Panama Pictures

Since it is holiday time and summer break time in Panama, we have a LOT of free time. So we are doing some exploring in our new city. Follow this link to see the pictures.

Wayfaring Strangers

As you might imagine, leaving Natal, Brazil was very hard for me and Greg. For almost a year we had been planning and preparing (along with Lacy Hefley) to live and work there for a full year. When we found out that wasn't going to be a possibility because of problems with our Brazilian visas, we were very disappointed but resigned ourselves to make the most of whatever time God allowed us to have there. We feel blessed and honored to have had three months to work with Comunidate de Cristo and our little LST family (Cris Carpenter, Lacy, Greg and I). From the first day, we were warmly welcomed and felt immediate connections with our christian family. Since our time there was limited we got to work right away. Over the course of the 3 months, I was able to meet with 22 different people for reading sessions, many of whom will be life long friends. I can't say exactly what God will do in their lives or how He will use my efforts, but I can say that I feel I was being obedient to Him by reading His Word with people and being an illustration of that Word as I shared my beliefs and my life with them. A bit of my heart will always be in Natal, Brazil.

Now, Greg and I have a new work to do. When we realized that we could not serve our entire LST year in Natal, we started searching for another site to work. (Actually, Craig and Leslee Altrock started searching for a site for us). LST works with churches all over the world and there are many that need long-term workers or interns. We prayed over the choices presented to us and after looking at the needs, we all decided that Panama City, Panama was a good place for us to go for the remainder of our year. We have been in PC for a little over 3 days so far and we feel a real peace over our situation. Although this year has not worked out the way we planned, we trust in God and his plan for us. So, we are striving to submit to his will with joy.

Because of the holiday season and the fact that students in Panama have just begun their 3 month summer break, we can not immediately begin our work here. That is o.k. because we have a lot of settling in to do. We are spending our time apartment hunting (We are currently staying in the apartment of American missionaries that went home for Christmas. Thanks, David and Lisa Carter!), familiarizing ourselves with the area, getting to know some of the church members and studying Spanish. Not to mention catching up on rest! We are excited at the opportunity to experience a Christmas celebration in another culture. It will be hard to go through a family oriented time without our family, but maybe this will give us an opportunity to grow closer to our christian family here in PC. We learned in Natal, when you are a child of God, you've got family all over the world.

"The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand." Psalms 37:23&24

May we all be aware of His Hand in ours and trust Him like children.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday.
I love the cooking, the visiting, the card playing, etc. I love dressing and cranberry sauce and pie. But what I really love is that one of the major holidays in our country is a day set aside to be thankful.
This year was my first year to spend Thanksgiving Day in another country. I didn't really know what to expect. Although the holiday isn't celebrated in Brazil, we decided to take the day off. The local American missionary family (the Jewels) invited all us Americans and also the Brazilian missionaries to spend the day at their house for a traditional Thanksgiving Day celebration. We all brought some food to add to the dinner and despite some challenges getting ingredients we were used to, we had a pretty typical Thanksgiving meal. It was a wonderful day. And you might be surprised to know that our day probably wasn't very different from yours.
We ate turkey, stuffing (not dressing, Greg loved it), mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and pie. The women all joined in the kitchen and got the food prepared, the men fell asleep in front of the TV, the children ran around the house, after dinner we played a card game. Just the usual stuff. My favorite part of the day was after dinner when we sat together and everyone shared what they are thankful for. I said that I am thankful that no matter where I go in the world, I have family, a christian family that loves and accepts me. Today I missed my earthly family very much, but being with this church family helped.
Everyone at the dinner had something to give thanks for, but there is one in particular that I want to tell you about. We had a special guest at our Thanksgiving dinner, his name is Talis and he is one of Lacy's LST readers. Talis has participated in LST for about 6 months and he has become a regular at worship services and church functions. Today he told us that he is thankful for the LST program He started coming for the English but he began to learn more about the bible and it changed his life completely. He has made a decision to be baptized. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how thrilled we are at this news. This made the day unforgettable! And it just gets better. Talis brought a friend to our October social event and that friend has been coming to the church regularly and studying the bible with one of the missionaries and he has also decided to be baptized. We are praising God tonight and full of thankfulness to Him that we have two new brothers here in Natal!
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. Matthew 19:29
God is already keeping this promise and I am so thankful for that blessing. And no matter how much I was missing my earthly family today, I know the sacrifice is worth it.

