"Semi" crazy!

Just wanted to post a quick update for everyone. The moving truck arrived yesterday afternoon. By the grace of God and the help of my Mom I was able to get most of the packing finished over the weekend. Brad and a friend from church loaded appliances, couches, and beds. Today we will continue with the rest of the furniture and the many, many boxes. Because we are crossing the border, EVERY box, piece of furniture, item, every last thing that goes into the truck has to be labled in English and Spanish with its contents and a number. Then these numbers go on a master list for the customs agents. Needless to say, we are "semi" crazy! However, the biggest blessing of the day came around lunch time, when a young lady called to ask if she could come see the house. She was interested in renting. Brad told her it was fine but she would have to maneuver through the boxes and the chaos. I believe my exact words were "Just our luck!". Long story short...we have renters!!! And the best part is they don't need to move in for about a week. Phew!! Once again, God shows up and takes care of business. And, yes Brad, I was being a pessimist!

We continue to wait for all the necessary paperwork to come for our visas, but we learned yesterday that they do not have to be in hand for the truck to leave for Texas. That's great news because we really want to get our stuff down there asap.

We are staying at Brad's parents for the next two weeks. Then we will head down to see my parents for a few days after Easter. Then back up here for our final adieu. We still have a lot of work here, but God's grace is sufficient. Thanks so much for your prayers and encouragement. Please continue to lift us up. Pray for us to keep our focus on the Lord and for our family to remain peaceful despite the stressfual circumstances. We praise God that our house rented in His time and we continue to pray for the sale of the Corvette, the Gator, and our cows.

We will try to keep the blog updated over the next few weeks, but it will, undoubtedly be sporadic. God Bless for now...

419 Sierra Niltepec

Well, we've been praying for months now that the Lord would lead us to the street and the house that He had prepared for us and, praise be to Him, He has...419 Sierra Niltepec! Aside from a long day of delayed flights on Thursday we made it safely to Reynosa on Friday and by Sunday afternoon we were signing our lease. We could not have done it without our good friends and Children's Home directors Betsy and Randall. Randall had graciously set up appointments all day Friday for us to see houses in a variety of areas, price ranges, and sizes. I'm not exaggerating when I say we probably looked at 10-12 houses in one day!

It had become a bit of a joke between Brad and I that while I was praying for safe, big , and pretty, he was praying CHEAP!! Well God heard us both! We could not ask for a better place for our family to experience Reynosa. The Lord has blessed us with abundantly more than we ever expected. He never ceases to amaze!

Now, the countdown is on. In four weeks, Lord willing, we will be on our way. We've had a few snaffoos with our visas which are a requirement to have our belongings moved. However, we've got the ball rolling again and we know God will get them here in the right time.

The tractor trailer which will carry our belongings is being delivered on March 30th! That means we need to get everything packed to go asap and we will be staying with Brad's parents until we leave on April 20. (Pray for them!!) We still need to rent our primary house and sell the animals and Brad's Corvette, so please pray for us in that regard.

Thanks to everyone who has prayed for us to find our house. Please continue to keep us lifted up as we get closer to d-day. We will need abundant grace to get everything completed. Pray also for our parents and our friends and family here that they will have the peace and comfort that only God can provide in this situation.

I'm attaching a video tour of the house in Reynosa. Please don't judge me too harshly! Brad called me the HGTV girl... :)

(Be sure to pause the Playlist on the right so you can hear the video!)

God bless!

"If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land ..."

I think it is safe to assume that most of us know the story of Moses and the Israelites. Many have watched Charlton Heston lead the Hebrew slaves across the Red Sea on dry ground with the Pharoah's chariots closing in from behind. We've seen Moses standing at Mt. Sinai holding the stone tablets etched with God's ten commandments. But there is lot more to the story. Yes, the Lord delivered His people from the bondage of Egypt but they were not yet willing to free their minds from bondage. God promised to make Israel His chosen people and give them a promised land "which flows with milk and honey". He performed miracle after miracle before them and provided their every need from the moment they departed Egypt. All the while they worried and complained and fretted and fussed. But the saddest moment came when they were about to cross over to the Promised Land. The Lord told Moses to "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan...". They were instructed to basically scout the land and bring back a report along with samples of the crops growing there. So for forty days 12 men explored Canaan and when they returned they reported that "It truly flows with milk and honey..." and they brought evidence of the bountiful crops growing there. However, of the 12 scouts, 10 declared "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we." Only Joshua and Caleb reported differently. They "tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying ' The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey.' " Joshua and Caleb were not super saints. They were ordinary guys just like the other 10. The difference was in their focus. The 10 were, like so many of us, focused on the problem at hand, a land full of giants who looked like they could whip 'em! But Joshua and Caleb looked beyond the problem to the ultimate problem solver...GOD! They were not stupid. They knew that they had no chance against the people of Canaan, but they knew God had their backs! They remembered all the miracles they had seen since they left Egypt. They remembered how God had provided their every need. They knew He would not desert them now. The sad part of the story is that the doubt and unbelief of the Isrealites cost them dearly. God sent them wandering through the desert for another 40 years. God promised them that Joshua and Caleb would be the only ones of their generation to enter the Promised Land.

