Sacrifice

Sorry I have not posted any new information since March but I can surely tell you what we've been doing since then! The month of April has been pretty full..especially since we are still handling our regular duties here at the church plus trying to plan for our future in Ghana. After Palm Sunday and Easter Weekend passed, we took our girls for a much needed vacation week for spring break. Of course we hit the ground running when we came back and got into the preparations for the Missions Yard Sale and Silent Auction which was last weekend, May 5th.

The last weekend in April we spent in New York City with Pastors Fernando and Elvia Cabrera, Fernando is Angelo's twin brother and the church is located in the Bronx. We were their to also raise support for the work in Ghana and while there had a great time visiting with the family and all the awesome people at NLOI Bronx! God continues to provide for us and the ministry and we are truly grateful.

The yard sale and silent auction was very successful this past weekend! We had such great helpers that whole week with setting up everything and working during the yard sale and clean up...Thank you, thank you to all of you who helped out! We couldn't have done it with our church family behind us. Then on Sunday we were with Pastor Zac and Lisa Shipman at the NLOI Tri-Cities in Ettrick, VA and had such a delightful time catching up with old friends and having lunch together there at the church.

Sunday, May 20th, we'll be visiting at NLOI Concord, NC with Pastor Stanley. We have never visited with him and we're really looking forward to it. So May is also busy trying to get our house rented and tomorrow we go for our youngest daughter's passport. I think the house rental is the biggest thing right now that would bring that huge sigh of relief...we continue to downsize and are emptying our house more and more, just when you think you've gotten rid of a ton of stuff...you turn around and see you've barely made a dent! At least it feels that way. I know in time it will happen. But meanwhile, the clock ticks and we have 13 1/2 weeks left 'till the big move. Yes, we purchased our tickets a couple of weeks ago. We leave on Wednesday, August the 8th. My fingers get tingles just typing it out! So until then, we'll continue to press forward, pray, downsize, raise support, pray some more, try to rent the house, keep everyone updated, raise more support, and pray some more!

This year has been a year of many new discoveries as we press on to answer this particular call that God has spoken to us. Sacrifice has been a big part of this whole venture, in ways most would never think of. Sacrifice regarding "Missions" isn't always what you think, like "sacrificing comfort" or "sacrificing with a language barrier" or "sacrificing by living in a foreign land" (although these things we will surely face once there) but sometimes sacrifice starts 'before' one even moves out into a foreign mission field (whether it's domestic or international). I believe it's different for everyone. But God knows all about you, about His plans and future for you, including how He feels you should be best prepared for the job...the mission and the purpose He has for you.

"Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and LEAN NOT on YOUR OWN understanding, in ALL thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall give you the desires of your heart!" The Lord has reminded me of this passage many times and I/we continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.