What is the foundation for your life?

Recently I have done one lesson with several readers that has caused me great frustration.
The lesson is taken from Luke 6:46-49
"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and don't do what I say? The people who come to me, who listen to my teachings and obey them, I will show you what they are like: They are like a man building a house. He digs deep and builds his house on rock. The floods come, and the water crashes against the house. But the floods cannot move the house, because it was built well. But the people who hear my words and do not obey are like a man who builds a house without preparing a foundation. When the floods come, the house falls down easily and is completely destroyed."


This is one of the shortest readings and on the surface, the concept is very simple: If you obey Jesus teachings, your life will be built on a strong foundation and you will be prepared to withstand the troubles that come. Almost every reader answers the questions correctly and seems to get the concept right away. When I ask if their life is built on a strong foundation, they say yes. Next I ask them to tell me about that foundation and I get all kinds of answers, anything from family, experiences, ancient prophets, etc.. One even said his mother is religious and that makes his life strong. This is where the frustration begins. They have just said that a strong foundation is built on obeying Jesus teachings and in the next breath they are telling me about their strong foundation built on something totally different. Sometimes I just want to get out my bible and whack them over the head with it (it's paperback, it won't hurt too much). Okay, not really, but I do have to find a gentle way to try to help them see the discrepancy. Often I have to leave the session without any real assurance that they realized the difference in what Jesus said and what they are saying. It is not my job to get my readers to conform to what I think is right or best for them, it is my job to encourage them to learn about Jesus and to illustrate to them what a life built on the foundation of obedience to him looks like. And as my father-in-law so wisely reminded me of tonight, their is power in the Word of God and that power can lead them to Jesus. I might be able to convince them to conform, but Jesus will transform them.

PICTURES

Greg added more pictures to our online photo album. If you would like to view them, click here.

"Joy In The Journey"

I heard a song by Michael Card called "Joy In The Journey". It is so beautiful. It talks about the joy and freedom that comes from being in Christ. This song resonated with me because I think it really describes my life and what I want for others. Here are the lyrics:

There is a joy in the journey
There's a light we can love on the way
There is a wonder and wildness to life
And freedom for those who obey

And all those who seek it shall find it
A pardon for all who believe
Hope for the hopeless and sight for the blind

To all who've been born in the Spirit
And who share incarnation with Him
Who belong to eternity stranded in time
And weary of struggling with sin

Forget not the hope that's before you
And never stop counting the cost
Remember the hopelessness when you were lost

There is a joy in the journey
There's a light we can love on the way
There is a wonder and wildness to life
And freedom for those who obey

And freedom for those who obey...

One of the reasons I am doing what I'm doing is because I remember the "hopelessness when I was lost" and I want to help the lost find the same kind of hope that I have found. The peace and joy we receive from obeying God is amazing to me! And when we are living our life in obedience to Him, He does require sacrifices, but He also showers us with love and joy!

Let me share with you one of the little "joys" in my journey. Sometimes the accent and the pronunciation of our readers provides for some very amusing situations. For example, one girl pronounces h's as r's. Imagine how hard it is to keep a straight face when she is talking about the "Rolly" Spirit.
Another reader was studying about the time that Jesus spent 40 days in the desert fasting and praying and the devil came to tempt him. I asked my reader where Jesus was and he answered, "Jesus got into the dessert". I guess Jesus has a sweet tooth. Of course he hadn't eaten in a while, so there is no worry about him ruining his dinner.
Don't think I share these stories with you to laugh at them. Definitely not! Far from it! These people are very intelligent and are on their way to being fluent in a second language (some have even more languages). Since I have begun studying portuguese, I have a better understanding of just how difficult that is! I have great respect for them.
I'm sharing these stories to give you a glimpse of the fun we have doing our work and the joy we get from spending time with our readers. Each morning I wake up excited to start my day and to meet my friends to read the bible together and have great discussions. And we enjoy being together, we share lots of laughs and lots of struggles.

