First week in Antigua and with the NCC Mission Team in Quiche

We just returned from the mountains in Quiche.  It was a wonderful time of ministry to the children and their families.  It was special to able to take our kids with us this time to experience a different way of life on the mountains in Quiche and to enjoy making new friends. Brinson and I enjoyed seeing some of the ministry leaders that we met last year and meeting even more  It was great having the NCC team with us this week, and wonderful to have friends around during this transition time for our children. The NCC Mission team did a great job using their gifts to share the love of God to each person they came in contact with everyday. Brinson and I helped the team and began learning how to lead other mission teams in the future. On one visit up in the mountains, we prayed for the mother below who had just suffered a stroke.  She has been told by an uncle that she would die in 15 days.  He was not a doctor, but was speaking from some type of Mayan tradition.  We were able to share with her the love of God and his healing power.  We encouraged her to put her faith in God and not in man.  She received our encouragement and she rededicated her life to the Lord as we prayed together.   It was fun (and frustrating at times) trying to use what Spanish we know.  We can definitely see the importance of us being in Spanish language school soon and learning it fast!
Thank you for your continued prayers!

We're Here!

We made it to Guatemala!  The traveling went pretty smoothly.  We did sit on the plan two hours longer than expected, but the kids did wonderful!  The other missionaries on our team picked us up and we drove to Antigua.  We were all tired from the traveling, but were so glad to be here.  Elijah even said when we landed, "It feels like home!"  We all slept well, and are enjoying exploring the ground.  Seth has already played in the fountain, helped the guards open and close the gate, and caught some bugs. Asher and Elijah are exploring too and really like the dogs here. We are starting to be immersed with the culture and learning the ways here.  Today, we will be going to look at homes to rent and getting our cell phones.
 
Thank you for your prayers. We truly feel at peace here and excited about what's to come!

Importance of August 7

Two years ago, the Lord put it on our hearts to move from our house that we built in the country to Heron Lake Apartments in the inner city of Valdosta. We moved there to minister to people and families on a day to day basis, instead of just the previous occasional outreach.  As we were moving there, a passage in the Bible that the Lord put in our hearts was Isaiah 61:1-4,

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance for our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified"

When we woke up on the first morning we were in the apartments, August 7, 2011, we listened to a devotional from Voices of the Faithful (written by missionaries). Click on the link below to listen to the devotional we heard.

The devotional was profound, and a confirmation that we were where God wanted us. This scripture in Isaiah has become one of our life scriptures as we go forth in God’s calling.  

The other day we realized that we would be moving to Guatemala on August 7, 2013.  And this devotional from Aug. 7th, is still so true and profound for us as we move to the foreign mission field. It is always amazing and comforting when the Lord continues to confirm in us His will for our lives.

Also, a missionary couple we will be serving with in Guatemala, Ana and Steve McDaniel, also moved to Guatemala many years ago on Aug. 7.

God is so good!  We hope it encourages as you follow Jesus! Let's all remember to have a eternal view!

Please continue to be in prayer for us on Tuesday and Wednesday as we are traveling!  

Friends and Family

This past week has been overwhelming.  The love of Jesus has enveloped us through our family and friends. Last Sunday at New Covenant was so incredible.  After being gone for several months, it was such a joy to worship at our home church.  It was a powerful day that moved us to tears. Pastor Randy and the elders prayed for us and commissioned us to Guatemala.  The Lord has been so good to us to surround us with many friends.  The reality of our departure and the gravity of our call has dawned on us as we approach only 5 days till we leave (Aug 6th).  We truly value your prayers in the next few days as we say our last goodbyes and prepare to leave.  

-Please pray for grace for our family and parents as we depart
-Bags to not be lost and to be in Guatemala upon our arrival
-The leading of the Lord as we secure a residence & vehicle in the first few days in Guatemala
-Grace upon us as we adjust to our new life in Guatemala
-Our kids to adjust and meet friends quickly

Don't forget! If you want to receive our updates on our blog automatically, sign up to the right by entering you email.

Two weeks Away!

Only two weeks away!  Time has gone by so fast! We will be leaving from the Valdosta Airport on Tuesday, August 6 at 5 pm.  We preached at our last church this past Sunday.  It was such a blessing to be a part of different congregations throughout Florida and Georgia.  However, our hearts have longed to be with our church family, New Covenant Church.  We will be there the next two Sundays.  They will pray over us this Sunday and we would love for you to join us!  We are looking forward to having family in town this weekend for a 70th birthday party for Brinson's dad and to see us before we leave.  We will have Seth’s birthday this weekend and have already began celebrations with last night’s piñata busting.  We just put up our van to sell a few hours ago, so please pray for it to sell at a great price, quickly.  We are enjoying continuing to learn Spanish from a dear friend of ours twice a week.

We put a sermon below if you would like to listen to what we are sharing at the churches we have been in.   Thank you for your continued prayer as we make this transition.  We can’t express in words how deeply we will miss our family and friends.  You have poured in so much!  Hope we can see you Sunday at New Covenant Church in Valdosta!

On the Move

It has been such a joy to share and connect with friends and family in different cities and churches the last few months as we prepare for our departure to Guatemala on    August 6.  It is beautiful to see the uniqueness and diversity of each church we have been ministering in. We are going to be in Lake City, FL this weekend where our married life and ministry started 13 years ago.  Lori and I were only 6 months into marriage when we moved to serve as Youth Pastors at Christian Heritage Church.   It was a place of firsts for us; first house, first child, first time leading a mission trip, and many other firsts.  It was also the first time Lori and I met Ron Kelly, the director of Living Water International, the missionary we will be serving under in Guatemala.  We will be on the move the next couple of weeks traveling to different churches and the CFN conference.  We would appreciate your prayers.  We are still extremely excited about moving to Guatemala but have recently found ourselves taking deep breathes, as we reflect and realize we are about to move away from our family, friends, and our hometown to begin a new life. 

Philippians 4:6  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Here are a few items of prayer for our family

1.   Grace on our family as we say our last goodbyes

2.   More monthly & one-time financial partnerships as we still are in need of help

3.   God’s protection on us as we travel hundreds of miles in the next few weeks

4.   God’s gracious anointing to surround us to encourage and motivate the churches to engage their mission field

Prayer Video for Guatemala

Thank you for your prayers for the people of Guatemala! Operation World produces prayer videos for countries and people groups all over the world.  Today the highlighted country was Guatemala.
Please watch the video below and continue to pray for the gospel to spread in Guatemala.

Click here for Prayer video