For the last year our family has been based in Maytown, Pennsylvania.
We have been able to witness four seasons. Moving to Pennsylvania the end of May 2019 we jumped into Summer, then rolled around Fall, Winter (I think last year we had one good snow fall) and then Spring.
I LOVE living somewhere with four seasons. It is actually all I and our family has ever known. With Seasons comes change and often I’m ready for the change that a new season brings. You know that feeling in the spring when you break out your shorts and your legs are like “FREEDOM!!”. Oh wait is that just me? Ha!
We all also know that our lives have different seasons. The seasons don’t last for eternity. Sometimes we are ready for the next seasons and sometimes we are not. Yet that season rolls around and it comes. I think of the season of parenting. We now are completely out of the baby season. And with that comes new challenges and also new things to enjoy.
Well our family has been in a very sweet season when it comes to ministry(service). As we have rolled into Fall here on the East Coast of the USA I become sentimental and reflect back to past seasons of our family.
2010-2014 We, Mike and I become one new family unit that grew from Mike and I to adding two precious little girls.
2015-2017 saw us in a season of reevaluating ourselves and our life while in Bible school while adding our smiling baby boy to our family.
2017-2018 We, now a family of five, pressed into missions training with a new goal. Our family desired to go overseas and help in anyway and anywhere God would direct us.
And now our present seaon:
2019-2020 With a vision and a location, this season has been about investing into relationships and building memories. This season has been sharing the vision God has placed on our hearts through His word, the Bible.
Each mission sending organization calls this phase something different. Our organization Ethnos360 calls this season of missions: Ministry Partnership Development. Or as the cool kids call it MPD.
Some organizations call it support raising and some call this time deputation.
We see this season as building a team.
Just like our pyhsical body has different roles and responsibilities to get the job done (living life). So does the body of Christ (the church). As believers we each have different roles to get the job done. To see all people groups with the Good News (GOSPEL) of Jesus Christ.
- Some of us are sending with the resources God has given us. (money, gifts like solar panels, hand-me-downs, etc.)
- Some of us are Praying (on our knee’s fighting the spiritual battle that wants to keep us from going with the Truth)
- Some of us are going. We are willing to go but need the senders and the prayer support to sustain us as we stretch out and go.
We don’t like it when churches seem to place us on a pedestal. We are not super Christians. The only thing good in us is Jesus. I wish when we share with churches that I could have all our prayer and final supporters up there with us. Yes our family is sacrificing things to go into missions. But so is our team of supporters. They are sacrificing things to get the GOSPEL out there.
The great commission of outreach is a team event. A beautiful team effort that brings Joy to our relationship with Christ AND new life to those who hear and believe!
While yes we are willing to go, these people, our people, our team are willing to stay. The body of Christ is sending us with the resource’s God has blessed them with. Some are saying no to a family vacation so that the money can towards the gospel being furthered. Some are saying yes to working another shift so that we can buy plane ticktes to get PNG.
A friend recently wrote to apologize for the little she was giving. How can I help her see that that “little” is seen as a huge sacrifice by the Lord. She is storing up treasure in Heaven’s.
Not gonna lie, at first I dreaded the thought of raising support. But now as we look back I’m so thankful for this time of our team getting to know each other and encourage each other as we all live out each day with and for Christ. Thank you God for each team mate you brought to our PNG team.
I love that all the Glory goes to God as HE is putting our sending team together. Through Covid our team building has not looked how we thought it would. We didn’t get to travel all over speaking and sharing. But God has been working and God has been moving.
ALL GLORY BE TO CHRIST!