Saying Goodbye

It has been so hard to say goodbye to Omaha! There have been many tears shed over these past few weeks, and many times when we have all wondered what we’re doing, but we know that this is what we are supposed to do, and we are excited about all of the new people and adventures we have ahead of us. We are all experiencing huge changes in our lives, and very few familiar things to comfort us.

Goodbye luncheon with my CK group of wonderful ladies

Going away party at our old home...

Alyssa was accepted into Mercy Ministries in Nashville, Tennessee, and on Tuesday the 17th, at 4:30pm, she got a call asking if it was at all possible for her to get there by Friday the 20th at 1:30pm. We called our friend Tiffany to see if she would be able to travel with me, and thankfully, she was! Instead of the 4 days to get ready for moving, I now only had one day to get everything ready for the move! With the help of my amazing friend Kelly and our incredible neighbors, June & Skip, we somehow managed to get everything done, and Tiffany, Aly, and I had a fun trip together. Mercy is an amazing ministry, and the home is beautiful. I was relieved that Aly will be at such an amazing place, and the staff is all wonderful, so it made saying goodbye a lot easier.

Leaving our Bible study groups, neighbors, friends, and everything familiar was very difficult. Conan has been confused about what is going on, and even right now, he is pacing back and forth in our hotel room, probably wondering when we are going home. He’s in for some big surprises!

Conan relaxed with the girls at the Will's house before we left.

We plan on arriving in Ohio to visit Gordon’s family tomorrow night and staying until Sunday, then going to Nashville to see Aly before continuing on to Pace, Florida to stay with our family there for about a week, and we will fly out of Fort Lauderdale on the 9th, Lordwillingly. Very exciting and very scary, but we know that we are right in the center of God’s will for us, and there’s nowhere we’d rather be!

All of this has really reminded me that our only security should be in God because He is the only thing in the life that won’t ever change. He is supposed to be our dwelling place, and in Him there is complete peace, comfort, and home. That is a wonderful reminder when everything is changing around us!

Psalm 90:1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the word, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

No Turning Back!

Well, we had the long awaited and much feared Estate Sale! Now our home doesn’t feel like our home anymore, and there is definitely NO TURNING BACK! We are thankful that we have sold most of our possessions, and we feel confident that we can really do this now, thanks to many wonderful friends! I love helping others, but have a really difficult time asking for help from other people, but God knew that I needed to let my pride go and lean on others. Last week, while dancing, I sprained my ankle, and knew pretty much immediately that I was going to need help to get everything done. A couple of days later, while hobbling around on my hurt ankle, I fell and broke my little toe… further confirmation that I needed help!

My CK group (church Bible Study group) and my BSF group (Bible Study Fellowship) have been amazing, and really made the estate sale successful as well as helped to relieve the mountain of stress that we all were feeling. Alyssa called my good friend, Kelly, to tell her how stressed I was feeling about everything, and Kelly, Meghan, Jennifer, and Tiffany came to the rescue – even bringing dinner for us. We enjoyed working and laughing, and even practiced dancing the Thriller as a stress reliever. Tiffany came to stay with us and help with the sale, and several members from my Bible studies also helped things to run smoothly. Thank you so much to everyone!

Being a little bit crazy with the Will girls

 

In 10 short days, we will be leaving Omaha! Our plan is to drive through Ohio to visit Gordon’s sister & family there before heading to Florida. We are planning on flying out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida on June 9th. I have a feeling that these next few weeks are going to FLY by! I wish that my foot/ankle felt better, but I am thankful that at least only one foot is involved, and also that I was able to break through the barrier of pride, and receive the help from my friends.

1 Corinthians 13:4

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

2 Corinthians 11:30

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

Keeping my focus

Getting ready to move is a truly monumental job. If I spend too much time thinking about it, I get anxious and scared, and feel kind of panic stricken! The biggest challenge during this time is keeping our focus on what’s important and not getting too overwhelmed with all the things that have to get done. God has worked in some strange ways these past couple of weeks, and has helped me to keep my focus where it needs to be… on Him.


Gordon and Chantalle were off taking care of some business, and Aly and I had the day to really hit it and just pack like crazy. We started to get working, and the thought of all of the work that lie ahead of me was starting to make me panic. I breathed a prayer to God, and checked my messages, finding one from a friend who was in immediate need of my help, so we took off to help her out, leaving our packing behind. We ended up having a great time helping our friend, laughing away all of the stress of packing, and when we returned, with everything in perspective, I felt much better.


