Praise God for another supporter who joined the team today and with his monthly commitment, raised us up to 87% of our goal!
Just $371 in monthly commitments are needed for us to reach 95% and book our airfare to Ireland!
God is great and the jump of 2 percentage points today was a real encouragement for us. I am reminded daily of how he is in control.
What will tomorrow bring?
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
June 23rd Update
Just a quick update on a few things that have been happening in our lives since the last post:
- God has continued to bless our support raising and we are now at 85% of our required goal! Just a little under $500 in monthly commitments for us to be released to Ireland. The Lord keeps placing people in our path who have an interest in our ministry and want to partner with us in their finances and prayers.
- With a lot of help from our church we had a successful garage sale, clearing out a lot of our stuff and making some money in the process to help with moving expenses. Special thanks to John & Angela Caprine, Stacy Bins, Stephanie Osowski, Kerri Wittwer, Jason Green, Shannon Howard and everyone who donated items to the sale!
- I attended my grandfather's memorial service this past weekend. It was a great time of remembrance as we shared memories and stories of him with friends and family. I was blessed and honored to share the eulogy/message at the service for him.
- This Sunday, the 28th, we will have our commissioning service at Summit Ridge Church in Las Vegas. Dave McBride from Operation Mobilization in Tyrone, GA will attend and help give the message along with Pastor John. This is a service that is totally being done in faith that God will provide the remainder of our support in time for us to leave by the end of July. If you are in Vegas, we would love to see you there!
The next couple of weeks we will be working on packing up the house and getting everything ready to load on a U-Haul to Enterprise, OR. We will store some of our stuff there at Sarah's mom's house. Before we leave, we will take a short trip to San Diego to say goodbye to most of Sarah's extended family. We'll spend a week or so in Enterprise and then a week or so in Marcola, OR before (God willing) flying out of Portland to Dublin during the last week of July.
Please prayerfully consider what part God would have you play in all of this as we look to wrap up the final bit of support raising. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Support Raising Update
Yesterday God added 3 new supporters to our team which resulted in a 3% increase toward meeting our financial requirement. We are now officially at 80% of our goal!
Again, we must be at 95% of our goal in order to be released to Ireland. That is just $700 in monthly commitments to go! Another way of looking at it is 4 more people committing to $100/month and 6 more committing to $50/month.
Please pray that God will continue in His provision for the financial needs of our family. All in God's timing of course, but we would love to have the remainder come in quickly so that we can book our airline tickets soon and save some money that way.
If you haven't already done so, please prayerfully consider partnering with us financially. No monthly amount is too small at this point...it will all go towards knocking the remaining $700/month down. Even "special" lump-sum gifts will be applied to our monthly needs and spread out over the 2 year period we will be in Ireland. For example, if someone gave $2400 then that would spread out to $100/month.
If you are already part of our prayer & financial support team, THANK YOU! Please continue to pray for us and if you know of others who may have a heart for our ministry, let us know. Would you also pray about possibly increasing your commitment by a small amount? Another $5 or $10 per month multiplied by 50 people would have a tremendous impact on our remaining amount.
Looking forward to seeing what God will do in the days & weeks to come!
Again, we must be at 95% of our goal in order to be released to Ireland. That is just $700 in monthly commitments to go! Another way of looking at it is 4 more people committing to $100/month and 6 more committing to $50/month.
Please pray that God will continue in His provision for the financial needs of our family. All in God's timing of course, but we would love to have the remainder come in quickly so that we can book our airline tickets soon and save some money that way.
If you haven't already done so, please prayerfully consider partnering with us financially. No monthly amount is too small at this point...it will all go towards knocking the remaining $700/month down. Even "special" lump-sum gifts will be applied to our monthly needs and spread out over the 2 year period we will be in Ireland. For example, if someone gave $2400 then that would spread out to $100/month.
If you are already part of our prayer & financial support team, THANK YOU! Please continue to pray for us and if you know of others who may have a heart for our ministry, let us know. Would you also pray about possibly increasing your commitment by a small amount? Another $5 or $10 per month multiplied by 50 people would have a tremendous impact on our remaining amount.
Looking forward to seeing what God will do in the days & weeks to come!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Psst...here's a short cut to getting on the mission field!
Made you look! There are no short cuts!
It has been an interesting few days for us. Our support level is still at 77%. We have often remarked to each other that it would be easier if the remainder would just come in today, or if the exchange rate would improve, or if this or that... Basically, how nice would it be if there was some type of short cut we could take to get to Ireland like, tomorrow!
