Have you ever been on a really long camping trip? If so, what sort of things did you take? How long did you end up staying for? Whenever you plan a big trip, you need to plan in advance. Recently, we’ve begun thinking through what sort of things we’ll need for a REALLY long trip! Years to be exact. And don’t be fooled by my phrasing, we intend to move our family for the long haul. This past month we reached a promised support level of 48%! We’re ecstatic once again that the almighty God of the universe has chosen to provide half of our monthly support. Now we’re beginning to feel the weight of the choice we’ve made to be missionaries. The year 2014 came fast. And we’ve specifically prayed for the Lord to enable our family to make the move to Paraguay between July and November of 2014. When I stop and think about the fact that it’s only 7-11 months away, I begin to feel a little bit of anxiety in the realization that we are planning on spending a LIFETIME in another country. The repercussions of that choice are immense, yet we still feel God wooing us through the Holy Spirit and through His Word, confirming that He has indeed called us to these things. We’re overwhelmed with God’s goodness and thrilled to be on the receiving end of the body of Christ uniting together to see the lost reached. One of the privileges we’ve had has been having the opportunity to write missionaries who are experiencing what we’re about to experience soon: life on the field. In particular, three
families have been a huge encouragement to us. The Whitman, Quast and Hunt families. Not only have they given us advice and shared their struggles/victories in language and culture study. They’ve given us encouragement, they’ve given us prayer, and they’ve given us friendship. Outside of the Hunt family, none of us have had the opportunity to meet each other (although we pray it wont be long til we do), and yet we already feel welcome. The Quast family has even given us the opportunity to buy some of their “old” furniture and household items they’ll no longer need once they move into a remote tribal location. And the Whitman family has agreed to holding that furniture until our arrival due to their ministry in the capital city. It’s such a unique experience to be a part of something so much bigger than us. To have friends who we’ve never met who are caring for us and a body of fellow believers (both Paraguayan and American) waiting to welcome us. Man, what an awesome thing it is to feel God’s provision as we prepare for life on the field in 2014!