I pray that you have many joys in your journey too! Please, share them with me!!!
And if you are feeling hopelessness, seek the pardon that comes from obedience to God!
If you would like to listen to the song by Michael Card, click here.

Independence?

This morning I walked to the bakery and fruit market alone. This isn't a big deal, they are just a few blocks away and I can just point to the things I need, I don't need to be able to speak. But I really enjoyed it! This wasn't my first time to do this alone, I've gone several times, but this morning I really enjoyed the feeling of freedom and independence of doing what I needed to do all by myself. I didn't need anyone to drive me or escort me, I didn't need anyone along to translate for me, I didn't have to rely on anyone else to show me the way. Like most people my age, I am used to being independent and self sufficient. Well, now, that is all out the window. I can't even go get my hair cut without help!
But I have been learning over these last several months, that I am not independent and self sufficient. No matter how much I earn, learn, and accomplish, for the important things in life, I need help, I need other people, and most of all, I need Jesus!
Greg and I could not have made it to this place and this work on our own. We needed God to provide the vision and the means to accomplish it. He used his people, his church to help us along every step of the way, from arranging travel plans to raising support. Now that we are here, we need his people to help us accomplish many of our daily tasks and we definitely need him to help us with our work. We rely on the Holy Spirit to gives us word to speak (1 Cor. 2:13) to our readers as we share with them about Jesus.
In Mark 10:15 Jesus says that anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. So, like a child, I am to be totally dependent on my Father for everything. And I can rely on Him to provide all I need without worry. This isn't easy. I'm a grown-up adult and the world says I should be taking care of myself. But I am slowing learning that totally depending on God to provide is a blessed way to live and it is life to the fullest! I may enjoy an outing alone to the bakery, but I don't want to go back to an "independent, self sufficient" life, because, "my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Ph. 4:29)

GREAT NEWS!

I think most of you are aware of the issues we have had with our Brazilian visas, but in case there are some that don't know what has been happening, here is the story...
Starting in about March of this year Lacy, Greg and I started the process of applying for one year volunteer visas from Brazil. Our plan was to begin our year in July. When our leave date arrived, Lacy had her visa, but Greg and I didn't. After about one month of waiting, we found out we had been denied that visa. According to our contacts, that denial left us with no other options to try to stay in Brazil for the whole year, but we could apply for a tourist visa which is usually for 3 months and then apply for an extension and get a total of 6 months in the country. So, we decided that is the thing to do. We did get approved for a tourist visa, but when we received it we realized that it was only a 30 day visa. This was completely unexpected and left us with a big decision to make. Do we go on to Brazil for the 30 days and hope for an extension, or, Do we give up on Brazil all together and spend the entire year in another country? Since the church here in Natal was expecting us and we had told them we were coming, we felt like we should go there for whatever time we were allowed. With this decision made, we then needed to decide what to do, where to go, when we have to leave Brazil. The people at LST recommended two churches in two different countries that were really wanting and needing interns to do follow-up work from the LST summer projects and after reviewing all the contingencies regarding both sites we come to a decision about the rest of our year.
So, now you have the whole story up to today.
Now for the GREAT NEWS! Today, we got word that our applications for an extension on our Brazilian visas have been approved. Instead of having to leave in less than a week, we can stay in Natal for 2 more months. We have to leave the country by December 20. We are praising God for this blessing and we are so thankful to Him for granting us more time to work with the people here. Greg and I both feel that we are just beginning to see some of our readers opening up to God's Word and we are excited that we will be able to stay here longer and continue to be involved in God's work in their lives.
We know that if we are willing to be used by God, it doesn't matter where we are, He will use us and we are striving to always be His servants. But for now, we are very excited that He is using us at Commundade de Cristo in Natal, Brazil. And at that end of December, if He is willing, we will move to Panama City, Panama to continue our year long LST Intern project and serve Him there.
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
(Psalm 143:10)

