Hello from Sanford, Florida! Marcy and I are in the midst of our Pre-Field Orientation, learning alongside fifteen others who are preparing to leave for various fields of ministry. We wanted to take a moment to give you an update on the status of our preparations for our ministry in Papua New Guinea.
The last three weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. On June 9th, I left work to begin a leave of absence from my employer. The following Monday God sent an unexpected blessing our way, as he delivered a family to us that was interested in renting our house. By the end of the week, we signed all paperwork and agreed to move out of the house by the end of the following week. That’s right, move out in less than 7 days!! Packing commenced almost immediately, along with a purging of unnecessary items, and with the help of some wonderful friends from our home church, we moved out of the house last Thursday afternoon. Wow! After 4 months on the market, we were beginning to wonder what God’s timing and plan was for our house, but we never saw this coming. However, we trust that our Sovereign Lord knew all along what the plan was, and we are thankful that He is in control of it all.
We then left home to come to our PFO training on Sunday afternoon, and again, God has blessed us. How exciting to join together with other like-minded folks who desire to serve our Lord and participate in the mission to take the gospel to the least reached peoples in tribal areas. It is amazing to see how God is at work in each of our lives, bringing us to the point of accepting the challenge and trusting Him to supply our needs.
As we hope to leave for Papua New Guinea by the end of July, we are continuing to pray that God will raise up folks to partner with us in this ministry. We must have at least 60% of our recommended monthly financial support committed before we can go to the field. At the moment, 20% of the recommended support has been pledged. We trust our Lord for this support as well, knowing that He is in control of all aspects of this ministry.
Please pray with us that God will work in the hearts of His people to participate in this ministry. Taking the gospel to unreached peoples involves all of us, from church planters to support missionaries to those who provide support both financially and in prayer.
To God be the Glory!
Craig and Marcy