I'm reminded of a story about two lumberjacks, one who was young & strong and one who was old & wise. The young man was bragging about how many trees he could chop down in a day. The older man couldn't keep from laughing at the young man's boasting. With his pride offended, the youth replied, "What are you laughing at, old man? I could cut down more trees in a day than you could dream of!" This only made the old man laugh harder and they decided to make a wager on who could cut down the most trees in a day. The next morning on the word "Go!", the young man flew in to the forest and you could hear the crack of the axe echoing off the mountain as he attacked each tree. But the old man sauntered off to the tool shed, grabbed a file, and started sharpening his axe. At the end of the day, the old man had won.
There are several lessons here that apply to ministry/missions/evangelism. It is not something to be rushed in to, preparation is key, and it is good practice to keep your "axe" sharp. I believe anyone who is called to ministry or missions is also called to be successful in that endeavor, with God's grace. My definition of success here is to win people to Christ and bless the next generation - or in other words, reproduce reproducers who can share the gospel.
Here are some ways that I am looking to keep my axe sharp while I wait upon the Lord so that I am prepared for the opportunities that will come in His timing:
1) Practice faithfulness - I want to hold firm to the call that I believe God has given me. I want to offer everything that I am and have to Him, and allow Him to use me for a successful ministry. I realize that any success realized is not of my own skill or knowledge, but is a result of my faithfulness to His calling.
2) Be in prayer - Acts 1:14 "Those with one mind were constantly devoting themselves to prayer" Philippians 4:6 "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God"
I highlighted the words in red because what stood out to me here is to constantly be in prayer about everything! Bringing our requests before God is both our privilege and our duty. Jesus modeled intentional, fervent, and undistracted times of prayer - if Jesus needed to pray, how much more so do we!
3) Be in God's Word - The bible is a map to understanding God and His purpose for our lives. It shows us how to live with and love each other. I do not want to wander in the wilderness as we set out to the mission field - I want to vividly know and live by the best map there is!
4) Find encouragement - Some of this can be accomplished through the points already listed, but what I really mean here is being encouraged by other believers. I'm not talking about just going to church, saying hello, and being polite. I desire people that can share in the ups & downs of life and be there to encourage me, and I them - it is a two way street.
We very much want to be on the mission field, but I do not want any short cut and I do not want to be beating on trees with axe handles. I want to keep my axe sharp and "...be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work" (2 Timothy 2:12).
As strong as our desire is to get to Ireland, Sarah & I have been reminded that it is not about us. It is about the people there that will be reached with the good news as God uses us for His purpose. Ireland is a country in great need and our prayer is to be used to help meet some of that need. Our passion about our calling is stronger than ever and we remain faithful to He who called us. What a joy and an honor it is to watch God work!
It has been an interesting few days for us. Our support level is still at 77%. We have often remarked to each other that it would be easier if the remainder would just come in today, or if the exchange rate would improve, or if this or that... Basically, how nice would it be if there was some type of short cut we could take to get to Ireland like, tomorrow!
I'm reminded of a story about two lumberjacks, one who was young & strong and one who was old & wise. The young man was bragging about how many trees he could chop down in a day. The older man couldn't keep from laughing at the young man's boasting. With his pride offended, the youth replied, "What are you laughing at, old man? I could cut down more trees in a day than you could dream of!" This only made the old man laugh harder and they decided to make a wager on who could cut down the most trees in a day. The next morning on the word "Go!", the young man flew in to the forest and you could hear the crack of the axe echoing off the mountain as he attacked each tree. But the old man sauntered off to the tool shed, grabbed a file, and started sharpening his axe. At the end of the day, the old man had won.
There are several lessons here that apply to ministry/missions/evangelism. It is not something to be rushed in to, preparation is key, and it is good practice to keep your "axe" sharp. I believe anyone who is called to ministry or missions is also called to be successful in that endeavor, with God's grace. My definition of success here is to win people to Christ and bless the next generation - or in other words, reproduce reproducers who can share the gospel.
Here are some ways that I am looking to keep my axe sharp while I wait upon the Lord so that I am prepared for the opportunities that will come in His timing:
1) Practice faithfulness - I want to hold firm to the call that I believe God has given me. I want to offer everything that I am and have to Him, and allow Him to use me for a successful ministry. I realize that any success realized is not of my own skill or knowledge, but is a result of my faithfulness to His calling.
2) Be in prayer - Acts 1:14 "Those with one mind were constantly devoting themselves to prayer" Philippians 4:6 "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God"
I highlighted the words in red because what stood out to me here is to constantly be in prayer about everything! Bringing our requests before God is both our privilege and our duty. Jesus modeled intentional, fervent, and undistracted times of prayer - if Jesus needed to pray, how much more so do we!
3) Be in God's Word - The bible is a map to understanding God and His purpose for our lives. It shows us how to live with and love each other. I do not want to wander in the wilderness as we set out to the mission field - I want to vividly know and live by the best map there is!