Readers and Friends

One of the great blessing of my time here in Natal is the opportunity to reconnect with people that I read with last year. I developed some special friendships with so many of them, and now, to get to work with them again and see how their english has improved and how God has been working in their lives, I am amazed and humbled to be a witness.
I want to tell you a little about a few of them. I am not giving their names to protect their privacy, but if you pray for them, God will know who they are!

DOWN AND OUT
When I met her last year, she was in the depths of depression, she was discouraged about her life and situation, she was embarrassed about her english and because of these issues, she had a nervous habit that make her sniff and twitch all the time. She considered herself religious, but she never really read the Bible. We gave her a New Testament and she started reading it regularly in addition to her LST lessons. When I left, she said that her daughter was also reading the bible with her and I could already see that the power of God's Word was helping her to look at her life in a more positive way. She came to see me the first week I was back and she scheduled some time with me. I was amazed! She is almost like a different woman! The nervous habits are gone completely and I saw no trace of the depression. She looks ten years younger! She is no longer focused on what she can't do because of her circumstances, instead she is making the most of her opportunities. This is the power of the Word of God in the lives of those who seek Him!
SHALLOW AND ENAMORED BY THE WORLD
When I left last year, his english was pretty limited and most of our discussions were somewhat superficial and shallow. He has continued to meet with LST workers as often as possible, and the difference in his english is amazing. This year we have been able to have meaningful discussions about the things we are reading about. He started reading the Luke workbook with me in May of 2007 and last Thursday, we finished reading the workbook together. It was very special to both of us that we got to start and finish this study together. But that is not the end, he will continue with LST until we run out of material to read with him!
DEEP THINKERS
I have two students that are really good friends and classmates. They are both studying philosophy. Okay, stop laughing at the image of me having discussions with philosophers. God is good and powerful and He can work in any situation. I'm sure they think I am silly and simple as we discuss philosophy and religion, but they come back twice a week anyway. I tell you, I am really challenged as I listen to people whose perspective is completely different than mine, but I have more opportunities to share what I believe with them than with anyone else. I do more praying in my hours with them than any other time in my day. Friday night they took Greg and I out to one of their favorite places to listen to music. It was a great opportunity to illustrate the life of a christian in their own setting instead of just here in our church building. Greg and I both agreed that we don't understand why they want to spend time with us. They are young and cool and well.......... I am hoping it is that they see Jesus in us and like what they see.

There are others that are equally special and I may be able to share about them later. This is just a glimpse of the people that we came here for. I am so thankful to God that He has given me the opportunity to be involved in the life of my readers! I love helping them with their english and hearing the progress they are making, but the real reward is seeing the progress that God is making in their hearts!

PICTURES

Greg has uploaded our pictures onto the web. you can find them at
http://picasaweb.google.com/gneedels
Happy viewing!
If you want to just follow a link, go to his blog and click the link.

Just for Genny...but anyone can read it!

bananas, mango, butter and margarine, shortening, flour, sugar, black beans (some cooked, some not), uncooked rice, juice (lime and grape-but these flavors change regularly), leftover grilled chicken that I bought from the guy in the median of the street (yummy), water, some really yucky wheat bread, coffee, eggs, granola, some wonderful cheese (I don't know what kind it is,but it is white and melts really good), little bitty cans of Coke, some flat orange Fanta, a variety of spices, half an onion, one slice of ham, two apples (not very good, so I am saving them to make apple cake)
almost always pineapple, but it got finished today