God will equip us for every job that He asks us to do, so I don’t know why I allow myself to worry that THIS time He won’t come through for me. We still have a lot to do, but after a much needed attitude adjustment, things are moving along at a much nicer pace, and I feel confident that we will get everything done when it needs to get done. (Prayers would still be appreciated, though!)



May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21

Packing up our lives...

We are working on getting our stuff packed and taking care of all of those little details that are involved in moving, and it can be very VERY difficult! In some ways things are easier because we are not keeping very much of what we own, so we don't really have to do anything with those things. We are planning on having an estate sale on May 13 & 14, and selling all of our furniture and most of our belongings. There are some things that we are storing with my parents in Florida, but we really want to limit what we store there, so we are really trying to limit those stored items to things that are REALLY special to us. That leaves us with what we are taking to Honduras with us... 2 boxes per person, no more than 62 linear inches per box. It is very difficult to have to go through all of our things and be discerning about what is really important and necessary, but we're making a lot of progress!

As the time for us to go gets closer (5 weeks!), we are working through our lists of things we need to take care of, and this is all becoming more and more real to all of us.  There are times when we are super excited, times when we feel super scared, and other times when we feel super sad about all that we are leaving behind. We have made some wonderful friends here in Omaha, and it will be very difficult to have to leave them and everything that is familiar to us. We have to continually remind ourselves that we are being obedient to God, and that although it's difficult, it is always "worth it" to follow Him.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Hebrews 13:20-21 May the God of peace equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I became friends with a lady at church several years ago, and we really hit if off.  We enjoyed doing a lot of the same things, and started spending a fair amount of time together.  It was really nice having a close girl friend to hang out with, but then things changed.  I started to feel like I was being used by her. We would go to a movie or lunch, and she didn't have enough money, so I would pay for her, which was okay, but it didn't really get reciprocated, and she was never thankful. When things got rough, she was nowhere around, but when things were going good, she was always around to get her share.

I was thinking about this friend the other day, and it occurred to me that our relationship was a lot like my relationship with God at times.  It's easy to just take, and not give back, and it's really easy to just "use God" when I need Him, and not have a daily relationship with Him, no matter what.  These thoughts really convicted me of how important it is for me to rely on Him every day, in every situation, and to show Him how thankful I am to Him for saving me and for giving me an incredible life.  None of us likes feeling used... and I'm sure God doesn't appreciate it either.

As the time for us to leave gets closer and we pass our prayer cards out, we hear a lot of comments from people who say that it’s great that we are answering God’s call and going out into the mission field. While that’s true, lately God has really shown me that there are many different mission fields, and all of us who are Christians are called to follow God onto the mission field. God may have called us to a different country, and while that’s exciting and scary, we have friends and family who have been called to even scarier mission fields right in their own homes.




My friends, Kim and Sam, were asked to go out onto the mission field in January of this year. Right after the new year started, Kim was diagnosed with lymphoma, and they went out onto the mission field of cancer. Since we have switched churches and our lives have changed a lot, I don’t get to see Kim and Sam very often, but I have been blessed daily by reading Kim’s blog and seeing how God is working in their lives through this journey.



Cancer as a mission field? It may sound strange, but in many ways it is similar to going to a foreign country. Kim and Sam are facing a whole new world of doctors and treatments, and Kim’s body has undergone many changes due to the cancer and treatments. Living the “cancer life” is like living in a foreign country. They could have chosen not to accept God’s calling to this field, and instead could curse God and turn their backs on Him, but instead, they have risen to His calling, and are turning this ordeal into a blessing for others. I have no doubt that many people who never would have gone into a church will hear their story and read Kim’s words, and realize that they too can turn to Christ in the middle of their struggles.

“ What if at this point in time, when I have had to realize I have no control of my life, and hand everything over to God and trust him, I take these so-familiar verses as actual step-by-step instructions, not just nice sayings? Can I really not worry about anything if I pray about everything? I’m going to try to find out.” – Kim 1/7/11

(You can read more of Kim’s blog at: http://kimlovessam.wordpress.com/)

Kim and Sam

My niece and nephew, Anna and Joshua, were also unexpectedly called out onto a new mission field in January. Anna and Josh have 2 very adorable and spunky boys, and were excited to be expecting their first daughter, who they named Evelyn Rose, when they found out that Evelyn has some serious problems, and may not even make it to her very first birthday. Again, they could have chosen to not accept God’s calling and instead to be angry at God for allowing this to happen to their precious daughter, but they are choosing to use this as a way to draw others to the sweetness of Christ.

