Part of moving to another continent is the necessary discernment of what goes and what doesn’t. What gets packed, what goes into storage, and what makes it’s happy home once again in your parent’s basement (so lucky for them!).

As we’ve been going through Round … ummmm … 5 of scaling down, I found a smile creeping over my face. I was reminded of something I heard from Dave Ramsey (the Christian financial guy).  He said that every dollar needs to have a destination, a mission, or it just gets lost and spent on something totally useless. I was thinking how every piece of our “stuff”, no matter how trivial, needs a destination. A mission. Either to add comfort and familiarity to our new life in Africa, be put into storage, bless someone else, or meet Mr. Garbage Can.

Then I starting thinking about how each of US needs to have a destination, a mission, or we just waste precious days in the monotony of life. I imagine God shuffling His people in their perfect destinations … their perfect fit. Kinda like trying to fit one more thing into a packing box. Some things fit perfectly. Some … not so much.  It’s all in the fit.

It’s comforting to know that as hard as transition is, this journey is more comfortable than a life that’s an uncomfortable fit. We’re right where we need to be.

Art by Renee

We are so Excited!!!

A song that has been meaningful to us during this journey is “Lifesong” by Casting Crowns.  We quoted part of it in a newsletter recently and so here are the rest of the lyrics.

“Lifesong”
Casting Crowns

80% Monthly Support Committed!

For any of you who are not getting our update emails, here is a link to the last one sent 1/8/2013.  If you would like to get our emails, there is a place on this link to subscribe to our updates.  Simply click the link bellow.

Support Goal Update(click here)

Please be praying that this support goal is met which will allow us to continue to the orientation in March and to Kenya in July.

We stand ready to go.  The rest is in God’s hands.

One Step Closer: The dust is settling from the whirlwind of the TE (Technical Evaluation) and acceptance to AIM AIR (the aviation division of Africa Inland Mission).  From Day 1 we have felt God was leading us specifically to AIM AIR and their participation in building up God’s Kingdom in Africa.  Passing the TE was God’s confirmation that we are on the right track. 

Thank you for celebrating with us.  This is your celebration as well, as we feel God moving us one step further in His plan for Africa.  Excitement and anticipation are more real now.  Our stateside pre-field orientation is scheduled for March 5th, 2013 through June 14, 2013 with a departure to Nairobi, Kenya July 11, 2013.

Thank you for your diligent prayers and financial encouragement that has brought us this far.  We have been abundantly blessed with an awesome prayer and financial team that God is continuing to build and fortify.

Next Step: We are at 75% of our monthly support requirement and 25% of our Outgoing fund set by AIM.  Praise the Lord.  Thank you so much all who have committed to getting us this far.  This leaves $1479.00 monthly and approximately $40,000 Outgoing needing to be committed by February 1 to keep our March orientation slot. 

If we are unable to raise 100% of our monthly support by this date we will be bumped to the October orientation delaying our departure to 2014. 

100% of our Outgoing needs to be raised before our July departure date.  This Outgoing fund covers our stateside and African orientations, over-seas travel, shipping and medical expenses along with getting set up in Kenya and a vehicle once we get there.

Please pray about this:  If God has laid it on your heart to be a part of this ministry, now is the time.  We are ready to go.  There is an amazing amount of opportunity to support the national church in spreading the gospel and good news of Jesus Christ to the unreached in Africa.  We stand here ready.  God has called us and we have answered, but we can not do it alone, nor are we meant to.  We need your prayers and financial support to accomplish the work God has laid before us.

If you would like to join our prayer team, please let us know via an email to kingsinafrica@yahoo.com subject Prayer Partner.  We will be sending special prayer requests and updates to this group of people as the needs arise. 

If you feel God leading you to financially support us in this ministry, please contact us directly or there is information here on our blog under Support Info on how to support us.

The next few months:  We are available to share our story and mission in…

Seattle: now till December 12th and again January 12th through February 10th.

Alberta: December 13th through January 9th

Michigan: February 15th through the 25th

We are honored to share this journey with you.  Possibly our favorite aspect of God’s personality is His love for fellowship.  He could do this alone, but He chooses to allow us to join together and join Him in this work here on earth. 

I John 1:3-4

³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We write this to make our joy complete.

For more information on how you can financially support our ministry, please click on Support Info to the right.

Email Newsletters

We are now sending out our newsletter updates by email.  Are you getting them?  If not please let us know and we will make sure to put you on our email list.  The last Newsletter was sent November 29, 2012.  We will continue sending paper copies to the few people who have requested them.

We knew that as we left Ionia we would be saying goodbye to a conventional lifestyle for a while. You know – moving, setting up a new home and getting settled into a routine. It feels strange going into familiar places like LaReina’s parents or our hometown of Duvall and relying on God’s provision 100%. Instead of meeting for a wonderful evening of food and delightful conversation before heading home, we now say good night and head downstairs to sleep. Instead of getting the kids ready for the school bus and school, we gather our jackets, head out for our morning walk and settle into home school.