two hours ahead of AR

A Typical Day

Not that there really is such a thing as a typical day when you have totally turned your life upside down by quitting your job, selling your house, and moving to another country in order to tell people about Jesus.
But, I will share the basics.
The sun comes up at about 5 AM, but I don't. I try to get up between 7 and 8. The first thing I do is sit out on the balcony and read my Bible (I've been reading Judges, and I can't say I'm sorry that I have finished that book. It's rough!) This is also a good time to expose these white legs to a little of the equatorial sun. Next I usually eat breakfast. Right now my favorite breakfast is honey yogurt with some granola mixed in and a banana (yum, yum). Then I straighten up the apartment if it needs it, if I need to do a load of laundry, I usually like to start it first thing in the morning so that I can get it hung on the line before I go downstairs. After the housework, I take a shower and get ready for the day. Then it is time to go to work, so, I walk downstairs and wait for readers. This is a good time to practice portuguese or do a little paperwork (especially if my reader doesn't show up). At about noon I either cook some lunch for us or we go to the closest shopping center to eat. After cleaning up from lunch, I usually take a little rest (When in South America, do as the South Americans do. Actually, I'm not sure if that is common here, but for me, a little rest is essential to get me through the long days.) Then it is time to freshen up and go back downstairs for afternoon reading sessions. I have afternoon reading times available from 2-7(except on Wednesdays, because of church services). Doing more than 3 reading sessions in a row is very difficult for me, so, as we are settling my schedule, most days I will try to space the readers out a little. At 8 PM we are usually done for the day and most work days we have a light dinner and I usually try to be in bed by 11 PM where I fall asleep reading. In amongst these other things I try to find time to do the shopping, keep up with paperwork, spend time getting the know the people here, do some cooking, study portuguese, study my bible, communicate with people back home, and write new posts for this blog. It seems that so many of the routine things that need to be done take much longer to do here than they did at home. I guess that is part of adjusting to a different culture. But, I don't mind, it is all part of the adventure and I enjoy learning new or different ways to do things. So, our days are full and so blessed! I love each day and look forward to getting up every morning and discover what God has in store for me!

Sunday is family day in Natal.

This has been a very busy week! We have spent a lot of time getting settled in and oriented. And we each met with a few readers. The days just fly by! But today is different. Cris the LST Intern that has been here for a year calls Sunday "family day". It seems that most people here spend the day at home or elsewhere with family. They have a big lunch, maybe do some shopping. It still sounds noisy and busy outside, but you can just feel the difference in the pace of live today. In keeping with the culture around us, Greg and I have spent the day hanging out in our apartment and just enjoying a little rest. We had what Greg called a "sweep the kitchen" lunch. I just put together the ingredients we had on hand and made up something for us to eat.

This church has their Sunday worship service at night. Bible class at 5 PM followed by a traditional service (both in Portuguese). It is very tiring to listen to portuguese so much, but we are trying very hard to pick up some words and learn to get by a little. I won't be surprised if one of the english speaking church members doesn't sit by us and interpret for us and we sing along with the songs, even though we are butchering them. It is a beautiful language, so, sometimes I just listen to them speaking as if I am listening music.
Last year when I was here, a big group from the church would go to the mall after services and eat at the food court, so, if that is still the same, I'm sure we will be joining them.
It is amazing to think of all the people all over the world, worshiping and praising God today. We are together in spirit!

TAM

Just let me take a moment to tell you about the wonderful Brazilian airline that flew us here. The name is TAM Airlines, and if you think that good airline service has ceased to exist, take a trip with them! I'm serious, they are amazing! When we had ticket trouble, their guy worked out our problem, even though the problem was the fault of another airline (no names to mention, but after flying with them, you might need AA!). Before you even take off they bring around this wonderful candy for everyone and during the flight they serve amazingly good food. Really! I kid you not! Even on a two hour flight we got a hot meal. On the long flight they gave a little grooming kit with toothbrush, etc. We we arrived in Rio late and our bag was lost, one of their guys checked our next boarding pass and realized that the delays made us late for our next plane. He got us to the front of every line, quickly through customs and run us to the ticket counter. We missed the flight anyway, but it was awesome that he took care of us. They got us on the next flight out. The final service they provided that makes TAM just amazing and incredible is that they delivered our lost bag to us. Can you believe it? I was shocked. We didn't ask them too, we thought we had to go get it at the airport, but while we were getting ready for the day yesterday morning Lacy came up and said, "Your lost bag was just delivered." So, if your ever flying to Brazil, you must fly TAM! It might be worth a trip here just to fly TAM!
I sound like a commercial!