As most of you know the news is littered with stories of Mexico and border towns and drug cartels. Many of you have voiced your concerns to us and admittedly we have had some moments of fear and doubt. But we are not going to be one of "the 10". We "know whom [we ]have believed and [are] convinced that He is able to guard what [we] have entrusted to Him for that day." Our God is not surprised by recent happenings in Mexico. We can have faith and trust that He who called us to this goes ahead of us and takes care of every detail. We can't choose to trust Him in some areas and not in others. We are not oblivious and we do not have our heads in the sand, we just choose to focus on the Problem Solver and not the problem.

Looking ever to the cross,
The Boyles

Mexico sounds better everyday!!!

Flashbacks of Michigan spring have been haunting me all morning!! I have a March birthday and I remember celebrating many birthdays with an inch or more of snow still covering the ground. But that was Michigan! This is my beloved North Carolina and she is not supposed to do this to me!!! Oh, don't worry I'm only a little serious. What I really wonder is if this isn't God's way of making Mexico sound better everyday.

Since our last post we had the mammoth moving sale and it was quite the success. Aside from people knocking our door down beginning on Friday morning (the sale was Saturday !) and calling to ask if they could come at 5:00am it went very well. We sold a lot, gave away a lot, and most importantly we have nothing big left that we have to haul away. We also had fun telling our story to so many who asked where we are moving. We even got to share with some families who moved here from Mexico!

Our next big event on the calendar is speaking at Hull's Grove North on March 15th. This is the satellite location of our home church. We're looking forward to sharing our story with these Brothers and Sisters and seeking their financial support for our trip. Please be in prayer for us that we would share what God wants us to and He would move in the hearts of His people on our behalf.

March 19th Brad and I will fly to Reynosa for 4 days to find a house to rent. We know that the Lord has a specific house in a specific location for us and we are praying that he will lead us to it. Issues that are important are safety, cost, and size. Betsy and Randall Chacon, the orphanage director and her husband, will be our guides and translators. Please pray that we find just what we need in the time we have.

We have been researching our options for moving our belongings and we think we have found the best choice. Because we have to go through customs it is not an easy task. It looks like we will be sending a tractor trailer down three weeks before we actually move because there is a possibility that it could get held up in customs for that long. This means we have to have everything packed and loaded on the trailer by April 1st!!! This stresses me out because that is three weeks less than I was expecting to have for packing. Please pray that the Lord will pour His grace out on us and we will be able to get it all done. Also, please continue to pray for the rental of our primary house and the sale of our animals and Brad's corvette.

Thanks to everyone who continues to send in financial support. We are very close to reaching our goal. You are such a blessing and we know that the Lord will bless you as well. We will do our best to keep you all updated as the weeks go by and we get closer to d-day!!

God Bless...

Jehova-Jireh

"Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, Jehovah-Jireh(the LORD will provide); as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided." Genesis 22:13-14

In the scriptures God is given many different names. Each name is a reflection of some part of His character. Jehovah-Jireh translates "the LORD will provide". We have certainly seen this aspect of God's character throughout our lives. But Sunday evening He not only showed up, He showed off! Brad and I had the opportunity to speak before our home congregation on Sunday about our calling. We shared our testimonies and some of the details of our mission. Our Pastor challenged the church family to prayerfully consider how they could help us financially and make committments. We were confident that our brothers and sisters would help and support us, but we had no idea how God would move in the hearts of his people on our behalf. The committments we recieved far exceeded anything we had hoped for. Once again, we found that we had underestimated the power of Jehovah-Jireh. We give Him all glory for this amazing show of support. We also thank our precious brothers and sisters at Hulls Grove Baptist. May God bless each and everyone of you for allowing Him to be His hands and feet as He furthers His kingdom.

Reckless Faith?

As I write this post the Huss family is moving into the farmhouse. Praise the LORD! We praise Him not just for sending renters, but for sending the right renters. No, the Huss's are not the people I told you about in our last post. That family took the lease home to look it over and sign it and never returned. Brad put the sign back out on January 31 and by February 1 it was rented again! We don't know why the first renters didn't come back, but we know God had something to do with it. We can get all the information in the world about someone on a piece of paper but in the end you're still taking a chance. We can only depend wholly on God's judgement. We prayed for Him to send honest, dependable renters and we believe he has. Thank you, LORD! Please be in prayer for the Huss's and their children that the Lord's will would be done in their lives.

I know that this post will not fully convey to you the excitement the LORD has put in our hearts this week, but I'll give it a try. Getting the farmhouse emptied and ready for the renters was a huge load off of us. Until I began I did not realize how much we had accumulated in this house that we use primarily for guests. But I can say with confidence we will be having one MAMMOTH moving sale in two weeks! We have come to the realization over the past few years that having a lot of stuff is a lot of burden. We know that part of what God wants us to learn through all of this is that we don't need very much at all . As I am going through things I have three categories: Mexico, storage, and moving sale. Sounds cut and dry. It's NOT! The nagging question in my mind is "What if I need this in Mexico?" But then the Spirit whispers "Let it go!". I'm getting there. (Just a little side note. Brad IS there!! If it were up to him I think we would go with backpacks!!) See, I knew I wouldn't be able to convey the excitement. But just know that all this letting go and checking things off of the to-do list each day are HUGE for us. We know that everyday we are closer to this adventure beginning and we can't wait.

