Hi all! Since just before Christmas we have had quite a bit going on in our journey toward launching our new mission. As most of you know, we recently made the decision to sell our house in Panama City and move back to Pensacola so that our shared "hometown" will be our permanent base.
We made the move at the end of December and we're very much enjoying being back in Pensacola! Our daughter, Yese, 18, is staying in Panama City where she is studying at Haney Technical. We would appreciate especially for all of you to pray for Yese - for her success in school, health, happiness, and faith. Friends in Panama City - we would very much appreciate you checking in on her. You have always been our village in raising our kids and we continue to be very thankful! :)
Right now we are in the early stages of interviewing with an organization (World Gospel Outreach) that seeks to meet the tangible needs of and to share the gospel with children and the poor in Honduras and Belize. We are considering/being considered for a missionary assignment at their family-based children’s community for displaced children, located about an hour from the capital of Honduras. We are very excited about the possibility of serving here! Again, we are in the early stages, but please join with us in prayer that if this is where God wants us to serve, He will make it abundantly clear as we continue the interviewing process.
We anticipate possibly serving in Honduras for 4-6 years (with a few weeks each year on leave in the States). While we are waiting for the official decision and timeline of when our commitment will start, we are enjoying lots of time with our Pensacola area family and friends and making plans for some fun trips and experiences in the coming months.
We are so blessed to have our beautiful children and wonderful family and friends! Thank you for sharing our journey with us!
Sometimes I think we (people in general) fail to do the work God wants us to do because we are waiting for Him to get more specific about what He wants us to do. As in, we want him to spell it out for us, step by step.
I honestly have no idea if God is "calling" us specifically to Honduras. Perhaps we'll get an answer on that soon. But what I do know for sure is that He has called us to trust Him and to be willing to put aside any illusions of control we think we have over our lives.
Even though I have no idea what the next year will actually look like for us, I can say with confidence that I know it's going to work out for good - for us and for others. Why? Because God has been so faithful to us in the past!
His ways may be mysterious at times, but they are better than our ways.
Years ago when Steven and I felt called to become foster parents, the required, pre-licensure Quality Parenting Training classes were good, but in no way a substitute for actual parenting experience. We went in totally green but despite our lack of parenting skills or experience, God was able to use our willingness for His purposes. Foster care and adoption was how our family began, and it has been a constant reminder of God's presence and His goodness. Yes, it was messy. Yes, it was hard. But it was worth it and we would do it all over again.
Tonight I was fortunate to be able to watch The Chosen's Christmas special in theater with some dear friends. I loved every bit of the 2-hour production, especially the testimonial stories from numerous musicians and the powerful historical lessons that illustrate the significance of the Christmas story for the world, both then and now. (If you didn't know, The Chosen is a crowd-funded show that depicts the life of Jesus as experienced by the disciples. It's incredibly well done, so if you haven't already watched it, do yourself a favor and go watch it now!)
