I wanted to take a moment and share some news with you about what God has been - and is - doing in Derek and my life.
Some of you may already know this, but in October of last year our little church closed its doors and we were faced with the task of finding a new place for worship and fellowship. It was not a road I was happy about having to travel, but God is good and lead us to a fantastic church family after only 2 weeks of searching! Our new church is called Bannockburn Baptist Church. In the months since we started attending, God has continued to open doors for us and made it abundantly clear that this is exactly where He wants us right now.
Some of you may already know this, but in October of last year our little church closed its doors and we were faced with the task of finding a new place for worship and fellowship. It was not a road I was happy about having to travel, but God is good and lead us to a fantastic church family after only 2 weeks of searching! Our new church is called Bannockburn Baptist Church. In the months since we started attending, God has continued to open doors for us and made it abundantly clear that this is exactly where He wants us right now.
One of the things I love about this church is that they have a fantastic missions presence, both locally in Austin and globally. Our last church was so small, they really didn't have the resources to fund and send out missions teams. They did what they could with what they had, but just focused a lot more on serving within the city of Austin, which is a really great thing! However, since Derek and I both still feel like God is going to call us back into international missions work someday, I am stoked to be in a church where we can build bridges and make connections that may help form some of the next steps in our lives!
Bannockburn is sending teams to 9 different cities on short-term ministry trips this year. 4 in North America and 5 across the rest of the globe (England, Taiwan, Ethiopia, Chile, and Guatemala). Derek and I immediately knew that God wanted us to go on one of these trips, but we weren't sure which one. For basic logistic reasons - date conflicts and the like - we eliminated three of these options, and have spent over month in prayer on the other two. In the end, we actually asked one of the missions pastors to pray about it and let us know which trip he thought was better suited for us and we decided based on his recommendation.
Derek and Oliver (I am thrilled to be a part of a church that is willing to welcome little ones on trips like this! When I asked about bringing a toddler with us, their response was essentially "He's an extension of you, if you're cool with it, we're cool with it".) and I are headed to Guatemala!! We will be there for a week this July. We will be working in Guatemala City, which is the capital and largest city in the country. Bannockburn has been sending teams to Guatemala for nearly 7 years, but this will be their first time in this city. They have a connection there with a Pastor, Victor, and his daughter, Tati, who planted a church in the city. Victor and Tati have outgrown their church building, so one of the main focuses of our trip will be helping them to expand it (Derek will be great at this!). We will also be working with inner-city kids, putting on a Backyard Bible Camp, and teaching English classes. I wanted to share this with all of you, because we have some very specific prayer requests we'd like to ask of you:
1). That God would give us peace and clarity as we prepare for this trip
2). That God would bless Victor and Tati through this team, that we would bring refreshment and minister to them
3). That God would prepare the hearts of the people of Guatemala City, that they would be ready and willing to receive His love and joy and hope for them
4). Safe travels and health for us and everyone on the team. Specifically, for supernatural protection over my stomach! As most of you know, I have some pretty severe digestive issues and food intolerance/allergies. Without being able to buy and cook my own food, it will be nearly impossible for me to monitor what I am eating. Consuming the wrong things will not only make it difficult for me to function and serve while on the trip, but it can take months to fully detox my body and get back to normal after just a couple "evil" meals. Trying to work around my issues on a trip like this is new territory for me, and I am not sure exactly how well it will work. Plus, different countries grow and process their foods differently, so things that are 'safe' here, may not be over there.
5). That Oliver would have a stellar trip! That he will be healthy and agreeable and that while he may not remember this specifically later in his life, that it would still have an impact on him.
6). We are firmly believing that God is going to use connections made on this trip, and hopefully many others like it, to further His plan for us in our own missions field. Please pray that He would give us wisdom to see the doors He is opening, and the connections He is making and what He may have for us in the future. And that, no matter what it looks like, we would step forward with faith and joy!
7). There is a very real monetary need. Bannockburn has some great connections and this whole trip only costs $1300 per person! That covers flights, lodging, food, transport, and will even help cover building materials for the church extension! Also, they are not charging us for Oliver which saves us quite a bit of money. We know God has opened doors for us to go on this trip, and HE will provide everything we need, but we need prayer for the funds to come in, that I will be able to find some childcare work over the next couple months to help cover our costs. We need to raise about $1200-1500. The money is due in stages, but we'll have to have the trip paid for in full by July 1st.
8). Finally, if it strikes you, keep the other 8 teams in your prayers! They are going some fantastic, challenging places and I know God is going to use them to do some amazing things!
2). That God would bless Victor and Tati through this team, that we would bring refreshment and minister to them
3). That God would prepare the hearts of the people of Guatemala City, that they would be ready and willing to receive His love and joy and hope for them
4). Safe travels and health for us and everyone on the team. Specifically, for supernatural protection over my stomach! As most of you know, I have some pretty severe digestive issues and food intolerance/allergies. Without being able to buy and cook my own food, it will be nearly impossible for me to monitor what I am eating. Consuming the wrong things will not only make it difficult for me to function and serve while on the trip, but it can take months to fully detox my body and get back to normal after just a couple "evil" meals. Trying to work around my issues on a trip like this is new territory for me, and I am not sure exactly how well it will work. Plus, different countries grow and process their foods differently, so things that are 'safe' here, may not be over there.
5). That Oliver would have a stellar trip! That he will be healthy and agreeable and that while he may not remember this specifically later in his life, that it would still have an impact on him.
6). We are firmly believing that God is going to use connections made on this trip, and hopefully many others like it, to further His plan for us in our own missions field. Please pray that He would give us wisdom to see the doors He is opening, and the connections He is making and what He may have for us in the future. And that, no matter what it looks like, we would step forward with faith and joy!
7). There is a very real monetary need. Bannockburn has some great connections and this whole trip only costs $1300 per person! That covers flights, lodging, food, transport, and will even help cover building materials for the church extension! Also, they are not charging us for Oliver which saves us quite a bit of money. We know God has opened doors for us to go on this trip, and HE will provide everything we need, but we need prayer for the funds to come in, that I will be able to find some childcare work over the next couple months to help cover our costs. We need to raise about $1200-1500. The money is due in stages, but we'll have to have the trip paid for in full by July 1st.
8). Finally, if it strikes you, keep the other 8 teams in your prayers! They are going some fantastic, challenging places and I know God is going to use them to do some amazing things!