4) Find encouragement - Some of this can be accomplished through the points already listed, but what I really mean here is being encouraged by other believers. I'm not talking about just going to church, saying hello, and being polite. I desire people that can share in the ups & downs of life and be there to encourage me, and I them - it is a two way street.
We very much want to be on the mission field, but I do not want any short cut and I do not want to be beating on trees with axe handles. I want to keep my axe sharp and "...be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work" (2 Timothy 2:12).
As strong as our desire is to get to Ireland, Sarah & I have been reminded that it is not about us. It is about the people there that will be reached with the good news as God uses us for His purpose. Ireland is a country in great need and our prayer is to be used to help meet some of that need. Our passion about our calling is stronger than ever and we remain faithful to He who called us. What a joy and an honor it is to watch God work!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
So, today is June 3rd. We are two days past our self-imposed deadline of reaching 90% of our required financial support level by June 1st. I wanted to take a moment to provide an update of where we stand, what our remaining need is (along with our strategy to get there), and share our updated time line.
We are currently at 77% of our required support level. At first I felt disappointed that we did not achieve what we set out to do by June 1st. But I am reminded that this is not about our goals and our timetables, but about God's perfect plan for us. While I have no doubt that we are called to serve in Ireland and that God's hand has been upon this endeavor, I am ashamed to admit that I have doubted in His provision when things haven't gone the way I wanted them to go. God is faithful - I just need to remember that! In many ways, our support has been like manna from heaven. It seems as though we get just enough every day to keep the percentage ticking upward. I am thankful for all that God has given to us so far.
Our remaining need is that we are required to get to 95% of our support before we can be released to Ireland. That is another 18% of our goal to raise - which comes out to $872 in monthly commitments to obtain. That would be only 9 people contributing $100/month! There are a handful of people for us to contact and/or hear back from, but the fact is that our network of potential supporters is dwindling.
Our strategy to get to 95% of our goal is this:
1) Pray
2) Pray
3) Pray
4) Be prepared for opportunities that God provides to share about our ministry and to ask for prayer and financial support
5) Reach out to those who are already part of our support team with 2 things in mind:
A) Do they have friends, family members, co-workers who have a heart for missions and may be interested in our ministry in Ireland?
B) Would they be in prayer about increasing their financial support by as little as $10/month or 33 cents per day? With nearly 50 monthly supporters on the team, this alone would produce more than a 10% boost to our required budget!
Our updated time line is that we will be cleared to depart when 95% of our monthly support is committed. Our prayer is that God will provide in time for us to fly to Ireland while Sarah is still able to (due to her pregnancy). The last day that she can fly is July 29th. If we are not able to go by then, then we will need to have the baby here and then wait a couple of months to travel, which would put us in December/January.
Well, that's the latest. We remain encouraged and optimistic and we know that we will be strengthened as we wait upon our Lord!
We are currently at 77% of our required support level. At first I felt disappointed that we did not achieve what we set out to do by June 1st. But I am reminded that this is not about our goals and our timetables, but about God's perfect plan for us. While I have no doubt that we are called to serve in Ireland and that God's hand has been upon this endeavor, I am ashamed to admit that I have doubted in His provision when things haven't gone the way I wanted them to go. God is faithful - I just need to remember that! In many ways, our support has been like manna from heaven. It seems as though we get just enough every day to keep the percentage ticking upward. I am thankful for all that God has given to us so far.
Our remaining need is that we are required to get to 95% of our support before we can be released to Ireland. That is another 18% of our goal to raise - which comes out to $872 in monthly commitments to obtain. That would be only 9 people contributing $100/month! There are a handful of people for us to contact and/or hear back from, but the fact is that our network of potential supporters is dwindling.
Our strategy to get to 95% of our goal is this:
1) Pray
2) Pray
3) Pray
4) Be prepared for opportunities that God provides to share about our ministry and to ask for prayer and financial support
5) Reach out to those who are already part of our support team with 2 things in mind:
A) Do they have friends, family members, co-workers who have a heart for missions and may be interested in our ministry in Ireland?
B) Would they be in prayer about increasing their financial support by as little as $10/month or 33 cents per day? With nearly 50 monthly supporters on the team, this alone would produce more than a 10% boost to our required budget!
Our updated time line is that we will be cleared to depart when 95% of our monthly support is committed. Our prayer is that God will provide in time for us to fly to Ireland while Sarah is still able to (due to her pregnancy). The last day that she can fly is July 29th. If we are not able to go by then, then we will need to have the baby here and then wait a couple of months to travel, which would put us in December/January.
Well, that's the latest. We remain encouraged and optimistic and we know that we will be strengthened as we wait upon our Lord!
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