Overwhelmed with Gratitude

As we prepare to serve with MMS Aviation, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. There are days I am overwhelmed by the number of tasks on my to-do list. There are moments when I just feel like turning back to my comfortable suburban life. I sometimes become anxious about our financial support, wishing it would come together more quickly.

But today I am feeling overwhelmed by something else—I am feeling overwhelmed with gratitude. I am thankful for new ministry partners that will make it possible for my family to be Jesus' ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:14-21) in remote corners of the world. I am grateful for brothers and sisters in Christ, who encourage and spur us on to the good works that flow from Christ in us (Ephesians 2:1-10). I'm thankful that God has opened doors to allow me to pursue a dream that I had laid down many years ago, and that in doing so I can serve Him with the gifts and passions He has blessed me with.

Time after time, God has provided for our needs, and given us the reassurance that He will continue to do so. In the past week, just when I was beginning to feel discouraged, monthly financial support came in from multiple unexpected sources. We are now one-third of the way to having our monthly financial needs met! Other people gave special gifts to help with one-time expenses.

We are equally grateful for the encouraging conversations we have had with friends, and for prayer offered on our behalf. We are convinced that prayer is crucial to sustaining us and our ministry, and we're thankful for all of our prayer partners.

We thank God that He has chosen us, saved us, brought us into His family, and given us the privilege of being His hands and feet to a world in need of Jesus. And we are thankful for every person who has come alongside us as we follow Christ and respond to His call.

March 2 Update

It's been a while since we've posted, but it's not because nothing has been going on. I have been doing a lot of thinking about our ministry, what it means to be a disciple of Christ, where we find our significance, and our purpose and calling as Christians. I have realized that my thoughts and ideas can be subtly influenced by culture (both "Christian" and secular culture), and have been spending extra time examining what the Bible has to say about these things. Unfortunately I just haven't had time to organize my thoughts into anything I can share on this blog. Hopefully I will have something to share in the next several weeks!

We have had a few new ministry partners join us since our last update, and we are at 28% of our monthly financial goal. This does not include any pledges that have been made through our home church. We know that some members have already made prayer and financial pledges, and we are still praying for more people to partner with us. Besides Grace Church in Perrysburg, we are in contact with three other churches in our area. On March 10, we have the opportunity to meet with the missions committee at one of these churches. Please pray for us as we share our vision and calling with them, and that God would give clear direction to the ones making the decisions about partnership with us.

We look forward to sharing more as God continues to provide, and we are thankful for all of you who are supporting us in many ways as we take this step of faith!