Tag: support

Ang’s June ’19 Reads and QOTM’s

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31EwFFEfmRLThis month, I finished The God Ask, another required read for Freedom missionaries. This was a fantastic book – just wish I could’ve read it when we first started raising support! Even after 7 years on the mission field, I definitely benefited from hearing the ideas presented here. It’s so important to view support-raising with God’s perspectives in mind. All money is the Lord’s! Looking to Him first and foremost is the only way to approach this otherwise intimidating process. I was reminded yet again how blessed our family is to have such a great team of people behind us!

A few of my favorite quotes from my June reading:

He [God] knows exactly, to the penny, how much money He has stewarded to mankind as a whole and each person individually. Just like an investor would, He, too, is looking for the best ROI possible. The Lord is fully capable of putting just the right amount in our account at just the right time to fund just the right expenses. ¹

If the size of the vision for your life isn’t intimidating to you, there is a good chance it is insulting to God. ¹

For us to have the privilege of partnering with God to accomplish His plan is the mother of all mismatches. Just remember who the managing partner is! ¹

What if you were to start viewing yourself as a mobilizer? Not just moving people’s finances from one bank to another, but moving their hearts from a temporal focus to an eternal one. ¹

Certainly the Lord wants to bring every “lost sheep” into the fold much more than you or I do. We talk a good game, but He has staked His life on it! God yearns to see your life and ministry become fruitful. ¹

As a leader, your day needs to be spent on people, not projects. ²

Be honest about the circumstances but be hopeful about the plan to win the future. A sneeze of doubt by the leader can become the flu of defeat for a team. ²

Some people want the title…the pay…the authority…but not the responsibility. Sorry, it does not work like that. Either lead or get out of the way. ²

Take risks. Progress is never made in the harbor. You must take the ship out to sea and endure storms. ²

¹ The God Ask, Steve Shadrach
² Leadership Endurance, Brian Sanders

Packing Up and Moving Out

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It’s official!  The plane tickets have been purchased.  Our belongings are slowly being sorted and packed away.  We are on our way to making the Dominican Republic our new home!  Thank God we have reached the point in our support raising where moving is a reality.  Come the afternoon of Monday, May 21, the four of us will be on Dominican soil for good.  While we’re not nearly 100% funded, we’ve never gone without our needs being met.  We trust that God will bring in the rest of our support over the next few months.

People are asking us how we are feeling.  There is no easy answer to that.  We’re excited about this “next chapter”.  We’re heartbroken to be leaving family and friends.  We’re relieved with each task we complete.  We’re nervous about adjusting to a new culture and way of living.  We’re eager to really build some relationships with people.  We’re dreading the exhaustion of the move with two little dudes.  We’re anxious about learning Spanish.  But we’re content in knowing that we are loved and cared for by One who is our source of strength and peace and joy.  Above all, we’re hopeful that Christ will use us as He wants.

With that said, we’re packing up and moving out!  Onward…

1000 Miles (And 3 Supporters) Closer

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What a weekend.  We’re home again after a long trip to Virginia. Over the last 4 days, we drove about 22 hours and racked up 1000 miles.  Thankfully that just means we’re 1000 miles closer to moving to the DR.

Noah and Leyton had fun hanging out with some families who are currently supporting us and who were gracious enough to host us.

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Want to hear another reason we’re closer to making The Big Move?  We gained several new supporters over the weekend!  It is unbelievable how God continues to bring us the people and funds we need to continue on this journey.  None of this is by accident.  And none of this is from our efforts.  Again and again, God has shown us that His timing and His will are perfect.  This experience hasn’t always been easy or pleasant.  But we want for nothing.  And we praise Him for everything.

Next step – buying those one-way plane tickets!  Still praying for a May leave date.

Eleven More Weeks

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So we’re inching ever closer to The Big Move.  Over the past few days, three new couples have committed to support us monthly!  What an absolute blessing to have people invested in us and in what God’s doing in the Dominican.

A month or so ago, I came across this little gem while I was reading.  Luke 8:1-3 states,

After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

How cool is that?  While Jesus and the disciples focused on their teaching, they were cared for by these women who followed them from city to city.  These men were provided for because some people saw a very real need and were obedient to do their part.  So in an odd sort of way, the women mentioned here were the first “monthly supporters” ever.  Out of their own means, they sacrificially gave (of their time, money, etc.) so that the gospel could be given to others.  (Kind of like our supporters do for us.)  And I think that’s pretty awesome.

Can it be that we’re only 11(ish) weeks away from making The Big Move?  It’s becoming more of a reality daily. All because of our Savior’s faithfulness and because of your continued prayers and financial support.

Pray for us – we’re speaking at church here in Indiana tomorrow morning.  And we’re working on all the time-consuming parts of this process – like getting Leyton’s passport, extra birth certificates, shot records, and so on.  Exciting stuff!

2012… The Year of the Big Move

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The holidays are over.  We absolutely loved every minute we were able to spend with our friends and family over the past month, but I am so thankful to be home.  Traveling pregnant (and sick at times) was a little taxing, yet I made it.  God’s abundant faithfulness and blessings were simply overflowing throughout 2011.  A year ago, we were living in our “cozy” little one-bedroom apartment in Virginia with a 5-month old wondering what exactly our future held for us.  Now we’re in Indiana preparing for the arrival of Baby Boy #2 next month.  Two  kids under 18 months will be a challenge, I’m sure, but we’re ready to get to know our new little guy before we make The Big Move (as I’m now calling it) to the Dominican Republic.

Speaking of The Big Move, let’s get to the good stuff!  As of last week, we are at 59% of our budgeted support to move to the Dominican!  That’s basically a 10% jump in three weeks. Pretty awesome, right?  I’ve said it before, but this “support raising” chapter of our lives has been quite the roller coaster emotionally.  Right now, Scott and I are so excited to be moving in a forward direction.  In fact, we have tentatively set a date (month) for The Big Move!  As God continues to provide, we’re aiming to be on Dominican soil in May.  A lot of preparation has already gone into this decision, and we still have much to accomplish to reach this goal.  But it feels encouraging to be making more defined plans.  Besides finishing up raising support, we’ll be starting on plans/paperwork for our living arrangements, Spanish study, residency, and so much more.

For those of you mathematically inclined, here are some really cool and really important numbers for our family:
5 – The number of weeks before our second baby makes his debut
4 – The number of months before The Big Move
40 –  The number of $50/month supporters we still need to reach 100% support (That would break down to 10 new supporters each month from now until May.)

Thank you – to the new members of our support team, and to those who have been faithfully praying and giving since the start.  You all are helping make God’s call on our lives a reality.  I am still learning the lesson of trusting God completely in every aspect of life.  We’re looking forward to sharing more good news with you in the coming months!

Ang