A good friend from church gave us a book yesterday called Reckless Faith by Beth Guckenberger. Brad and I both finished it today!! It is about Beth and her husband Todd who are missionaries at an orphanage in Monterrey, Mexico. I felt like I could have written parts of this book about myself. It encouraged us and spurred us on in our work more than I can say! God is so AWESOME like that! Our friend had been carrying the book around for us since December. When she apologized I said, "God knew when we needed it." We had been feeling a bit discouraged by people and the things that some have said to us, but He reminded us that we are not doing this for people. We are doing this for Him and for His glory. None of it makes sense in human terms. But Brad and I want our family to have a "reckless faith". We don't want to live by man's logic or worship a God of our own making who does things OUR way in OUR time. We've learned enough times that our way is usually not so great. But when we put our trust in Him and act on faith it's nothing short of miraculous.

We feel closer than ever to God at this time and we are daily amazed at how He is revealing Himself to us. We still have much to accomplish in just a few short months, but we know we can do it through His power. Thankfully, we have received some more letters of financial committment and we praise Him for that. We will be making a presentation for our church on February 15th about our trip and we will be asking for committments then. Please be in prayer for us that God would provide the remaining funds necessary.

We also need prayers concerning the rental or our primary house, the sale of Brad's corvette, the sale of our animals, the sale of our John Deere Gator , and a successful moving sale. Please leave us a comment here and let us know that you're praying for us. We really love to hear from everyone.

God Bless!!

Time Marches On...

Let me start with my apologies for the delay in posting. A few people have commented on my lack of updates. I won't mention any names (Jenny and Doug!) because I'm sure they are only looking out for us. ;) Seriously though, we are just like all of you...way too busy! That coupled with the fact that we haven't had any "news' to report until lately is the reason for the quiet blog.


As usual, our timeline and God's are very different. Although relatively speaking we have not been waiting long it has been longer than we thought it would be. When we heard God call us and then saw so many doors of opportunity open so quickly to us we just assumed that things would continue to move at a fast pace. Needless to say, the Lord needed to do a little more preparing both physically and spiritually.


Our original plan was to sell our farm. We listed it in August. This in itself was a huge step because we love the farm and we know that it was the Lord who led us here in the first place. However, our desire to do His will outweighs all of that and after much prayer, discussion, and , I must admit, a few tears we put it on the market. Although the housing market went south about that time we know God can do what man cannot.


Well, time marches on and continuing in prayer and discussion we soon realized maybe the sale of the farm was not what God wanted, but just to know that we are willing. Most of you know the story in Genesis of Abraham , father of the Israelite Nation. At roughly the ages of 100 and 91 he and his wife Sarah finally had their promised son Isaac. God had made a covenant many years earlier with Abraham promising him that his offspring would be numbered "like the stars" and that they would become a great nation. Sometime later when Isaac was preteen age God essentially told Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering to the Lord. Abraham did not question God. He went in absolute obedience to the place God had told him to go and went as far as lifting his knife to kill his promised son. However, at that very moment the Lord cried out to him and told him to stop. God said, "Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." (Gen. 22:12) God didn't mean for Abraham to give up Isaac, he only needed to know that Abraham was willing and obedient. It was a test of faith and Abraham passed with flying colors.


As we continue to seek Gods will and his guidance daily He may reveal to us that we do, in fact, need to sell the farm, and if He does we are fine with that. However, at this time we feel led otherwise. All that to say that we have rented our farm house/guest house beginning February 1st. We put out a "For Rent" sign and had it rented within a week. Our plan at this time is to finish up with all that needs to be done here, rent our primary house and leave for Mexico around April 15th. (wow, that looks real easy in writing!!!)


Since our last post we have sold our Honda Civic and LOTS of pigs. We've had one yard sale, but we'll definitely need to have another. And most importantly, we have sent out the majority of our support letters. All I can say is WOW!! God is so good and we are so humbled. Many of you have already given of your means or pledged to help us monthly while we are away. We know that God has this all planned out and He knows who will give to our ministry, but we get to be surprised! We are truly thankful to have such loving and supportive friends and family. We pray for you that you will be doubly blessed and that God's will be done in your lives. We are still far from what we need financially but we know that God will provide in His time.


As far as our to-do list, we still have a LOT to be done and we really need your prayers. Please pray that we do not become overwhelmed. Pray that we are led by the Holy Spirit and do nothing in our own strength. God has called us to this mission and we know that He will equip us, but we also know that satan does not want this to happen. So please pray for our spiritual, physical, and emotional protection.


We will do our best to keep you updated, but if it takes us awhile you'll understand....