Well our trip in Florida ended really well! One thing we asked for prayer about was that God would fill our days…and HE DID! He is SO good like that!
Throughout our time we were able to meet and have lunch with two pastors (one lunch also included some people from their missions committee) from local churches in Stuart, attend two 4th of July church celebrations, attend a ladies fellowship (where all the dad’s get together and watch the kiddos – what a GREAT idea!), as well as share in a Wednesday night service. All of these things listed were not in our original plan – God did it…He is so faithful.
On top of all of those things, it was SUCH A BLESSING to share sweet time with this precious couple – Ricky and Brenda. We enjoyed reminiscing of our days in Uganda, playing cards, sharing meals, visiting a splash park, and riding on buggies and horses! We were overwhelmed by their hospitality and love for our family.
I found my heart struggling a lot on this trip. Just being completely honest, I felt as though we were falling behind. It is easy for me to read blogs of our friends who are headed to the mission field and begin to compare our journey to theirs. Because their ministry team is growing faster I feel like we are doing something wrong or even worse, that we are never going to make it to Tanzania! Jealousy is a sneaky little thing that continually creeps into my heart. However, I praise Jesus that HE is careful to point this out in my life. I am slowly learning to run to Him with these types of things (also known as sin!). He is also reminding me of ALL that He IS doing…He IS at work an it’s amazing to see.
I am also thankful that the Lord continually places people in our lives who remind us of truth. Our ministry coach, Paul, recently reminded me that we are not in a 50 yard dash, but rather a marathon. This season of Partnership Development may seem like it takes so long, yet we are in the process of building a team that will, prayerfully, stay with us throughout the duration of our ministry in Tanzania. Building relationships with these precious people the Lord is leading to partner with us takes time and I need to cherish it! Daily I am being blown away by the prayer and financial support we are receiving and I NEVER want to take that for granted!
Now that we are back home in Virginia we are busy playing catch-up, going to doctor’s appointments, scheduling meetings, as well as preparing for our next trip to Hampton, VA in August! It’s good to be home and have some consistency in our days. Selah keeps saying how much she loves her new house (the novelty of having a home of her own still hasn’t worn off). The biggest attraction at our place right now is the baby guineas (native to Africa) that are running around. The girls love to watch them and talk to them. Thankful for the little things in life that bring so much joy!
Thanks for reading, praying, giving and coming along with us on this journey as TOGETHER we Make HIM Known!
– Jamie (for the Sharpes)