6 airports, 5 flights, 31 hours, 1 missed flight, 1 lost bag, 1 destroyed bag, 1 messed up tickets, and lots of motion sickness later...

...we made it to our destination. It was a pretty rough trip, but despite some challenges we made it to Natal, only about 3 hours later than expected (thanks to some very helpful Brazilians, we were able to call the people in Natal to let them know we were coming in late). This is our second morning here and we both feel really good! We are sleeping good and have a wonderful apartment. Oh, and our lost bag is suppose to be waiting for us at the local airport, so even that has worked out okay in the end. We are planning to beginning reading either tomorrow (Wed.) or Thurs. The others thought we should wait until next week but since our time here will be shorter than we had hoped, we don't want to miss anymore reading time than we have too. Actually, I may have my first reading session tonight, because one of my readers from last year is coming and I want to meet with him again. We will see.

WE ARE FINALLY IN NATAL, BRAZIL

Too tired to write tonight. Just wanted you all to know that we made it. Even though we are completely exhausted, we are well and happy! God is good!

Ready and Waiting

Greg and I are in a hotel in Little Rock. Our bags are packed. Our passports and visas are in our possession. Hopefully we will get a good nights sleep and be ready to head to the airport early tomorrow.
It has taken a long time to get to this point and right now, I'm not really sure how I am feeling about it all. Excited, nervous, happy, sad. Regardless of how I feel, and no matter what happens along the journey, I'll just keep trusting God and strive to live in the center of His will!

We had a farewell dinner with my family. Dad, Mom, Tristan, Janie, Addie, Genny, Megan, Eric, Greg and I (we missed you Perry!) met in Little Rock and enjoyed some time just visiting and being together. Those good hugs will have to last me for a long time, but the love of family is very sustaining. I am abundantly blessed by my family! Needless to say, the goodbyes were bittersweet. I know they all support us, but that doesn't mean no tears.

We expect to arrive in Natal early Sunday afternoon. So, Lord willing, my next post will be written in Brazil.

Travel Plans

We got word today that our plane tickets have been purchased. Lord willing, we will fly out of Little Rock this Saturday and arrive in Natal Sunday afternoon. It feels so good to know that we have our passports and visas in hand and our seats on the planes reserved. That being said, I'd better start packing! How do you pack for a year, anyway?

Isaiah 55

8"My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
10"The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 11It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. 12You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! 13Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where briers grew, myrtles will sprout up. This miracle will bring great honor to the LORD's name; it will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.

It has been more than two months now that we have been waiting to get into Brazil and begin our work at the church in Natal.
Recently I have been drawn to these verses. Although we don't understand why we were denied volunteer visas to Brazil, we have put ourselves into God's hands and we are trusting Him with the details. And I also have to remember that He will plant the seeds and produce the harvest without me. I am not essential to His work, but my love and obedience are essential to my relationship with Him.

We hope to have news in the next few days about our next step, so please keep watching and praying with us!

If at first you don't succeed...

