you know it, joy has taken hold.  God wants that personal relationship with you.  Isn't He worth enough prayer that is compared to the amount of texts we may send in a day?  Please, continue to be in prayer and pray expectantly that His Will will be done. 

Friends, please pray:

1.  For Rick and Becky Mackey and their children, Elena and Ben.  They are going to be our team leaders in the Dominican Republic.  They have been stationed there for the past 8 years.  We are excited to be apart of this team that God has chosen for us.

They are on an extended furlough and there has been some difficulties in adjusting.  Their hearts are overwhelmed for the people they are serving in the Dominican and they long to be there.  Please pray for strengthening and encouragement for them.

2.  For Pastor Alex and his wife, Carol.  They are in a small church in the Dominican that is in need of the Lord's hand for guidance and wisdom.

3. For Pastor Fransisco who is overseeing these different churches and that he is given the Lord's wisdom on how to serve God with these different events that arise. 

4.  For Gil and Danna to be strengthened in faith and compassion and to be patient on God's timing for entering into the field full time.

Matthew 6:9-13 

This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

   your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,[a]
    but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’

The Vision

Education is what most of us think is the key to success.  In just about every situation, this holds to be true.  You wouldn’t want your surgeon looking in a manual before your operation, or your lawyer to google information while at your trial or even your mechanic scratching his head because he never learned the carburetor from the radiator.  So what about for those who are trying to lead a church?  The number one location to receive full education in this is definitely in God’s Word.  But what if you didn’t have a Bible?  What if you wanted more supplemental teaching to be a more rounded Preacher and you don’t have the means to get to a school, let alone pay for it?  What if there was someone willing to not only provide a Bible in your language, but theology books in your language as well? How about if that person brought that information to you and stayed for a while, guiding, teaching, and showing you what it means to be a disciple of God?  Do you think you would be encouraged and strengthened?    This is what we are called to do.  “As iron sharpens iron, so a person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

The Dominican Republic is where God is leading our lives.  We can’t do it alone.  We need the whole body of Christ.  Would you prayerfully consider joining us in this partnership?  Through giving, praying and communication, you will continue to energize us and strengthen us while we serve overseas.

Pico Duarte stands at 10,000 ft high and is the highest peak in all of the Caribbean.  It is located central to the island of Hispaniola, also known as Haiti/Dominican Republic.   In the valleys of this great mountain are the small city of Jarabacoa and its outlying villages.  If you are one of the families that have a “vehicle” you may be required to pick up a hitch hiker if there is any room after your family squeezes in.

The Encouragement

Every time we have been able to share what God's vision is for the Dominican Republic, we get a little more excited for this new step in our lives.  We don't think our smiles could be wider!  We have met with a lot of different people over the past few weeks.  All have been great at listening, asking questions, and most of all, all of the prayers we have been a part of.  Praise Him for fellowship!

It is easy to be nervous.  It is easy to worry.  But we praise Him in His provisions and His guidance.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105.  Each step that we encounter on this journey has been revealed in His timing.   Our lives are becoming full with appointments and schedules.  We will turn our eyes to Him for that light and guidance.

While planning, scheduling and taking time out for our family and for each other, we have been blessed with a task to start being involved in the Dominican now.  We are making banners of the books of the Bible in Spanish.  We pray these will be a blessing to the Dominican’s as they memorize the books of the Bible. “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.”  Deuteronomy 6:6-9

We know you are praying for us and we thank you deeply with our prayers for you!  Please continue to pray for us and for those we talk to and for our new brothers and sisters in Christ that we are going to welcome into His family from the Dominican Republic.

The Beginning

Let the adventure of a new chapter in our lives begin.  

The Lord knew what He was doing as He guided our steps over the years.  As always, we were not aware of all the things He had planned for us in our lives or how they would turn out during those times.  God has taken us through various training and soften our hearts repeatedly.  Sometimes it felt like we were in a mirror maze where we kept running head on into the dead ends.  Praise Him for His patience with us!  

It has been overwhelmingly clear where God wants us to be, serving Him full time.  By no means are we better at any one area than anyone else.  We are willing.  Isaiah 6:8 "As I also heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom will go for us?'  Then I said,'Here am I! Send me"(NKJV)  Praise Him for His guidance!

We have been through so much hands on training over the years from serving in our church and our community and short-term missions trips.  Now we are going to be trained through our pre-field ministry, extensive cross-cultural training for two straight months then full language school for Danna to "catch up" to Gil's expertise of the language.  Praise Him for His leading! 

  Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (NKJV) We will need prayer for this road ahead of us.

PLEASE PRAY:

•  Strength and endurance through balancing work with pre-field ministry.  
• Against spiritual attacks 
• Financial Support and Stability
• Transition for our family members with this new adventure