As we drive the streets that seemed so familiar, everything seems different. Or maybe we are. Maybe our hearts don’t see things quite the same as when we lived here last. Funny how God moves us that way.

So the new is moving every couple of days or weeks. We would love prayer for the continuous transition and protection for our family. We feel God’s love and provision through family and friends. Please join us in praying for abundant blessings for those who have stepped up to grant us shelter and food.

“God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.”  Hudson Taylor

“When you have nothing left but God, then for the first time you become aware that God is enough.”  Maude Royden

I think it’s time for a Praise Report! (And a really cool story)

A few months before we were setting out on the East Coast Tour, Joel and I did a few calculations and quickly determined that our finances would not hold up against 4 weeks on the road. And my nerves would not hold up against starting home-school in a mixture of various people’s homes (as delightful as they may be) and motel rooms. We sent out a request to the churches and individuals we had been involved with in Michigan describing our dilemma.

Adding to the dilemma were the dates we needed a trailer for (over Labor Day Weekend) and the low tow limit of our Honda Pilot. Well, God moved mightily through Berlin and LeValley Churches as they worked together to strike a lease deal with the local RV dealership, but the Honda limits made it almost impossible to get a trailer big enough to work for that length of time. Translation: we thought a shower would be a blessing to the folks we were meeting, a toilet would save our sanity, and a pop up would put Joel over the edge.

Dick and Penny Simington saved the day when they offered to switch their truck for our Pilot. This gave us a 12,000 lb towing capacity. The team went to work with the new limits and got everything set up with the RV dealership. The scope of the project was substantial with fund raising within the churches to pay for the lease, insurance, and ensuring compatibility of tow packages. All this was taken care of without concerning us. They just promised the truck and trailer would be ready in time.

I imagine God was watching with a smile on His face as He watched His children diligently working to get this missionary family on the road. Only He knew that 5 days before we would have to leave, after the preparations had been made but not finalized, the original plan would be thrown out (sorry Bill and Bob for the hours you put in). I imagine He watched with delight as we received the call from Clinton Rudd offering his 24 ft trailer free of charge. Rudd’s had just realized they could accomplish their Labor Day trip in another camper and had their’s to offer us.

The truck was perfect (of course), the trailer was perfect (of course), and we headed out August 20th.

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

A thought has been coming to me in my quiet times with the Lord … planting seeds. One thing I love about the Lord is how a simple phrase can mean so much in so many aspects of our life.

The most obvious is planting seeds in our children. The seeds of trusting our Savior for our financial, spiritual, and emotional needs daily. Modeling our total dependence on Him to the two little minds who are soaking up our every move in this time of shifting sands. And He has been so faithful!

The less obvious seed planting is outside our home.  As Joel and I are navigating this new terrain of “what it means to be a missionary” together, the seed planting analogy arose again. We have been reminded yet again that our missionary work is not beginning when we set foot on African soil. It is even beyond the churches and individuals we have been blessed to be meeting with.

Planting seeds looks like a 45 minute subway ride with a businessman who became interested in two vibrant, friendly children who talked about going to Africa; opening the door for us to share what God is doing there and how we will be helping spread the Good News of Jesus Christ through aviation. Divine appointments. He left with our prayer card, information on AIM, and a smile on his face.  As we’ve said before, its not just about our journey, but all soldiers of the faith. Planting seeds.

Or talking to a volunteer at the Hershey Chocolate plant (a guilty pleasure that was on our way and too close to pass up). A five minute conversation that started with “So where y’all from?” and ended with Africa. The look on his face said it all. A seed had been planted and He was touched.

Sometimes I get stuck thinking grandeur. God thinks in mustard seeds.

Who knew we’d love gardening this much?! Well, other than God.

Following graduation, we hit the road running. The first order of business was to take Riley, our poodle bichon and pet of 12 years, back to his country of origin (Canada) to live with LaReina’s mom and dad in Alberta. They blessed us by meeting us in Steinbach, Manitoba which was a half way meeting point.

Seeing Mom and Dad again after a year was great. Saying good-bye to Riley – not so great.

Riley jumped into the truck heading for Alberta and waited for the drivers as if it had been whispered into his heart that his travelling with us was over.  I don’t know about you, but I think that dog had a God whisper that day.  After all, the Master Creator made him too. His heart was calmed, and watching his reaction to the unfolding situation brought peace to ours.

Psalm 84:5     Blessed are those whose strength is in you,  who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

Thank you, Jesus, for taking the smallest details into Your hands and blessing us through them.

Joel graduated with his Airframe and Powerplant License August 10th. He celebrated with 27 other graduates and their families before they scattered onto the plans God has for each of them. Some are completing the final stages before deployment to the field; some are just getting started in their journey. All in all, it was an incredible year of new experiences, growing in faith, enduring trials, and learning that travelling with friends makes the walk so much more enjoyable! Thank you to our Michigan friends who made this year so fun!