We have encountered some bumps on the road to Brazil, imagine that, who would have thought that would be a bumpy road. We recently found out that we were denied Visas. But all is not lost and we will continue our efforts to get into Brazil. I could expound on my thoughts and feelings about the situation, but Greg has already written a blog sharing that and I know many people are reading both of our blogs, so, if you haven't read his blog, please do so (you will see a link to his blog "Greg's Blog" on the left side of this blog page).
After meeting with Craig and Leslee Altrock, the LST staff members that are helping us, and much fervent prayer, we feel confident that our next step should be applying for a tourist visa to Brazil. Although initially this doesn't allow us a year in the country, there is hope that once we get there, we could get permission to stay a year. We will continue to pray for God to be at work in the situation and that we will be aware of His will for us and submit in obedience.
Meanwhile, we are hanging out in Arlington, TX. It is really a blessing to have so much time with the Gibbons and the LST headquarters are conveniently close-by while we continue on the visa process. Greg is working full-time and I am occupying myself in a large varieties of ways. I am constantly looking for ways to serve those around me and volunteering whenever possible. So, if you know of anything that needs doing, let me know.

Although I try to live my life in the center of God's will, I still have a lot to learn about trusting Him. These verses from James 4 are on my mind a lot lately.
13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.
I think we have been good about saying "If it is the Lord's will" but we can take this experience as a way to grow in our trust in Him!

28, 29, 30, 31...

Today marks the one month milestone of waiting on our Visas. Since it is such an important day, I thought I would take the time to let you know what we have been doing while we wait.
We have been blessed that although we don't have a home of our own, we have no shortage of places to live. So many wonderful and generous friends have offered to let us stay with them.
Our home base is my parents house on Buck Mountain in Dover, AR. They provided a storage room for us to keep the things we packed up from our home. And they have also given us a room of our own to use when we need it. We spent one week at my sister's house in Hot Springs. They have an RV and let us live in it, but I spent most of my time there at the house having fun with Genny. Most recently we have been traveling. We spent a weekend in Searcy at a chorale reunion at Harding and then went to Oklahoma City for a few nights on our way to the Stamps Family Reunion (my dad's family) in Southwest Oklahoma. That was a very blessed time with family and well worth having to delay our trip to Brazil. Now we are in Arlington, Texas visiting our good friends, Ryan and Amy Gibbons. Amy is directing a day camp at her church this week, and I have been able to help out a little.
All this while, Greg has continued to work full-time at his job. As long as he has electricity, he can work where-ever we are, so he just sets up and does his work (even in the car sometimes). I have spent my time in a variety of ways, just doing whatever comes up each day. It is very strange for me to have no real responsibilities. No job to go back to, no house to tend to. I haven't felt this free since my early college years.
We are still trusting God as we wait. We are excited to get to Brazil and join the work there, but we are just trying to make the most of each moment and opportunity and just serve Him by serving those around us and doing the work that is before us.

"Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." ~Isaiah 40:31
May we all learn the freedom and peace that comes from living each day in the center of God's will!

Preparing to Return

Although I am now using this blog site to journal about my year long LST internship in Natal, it is the original site that I used last year for my fist LST mission trip. So, I am leaving the posts from 2007, for the sake of posterity, but if you are just interested in my current work,
START HERE!
It has been 391 days since my last post and a lot has happened.
Late last summer, my husband, Greg and I started discussing the possibility of going to Natal, Brazil for a year long LST mission project. We were aware of the ripe fields there and at the time the workers were few and we felt God calling us to get into the field. LST agreed to send us and Comunidade de Cristo agreed to accept us along with Lacy Hefley. All we needed to do was raise $50,000 and pack up our lives in Russellville. God provided the money, I quit my job (Greg will continue to do his job part-time from Brazil), we sold our home and now we are ready to go. Actually, our original plan was to leave July 7, but God's plan must have been different because it is now July 29 and I am still in the USA as I write this. Lacy received her Brazilian Visa and left on the appointed day but Greg and I still have not received our Visas, so, we continue to wait. Our bags are packed and we are prepared to leave just as soon as those Visas come in! But as Greg continues to remind me, our "mission" doesn't begin when we arrive in Natal, our mission is ongoing and each day is another opportunity to serve and honor God and share Him with others, no matter where we are. So, that is what I will try to do, and I hope you will also!