“Having felt the searing pain of being asked to give up a child, my response is so different to reading again that God CHOSE to give up His only child! ...and for me, the little girl I'm being asked to give up will go straight from the safety of my womb to the permanent safety of His arms (unless God gives us a miracle!). But for God, when He gave up Jesus, He sent Him here, knowing he would die a brutal, public, shameful, undeserved death. God knew that Jesus would be mocked his whole life, even though He was the Son of God. And God still chose to give up His Son, to prove to us His love. Jesus agreed to it, because He loves us THAT MUCH!”

– Anna, 3/28/11

( You can read more of Anna’s posts at: www.annapianoruth.blogspot.com )

Evelyn Rose

We are all called to serve God and to be a witness for Him in many different ways. There are many different types of people, and it’s going to take different types of people to reach them for Christ. The mission field that God has called our family to is in Honduras, Kim and Sam are called to serve God through cancer, and Josh and Anna are called to witness to others through the unstable health of their unborn daughter. Even if you aren’t faced with a huge life altering plan, you can still change people’s lives through your mission wherever you are.

One day while I was buying groceries after a particularly stressful day, during a particularly stressful time in my life, I really was wondering if God even cared about me or my situation, and I felt very lost and alone. I honestly wasn’t sure that I even wanted to keep trying to live the Christian life. As I checked out, the cashier handed me a Hershey’s bar along with my receipt, squeezed my hand and told me, “Hang in there – God loves you!” (I have one of the most transparent faces of anyone, so my mood is usually pretty obvious…) That small action had a big impact on me, and really showed me that God does care, and He puts people in our lives to lift us up and show God’s love. We usually won’t know the impact of those little things we do, but that cashier’s impulsive kindness may be what kept me trusting in God, and gave me the strength to hang on. She was a missionary right there at the Kroger store….

2 Timothy 4:2  Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.

How Did we Get Here?

About four years ago, two seemingly unrelated events happened that would shape our future. The first was that Gordon was forced to go on disability because his muscular dystrophy had progressed to the point that he wasn't able to keep up with his work at Scott's. We knew that God still had a plan for Gordon and for our family, but we really weren't sure what it was, so we began praying and seeking God's leading for this next chapter in our lives.

Around that same time (the same month even!) my cousin Chris and his wife Maria were called to Pena Blanca, Honduras to plant a Calvary Chapel church. They have worked in the local bilingual school while working in the church, helping to build it from the ground up. From the beginning of their ministry, they have invited people to join them and come see how God is working in Honduras.  In the summer of 2009, the girls and I had the opportunity to travel to Honduras to visit them and see what God was doing.

Within the first couple of days, all of us felt a very strong feeling that this was more than just a short term mission trip. It is hard to describe, but it seemed like this is where we were supposed to be, and it was a very exciting feeling.  The only problem was that I was pretty sure that Gordon, who is not a big fan of change, would have nothing to do with coming to Honduras.  I called him and told him about what we were doing, and I told him that I was feeling like this was a place that we needed to come back to, possibly long term.  Much to my surprise, he said that we would have to pray about it, but maybe that was what we were supposed to do.  I was surprised and encouraged!  Anyone who knows Gordon knows that only God could make him even consider such a huge change.

When the girls and I returned home, we began discussing the idea as a family, and we all began fasting and praying and seeking God's guidance for us. We received confirmation over and over again that going to Honduras was what we were supposed to do. At first, we thought we would go for a year and then go back to Florida where my family lives, but then we were convicted through James 4: 13 - 17 that we needed to be open to God's leading, and not put our own limits on God.  Right now we have committed to a minimum of 18 months, and we are open to whatever God leads us to do at that point.

It was the fall of 2009 that we were sure that we were supposed to go to Honduras, and we thought that we would be moving there in September of 2010.  We started relinquishing our responsibilities here in Omaha and working towards moving, but we started to realize that God had a different timeline for us. I tend to  like planning things and I like to be able to know what I will be doing, and I needed to learn to just trust God and not rely on my own plans. 

In the time since we've felt called to Honduras, God has worked in all of us, even allowing our dog, Conan, to be trained as Gordon's Service Dog, so that he can travel with us to Honduras. Conan passed his tests and is certified, and even has a cute ID badge with his photo on it! The timing has been perfect, and we feel ready and excited about heading into this next chapter in our lives!

James 4:13 - 17 Now 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." Why, 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. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.