If the month of June taught us anything, it's that God's provision is always timely and perfect. While we may not understand why circumstances arise, we can know that He is consistently working on our behalf.
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord; "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11, NIV
On Sunday, June 12, we left home at five in the morning to start out on our long trek to ABWE mission headquarters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for a week-long training assignment. Seven hours in, and two hours from our destination, our car breaks down on the Pennsylvania turnpike and we are forced to get towed to the nearest town for repairs.
In the moment, we doubted we would make it to headquarters in time for the start of our training conference the next morning. It was a Sunday evening and no one was currently on the clock. However, by the grace of God, the man who towed us to Somerset felt compelled to work late that night so as to get us on the road and to our destination in time.
We were thankful, and spent every minute of that four hours sitting in a gas station thanking the Lord for his provision. However, the story doesn't end here.
Most of you know that we are often rather tight financially due to the many surgeries Hanna has had to stabilize her ongoing autoimmune disease. That, combined with the car issues we are still paying on from October, made us question how we were going to take another financial hit. But the Lord knew our hearts and already had a plan.
Twenty minutes before our car was finished, a friend, who fosters a local church in the area, called to inform us that the congregation had chosen to pay for it in full. We were speechless, as it was not something we had asked for or imagined. Because of this provision, our car was fixed and we were able to make it to headquarters early Monday morning before the start of our training conference.
But the story doesn't end there. While the repairs were miraculously paid for in full, the tow had come out of our own pocket. We did not worry to much about this, as it was a small price to pay compared to what God had just done on our behalf. But toward the end of the week, we had another individual come up to us at the start of a long day of training saying a man had given a donation to them just before the start of the week for anything they felt God wanted them to put it toward. It was the exact amount we paid for them to tow our car to somerset, and as soon as they heard it, they knew that that is what it was for.
These series of events, combined with a life-changing week of training are what made this month so immensely memorable for us. God's gift to us in the form of financial provision taught us much about the importance of trusting in Him throughout all of our pre-field endeavors. And the blessing of getting to build a better relationship with the people He used in this situation is even better.
Essential Mission Component Training lasted from the 13th to the 17th of June. Every day was packed full of information and interactive assignments tailored to culture specific church planting, teaching, and discipling. We were blessed to attend the "graduation ceremony" the end of the week, and look forward to another full month of training in July.
We were also blessed to visit Calvary Baptist Church for their annual Vacation Bible School this past week and the church of the Nazarene here in East Tawas, yesterday. Both went extremely well, and we look forward to sharing with them again in the near future.
A few prayer points for the upcoming month are as follows. July is a busy month for us, and we are looking forward to it!
1. We have a house church visit on the 12th of July. This will be a first for us, so pray that we can bless them with the insight regarding our ministry and God's work on the field!
2. We are traveling to Pennsylvania for the Missionary Enrichment Conference and Security training at the end of July. Please pray for a fruitful week and for safe travels (Hopefully no car troubles this time).
3. We are still working on our online training courses throughout the month of July. So, please pray that the Lord would provide the time and understanding to get those done in a timely manner.
4. We are in need of monthly support partners! Please pray that the Lord would provide those people whom He wills to be on our monthly support team in His timing.
5. Pray for our upcoming survey trip. We have most of the details mapped out, but still have alot to do. Pray that the Lord's hand be on those details, directing us as we get closer to leaving (Only 173 days!).
As always, thank you all for choosing to follow along on our journey to the field. We covet your prayers and pray that you know just how vital they are to our ministry. We pray also that you know how fervently we are praying for you!
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people." - Ephesians 6:18 |
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