Please join us in seeking the Lord's counsel and comfort in the following:
1) We need God's will on how to approach our departure date of August 29. We currently need 27 pledges of $50 per month to cross the finish line and leave for the field. I must confess that we're anxious about that date. We're at a critical stage with only seven weeks left to raise our budget. We can postpone our departure until the end of December, which would enable me to schedule more services and also complete some critical aspects of the doctor of ministry degree. If we're going to postpone, we need to decide soon so that we can schedule services in the Fall.
2) As many of you know, my father passed away two weeks ago. As such, our departure at the end of August could turn out to be a terribly sad experience for my mom. Whether we leave in August or December, leaving family members is painful. I'm asking God to bless our family members with the knowledge that their sacrifice is for His kingdom.
Praise for answered prayers:
1) We've decided to rent the house and have a wonderful couple ready to rent it.
2) We sold our camper to some close friends who have pledged to let us use it whenever the camping bug bites again. Saying goodbye to the camper is one of those farewells that really makes it clear that we're not just going on a short-term missions trip. We've had some wonderful camping experiences already this summer. In fact, the day before my father died, we camped neamammothth Cave (on the way home from mission services in Kentucky). The camper has been a wonderful blessing to own and to sell, as we advance toward an even greater adventure with the Lord!
3) The Peruvian elections were conducted in a civil manner. Please pray for the new president, Alan Garcia.
1 comment:
Bill,
We were in the same boat as you are in now at this time last year, as far as the pledges are concerned. I had gone on ahead and scheduled through November, letting pastors know at that time, that I might have to leave before I made it to their church. That meant we would be able to keep working in the event that we didn't make the deadline, but I kept up the intensity, believing that God had assured to us that we would make that August date. That kind of earnestness proved to be contagious as I found several churches come on board in the month of July to the point that we finished our budget before we flew to General Council in August.
It can be done. Now your family situation certainly makes things much more complicated, but if you believe that the August date is God's date, test God and challenge others. I believe he'll come through.
Post a Comment