We thought we had things all planned out for our Ohio trip – which churches to speak in, who to see… but things didn’t turn out quite like we thought they would.
Proverbs 16:9 says "A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."
We saw that verse come to life for us on this trip. Several speaking opportunities that we thought we going to happen fell through and we began to get a little discouraged. "Was it even worth it to come on this trip?" we asked ourselves. But throughout our 10 day trip, the Lord brought people across our path and allowed us opportunities that we couldn’t have planned.
In the end the most memorable things were the times spent with individuals and families. Most days were packed with visiting and just spending time with people. One day we got back to the place where we were staying and we were pretty worn out. Then we thought back on the day and realized we had met with 5 different families! No wonder we were tired.
We had the opportunity to share in 2 different churches and even while we were still in OH, several people made commitments to join our support team. And we know that many, many others are committed to praying for us.
Another highlight of our trip was a chance to visit the Creation Museum in Kentucky. Wow!!! It is an amazing place to visit and we highly recommend it. How neat to see what God has done and is doing through that ministry. They unashamedly proclaim that God created everything and that His word can be trusted. We even got to meet Buddy Davis, and Ken Ham walked right behind us!
Besides visiting some fun playgrounds, we also went to the famous aviation museum in Dayton and the boys loved seeing all the huge planes.
We don’t really know what will happen as a result of this trip. Right now our job is to share with believers about tribal church planting in PNG and how they can have a part in what God is doing there. We share and then trust that the Holy Spirit will work in hearts. Will you pray that God would be glorified as a result of this trip? Maybe more people and churches will join our support team. Maybe some young (or even older) person will start on the path to serving the Lord overseas. Maybe some individuals were burdened to be better missionaries right where they are – in the Dayton area. We can’t see into the future but the Lord knows and we trust that He will continue to work in ways we can’t even imagine!