many of you know that my husband and i have had a desire to go full time on the mission field, caring for orphans and ministering to the "least of these" that Jesus talks about many times over in the Bible. after the Haiti trip, God put a plan in motion that has been unstoppable...to say the least. when jeff got back, i could tell that something BIG had happened in his life. it seemed to have lit a fire under him and in his spirit to really begin to seek the Lord more fervently than ever concerning His call on our lives. we both began to feel that anticipation you get knowing that you have a big trip coming, except neither one of us knew where or when. it was a feeling that is still hard to describe- but that is the best way i know how to. in mid to late february, i saw a status update on a fb friend of mine's page stating that the ministry she works with was in need of a 2nd grade teacher. i thought to myself, 'man, if i was single, i would be all over that'.... so.... i'm leaving jeff! LOL JUST JOKING!!!!
seriously, i did think that (the single part), but since i am not, i just let that be a fleeting thought. in the first part of march, a close friend of ours, steve osborn (him and his wife shyrel have an amazing ministry in guatemala...lovethechild.org) came and spent some time with us and this is when things started picking up speed. we've shared our hearts with steve a million times, but it was different this time. we were now sensing a much stronger push from God and it amped things up a bit. we began to pursue Haiti, but never had peace and the doors kept slamming shut. then the 2nd grade thing began to unfold and boy did it.
the week after steve left, jeff saw me texting with a friend of mine in arizona. she mentioned that she saw the 2nd grade position on our fb friend's wall and i jokingly said i was packing my bags! jeff asked about it and told me to check into it. i thought he was nuts! but... i did as i was told! :)
before i knew it, jeff was talking almost weekly with someone on the board for the ministry and then we were sending apps and i was sending my resume'. the board met several times and spent time much time in prayer. we were doing the same thing on this end. daily, we kept walking in faith as the doors opened. throughout the whole thing, both of us had SUCH a peace. the really neat thing is that this ministry has a vision for something a little different than an orphanage setting. i attended the orphan care summit in texas last may and began to think about orphan care in a different way. instead of your typical orphanage, they are going to set up a children's village and have house parents where the children are raised in a family unit. their is already one girl doing this at the ministry, but they are looking to expand. jeff and i will eventually be house parents to 6-8 children and raise them in our family. i will teach 2nd grade and we will both fill in wherever there is a need. jeff will do some discipleship, as well as work with their sports program. we will aid in outreaches, as well. jake is beyond excited.
i have seen how much God has changed me. i walked through this time with such a dependence on God and a calmness that i have never experienced before. i can honestly say that i (all of us) are experiencing the 'peace that passes all understanding' in an entirely different way than ever before! we got to meet andrew (the board member) this past week. the coolest thing is that steve just so happened to be in the states at the same time and was only available the day andrew was here. so, he flew in and spent the night with us, met andrew and got to experience some more of jeff's bbq shrimp! lol it was really neat how God worked that out. steve LOVES to network and was excited about meeting another missionary that was like-minded.
we have so much that needs to be done. we have to get our home of 13 years ready to sell by early to mid-june. that is SUCH a daunting and overwhelming task. it seriously makes my head spin! i have already started getting rid of things. i have 2 bathrooms to paint and 5 rooms to declutter. it is times like this that i am really glad we still live in a 1200 sq. foot house!! lol i get out of school this friday and will begin this process next week. jeff has already started getting the outside ready. we have to raise support, sell my car and scale down our possessions to a mere 2 suitcases a piece and a small container we will ship down there.
please be in prayer that our house sells quickly. this is the deciding factor of when we leave. we should be leaving between sept. and late december. once the house sells, we will tie up loose ends and be africa bound! it is exciting, but daily we are being reminded of just how much our lives will change. the things we will miss with family and friends, the everyday monotony we take for granted so often, the comfort of just living in the US, not to mention the great things about living in louisiana- boiled crawfish, crabs, shrimp! lol pray for our family - mom, my dad, jeff's dad, my sister, jeff's sister and my nephew. this is not something they have chosen to do, but will have to walk out. we are close to them and it truly makes me sad that they will miss some things in my children's lives. but, the Bible talks about counting the cost and these days we are learning what that really means.
we will keep you posted. i am going to close this blog and begin a new one (imagine that! lol) that begins this new adventure of our lives. i will let you know before i do. if you are interested in the ministry we will be working with, please click on the link below. we greatly appreciate your prayers!
more to come!!!!
http://www.pfunanane.org
