Friday, May 25, 2012

Matt Made It!

I finally got to talk to Matt! He left on Tuesday and our conversations have been pretty limited with no phone and no internet access. It was great to hear his voice and hear all about the house. It sounds absolutely great! What a sweet gift from the Lord!

He says that it's huge, and fully furnished. We have a dishwasher and a washer and even 2 refrigerators! One is an American style fridge and the other is European! I can't believe it! I was concerned about how we were going to have enough room in a small refrigerator to feed 6 adults and 1 baby.

Thank you Lord. You told us to ask and you have given abundantly! You are such a loving and caring Father who loves His children with a CRAZY love that I can't even fathom! Such amazing gifts already and I know this is NOTHING compared to what you have in store for us.

Matthew 7:11: "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (I LOVE when the scriptures come to life and we are able to experience the truth of His word in our lives!)


Friday, May 18, 2012

The Lord ALWAYS provides!

Good news!

Long story short: we went from needing to fully furnish a house, to being provided a house that is actually closer to town and is mostly furnished. This is a HUGE blessing for us since the other house we were planning to move into was farther outside of town, needed a lot of work done (around $25,000) and had no furniture or appliances. It was basically a shell.

There is a man in Romania who has started a ministry called Pathway to Joy. His heart is to reach out to the large orphan population out there and we initially we are planning to come along side him and his team. He began to build a ministry house that would become a home to orphans but just hasn't quite gotten all the funding he needs to get it up an running. The house is brand new, it's 5 bedrooms and 2 baths and within walking distance from town. He has graciously offered this house to us rent free!

There is a garage that they have turned into an apartment and all he asks is that we finish up the work on the apartment. This is a great opportunity for us. He is blessing us and we in turn will be able to bless him and his ministry to the orphans! Not to mention it's much cheaper for us than finding a house to rent, which could be about $1,000 a month.

We are so thankful to the Lord for our answered prayers and provision! He always knows exactly what we need, all we have to do is trust that He will provide!

Psalm 46:1-3 "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah"

No matter what our situation may be, there is NEVER any reason to be afraid because our Lord will ALWAYS come through for us! This is just yet another example of His passionate love that compells Him to help His children!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

We are called according to His purpose

Recently it's been sort of hard/weird to consider myself a "missionary." I mean, who am I? When I think of a "missionary" the image I have in my head doesn't really look like me...I don't feel "ready" for this adventure and have been sort of perplexed by the fact that God has chosen me to be a representative of Christ in Romania. It's a pretty big responsibility that I take very seriously. Not just in Romania but wherever I happen to be. These thoughts are like an open door inviting fear, doubt and anxiety in to my head.

And then the Lord speaks...He reveals His heart and His ways through His word. And suddenly all my insecurities, fears and anxieties are vaporized by the power of His truth.

2 Timothy 1:8-9 God..."has saved us and call us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began."

He has saved me and He has called my family to Romania...and it has nothing to do with me and EVERYTHING to do with Him. (whew, what a relief) It's not about anything I've done or could ever do. It's not about me doing things, or my failed attempts at perfection, how many scriptures I've memorized or how many good things I've done...it's all about Him and His own purposes. It's ALL about Him. What a good reminder in a world so focused on self.

Be encouraged because God has called you. Not according to anything you've done, but because He created you with purpose for a purpose according to His own purposes and His grace. So relax and take a deep breath...it's not about you. It's not about me. It's about the Power of God and His heart as a loving Father to be in a relationship with His children. If all we ever do in this life is spend time engaging God and getting to know Him, that's more than enough.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

We Bought Our Tickets!

So we (except for Matt and Steve who will be leaving the 22nd) will officially be leaving for Romania on May 30th out of LA at 6pm and will be arriving in Turkey the next day at 7pm. Thankfully we got great a great deal price wise, it's like God was holding tickets for us (because let's face it, He was) and the despite the fact that the prices have been increasing, for some reason when we checked the prices today, they were exactly the same as they were 2 weeks ago. Not to mention the flight is only 15 hours I think which is way better than I expected. I think that it should go pretty smoothly because I'll have the girls to help me out with Kylie which will be nice. And as we found out on our trip to Louisiana to visit my family, Kylie loves to fly. She's super social and loved seeing all the people. Plus she is like the only baby I know who get's all goofy when she's tired and missed her nap, instead of cranky or fussy. God totally created her to travel which I'm very thankful for!

I can't believe we actually bought our tickets!

Matt was sharing this morning from Joshua 3 about how the Israelites had to take that step of faith to dip their toes in the Jordan before God would miraculously part the waters. I find it very interesting that God parted the waters when the water was at it's fullest. The text says the water was overflowing onto the banks basically. What a perfect time for a miracle. It's so important for us (me in particular) to remember that God will part the waters, even when they are at their fullest, even when it seems like there is too much going on and life feels crazy as you watch the waters rush by. Funny how when He parted the waters He didn't just part them a little so that the Israelites could just barely get by...not my God...no He made PLENTY of room for the people to cross. He went above and beyond so that they could literally walk on dry land. That's my Dad. He loves to encourage us as we begin to dip our toes in the water...if we just take that step of faith He will meet us in ways that FAR exceed our expectations...and buying the tickets...well...it's just the beginning...