Where we go from here
First, let me apologize for the crickets that have been chirping around this blog for oh, I'd say the last 2 months.. Much has happened, and there has been much to celebrate. Most of all, the birth of our Savior! A gift that never ceases to amaze me, nor does it cease to hit me in a very deep, and profound way each Christmas. There is something to be said for having been rescued out of the darkness... I look back at my life before Christ, and what He brought me out of and what He has brought me into, and I cannot help but still, 10 years later, well up with tears at the thought of such amazing grace. Thank you Jesus!!!
Well, how does one catch up on the last two months in a single blog?? Answer: You don't, but here is the next best thing. As many of you have heard by now (via our Newsletter), our trip to New Zealand at the end of October confirmed beyond a shadow of doubt, that the Lord is in this call! I cannot begin to share with you all the ways that God seemed to woo us to the land during our time out there. For starters, Gina's health took incredible strides over our 2 weeks in country. Specific points of progress in her health that we had been fighting nine months for (to no avail), seemed to fall right into our laps during our trip... No, NZ is not "The Island" for all you Lost fans, but our God is awesome! He is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine, and at times, His goodness is overwhelming, and the power of His hand at work.. undeniable! That is what we experienced on many levels and it was truly incredible.
When we arrived home, it was as if a shift had occurred in us both. New Zealand went from being a mysterious place that was way, way far away, to a place that felt like it was to be home for our family. We prayed and listened with our kids, and all of us felt strongly that the Lord was saying now is the time. And so we are now moving forward with plans to move to New Zealand at the beginning of July!
The past two months have been a crazy array of preparing to move and stepping into a new calling as missionaries. We have begun the process of raising support and while it can feel like an impossible task at times, we resolve to stand firm, full of faith, knowing that with our God, Impossible is Nothing!!
We have also taken a huge stride in parting ways with the majority of our possessions. We won't be taking much of anything with us, aside from clothes and a fly-rod...and a snowboard...and, well the list is still being crafted I guess. One really cool thing though, as we gathered up everything that we wouldn't be taking with us, the Lord put it on our heart to simply give it all away, rather than attempting to sell it. Acts 2 kept going through my mind.."and they shared all of their possessions as anyone had need." So that's what we did. It started by inviting friends and family to come over and take what ever they wanted. It was so cool to be able to bless some of the people that have been such a blessing to us over the years. After that, we called WINN Ministries to see if they had any families in need as well. Hank said he would see what he could do, and the next day he was at our place, filling a 15 passenger van full of everything that we had!! What was truly incredible is the story that he told us about a week later. It turns out that WINN had been in contact with a single mom who had lost her kids to child services 2 years ago due to some mistakes she had made. Since that time, she had cleaned up and given her life to Christ, and yet was struggling to furnish her home to the extent that child services would agree to let her kids return home. Well, it turns out that all of our kids toys, and silverware, dishes, picture frames, towels, and household items were enough for social services to finally give the approval for her children to come home...One week before Christmas!! Our family was overjoyed to see the amazing way in which God worked to bless this family in great need, and to find that we could actually play a part in it as well. Thank you Jesus! We set out in this new journey, knowing that the Lord will be just as faithful and good to us as we seek to follow Him.
More to come, I promise to do a better job keeping those crickets quiet, and please take a quick minute to sign up as a follower of our blog and even leave a comment! It is so good to know who is walking alongside us in this journey!
In Him,
Rick
Well, how does one catch up on the last two months in a single blog?? Answer: You don't, but here is the next best thing. As many of you have heard by now (via our Newsletter), our trip to New Zealand at the end of October confirmed beyond a shadow of doubt, that the Lord is in this call! I cannot begin to share with you all the ways that God seemed to woo us to the land during our time out there. For starters, Gina's health took incredible strides over our 2 weeks in country. Specific points of progress in her health that we had been fighting nine months for (to no avail), seemed to fall right into our laps during our trip... No, NZ is not "The Island" for all you Lost fans, but our God is awesome! He is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine, and at times, His goodness is overwhelming, and the power of His hand at work.. undeniable! That is what we experienced on many levels and it was truly incredible.
When we arrived home, it was as if a shift had occurred in us both. New Zealand went from being a mysterious place that was way, way far away, to a place that felt like it was to be home for our family. We prayed and listened with our kids, and all of us felt strongly that the Lord was saying now is the time. And so we are now moving forward with plans to move to New Zealand at the beginning of July!
The past two months have been a crazy array of preparing to move and stepping into a new calling as missionaries. We have begun the process of raising support and while it can feel like an impossible task at times, we resolve to stand firm, full of faith, knowing that with our God, Impossible is Nothing!!
We have also taken a huge stride in parting ways with the majority of our possessions. We won't be taking much of anything with us, aside from clothes and a fly-rod...and a snowboard...and, well the list is still being crafted I guess. One really cool thing though, as we gathered up everything that we wouldn't be taking with us, the Lord put it on our heart to simply give it all away, rather than attempting to sell it. Acts 2 kept going through my mind.."and they shared all of their possessions as anyone had need." So that's what we did. It started by inviting friends and family to come over and take what ever they wanted. It was so cool to be able to bless some of the people that have been such a blessing to us over the years. After that, we called WINN Ministries to see if they had any families in need as well. Hank said he would see what he could do, and the next day he was at our place, filling a 15 passenger van full of everything that we had!! What was truly incredible is the story that he told us about a week later. It turns out that WINN had been in contact with a single mom who had lost her kids to child services 2 years ago due to some mistakes she had made. Since that time, she had cleaned up and given her life to Christ, and yet was struggling to furnish her home to the extent that child services would agree to let her kids return home. Well, it turns out that all of our kids toys, and silverware, dishes, picture frames, towels, and household items were enough for social services to finally give the approval for her children to come home...One week before Christmas!! Our family was overjoyed to see the amazing way in which God worked to bless this family in great need, and to find that we could actually play a part in it as well. Thank you Jesus! We set out in this new journey, knowing that the Lord will be just as faithful and good to us as we seek to follow Him.
More to come, I promise to do a better job keeping those crickets quiet, and please take a quick minute to sign up as a follower of our blog and even leave a comment! It is so good to know who is walking alongside us in this journey!
In Him,
Rick
posted by Rick at
1/21/2010 10:05:00 PM
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