In His Time

We can check two more items off the list!! About two weeks ago we sold our bull calf to a man from South Carolina. Selling the calf was a blessing on its own but it gets better. The gentleman who bought it was a fellow believer who has been to Reynosa with his church!! Wow, God is cool!! When he asked where we would be moving to and Brad told him our story he explained that his church went down to work at another children's home in Reynosa. They were a little disappointed in the trip because they did not get to stay at the children's home and therefore did not get much interaction with the children. After hearing about Children's Haven and the chance to really impact the chilren there he is going back to his church to present the possibility of visiting us there next year!! I just continue to be amazed at how God has blessed us so much already and we have not even left yet. He's just paving the way for us.

Oh yeah, number two on the list ....the tractor. We have a dear family friend who helps us with the animals whenever we travel and sometimes borrows the tractor. When he found out Brad was ready to sell the tractor he was immediately interested. Yesterday he said he wants the tractor and all the attachments. This is a big relief for Brad and again, it puts us one step closer to the goal.

We were talking about things last night and how we can see now that God has been preparing us for this all along. For me, one of the biggest blessings of my relationship with Christ has been the "aha!" moments He gives me. These are the times when I can look back at times in my life, good or bad, and see how He has used it. At those moments I am thankful for even the struggles because I know that they have prepared me for all that he has planned for my life.

A year ago if someone had asked me about the possibility of giving up all the "stuff" and becoming a missionary I don't think I could have imagined it and yet today I can't imagine anything else. I thank God for changing our hearts and molding our wills to be His.

Chipping away at the to-do list!

We were able to check three big things off of our to-do list this week. Yesterday we received our passports in the mail. We feel so official now! And we can't wait to get that first stamp. On Friday we sold our Honda Civic. Yippee!! And, best of all, we were able to get a storage unit for everything that we won't be taking with us. But what makes it so great is that we got it for FREE!! Some very kind Christian friends of ours own a storage facility and have graciously offered us a unit for the length of our stay. It is their donation to our mission. Is that cool or what!!

We were getting a bit discouraged about all that has to be done before we can leave and, as usual, God reminded us that He has everything under control. Although we still have MUCH to do we know that God does not expect us to do it in our own strength. He will be right there every step of the way. And we'll just keep chipping away...

We've read Jesus' Great Commission(Matthew 28:19-20) many times, but we never imagined how much His words would come to affect our family. Over the course of the last year the Lord has been burdening our hearts for the lost. In the spring of this year we both finally voiced what we felt He had been telling us individually. We realized we were being called into missions. Although we knew what the Lord wanted us to do, we had no idea where. We prayed earnestly for guidance and for doors of opportunity to be opened. Both of us felt a particular burden for the people of Mexico and South America. In April Brad had the opportunity to take a mission trip to a children's home in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico. To make a very long story short, God opened a door! The children's home needs a full time construction manager to oversee renovations and new construction on the property. We were able to return to Reynosa as a family in June and God made it clear that this was the "where".

We will be working in the city of Reynosa with over 500,000 people. The city is right across the border from McAllen, Texas. It is a growing city and has many opportunities to share Christ. We will be working at Children's Haven International, a Christian children's home with 52 wonderful children. The home needs a lot of remodeling and they have plans to add 3-4 buildings in the future including: a school, daycare center, medical clinic, and a church.

Not only will we have the opportunity to minister to these precious children and the house parents who care for them, but we will have great opportunities to impact the community for the Lord. We do not know at this time how long we will be in Reynosa, but we know that God has a plan for us and we are very excited to begin our journey.

Please pray for our family as we embark on this adventure. It will mean MANY changes for us. Pray that we keep our focus on the goal...telling others about our Savior, Jesus Christ.