Light of Togo

Over the weekend, we had the pastor of one of our supporting churches come visit us. We had a really great time getting to know him better. Before he came, we really weren’t sure what the reason was for his coming, but it turned out to be a great blessing in so many ways. He shared with us that his church had recently sold their building and had a surplus of money. So, on top of their monthly support, they wanted to give us $3600 to help out with our travel and setup expenses!  We’re amazed, once again, at how God gives us over and over again what we don’t deserve.  Everything we have - whether financial, material, or spiritual - is a gift of His grace!

He also shared with us some of the struggles that his church is having right now and they are really seeking the Lord right now to know what direction to take.  Please pray for this church and the pastor as they are make some difficult decisions about their future.

What is it that really frustrates you? I know that for me, there’s too many things to list. As a recovering obsessive compulsive perfectionist (is there supposed to be a dash between “obsessive” and “compulsive?” See what I mean?), there are way too many things that frustrate me. But, by God’s grace, I’m learning not to fret the small stuff and not drive my wife insane! (Read more…)

I’m wondering if any of you have ever found yourself asking the same question that I have recently, “Am I really able to live for God and serve Him?” At the surface this sounds like an easy enough question to ponder. I mean, if we know God personally as all true Christians do, then we should want to live for Him, right? We should want to serve Him with our lives, right? (Read more…)

Boujour from Quebec! It is hard to believe, but we are finally here! God has done so many amazing things in the past month that it will be impossible to tell you everything in this one letter. Shortly after finishing our last missions conference, which was a huge blessing in itself, we drove to eastern Oregon to pick up Joshua’s new nanny, Malerie. From there, we began our very, very, very long drive to Quebec. After 3,100 miles and many strange noises from our van (but no incidences, praise the Lord!), we crossed the border without any problems and arrived in beautiful Quebec City on the evening of May 3rd. The next day we had planned to visit several apartments and hope that we could find one that would work out for us. However, God had already prepared one for us; the very first one that we looked at. We canceled the rest of our appointments and secured an apartment on our very first morning in Quebec. Ironically, this was the only apartment available at this time of year and it just so “happened” that it was perfect for us!

That day, and the four weeks that followed could only be described as one of the those “sit back and watch God work” kind of moments. We had intended to ship most of our household belongings here, then purchase all of the larger furniture and appliances once we arrived. However, God had already prepared it all for us. We began receiving phone calls from people we had never met, offering to give or loan us furniture and appliances. Within the first two weeks, God had blessed us with three beds, three dressers, two desks, a dining room table with chairs, a couch, an armchair, a coffee table, and a washer and dryer. Up to this point, the only things we have had to purchase is a refrigerator and a stove, which we obtained at a very good price. As we sit in our newly furnished apartment literally counting our blessings we can’t help but give God all the praise and glory for His constant and faithful provision in our lives.

On May 7th, we began our first day of classes, and amazingly we are already almost finished with our first (of many) session. Several times in the past month we have reached the overwhelming “French overload” breaking point, but every time God works in us to bring us to the end of ourselves and show us that His grace is sufficient, and that He is our sufficiency.

Please pray for us as we continue making many adjustments in our lives. In a very short time we have gone from perpetual traveling to being almost entirely stationary. Joshua is still getting accustomed to our leaving for school every morning, but he is doing very well overall. Quebec is almost entirely French speaking, so there is a bit of culture shock factor involved as well. However, we are really enjoying our new life here, and we thank God every day for the ways He is working in our lives.