I'll have to admit I'm feeling a little overwhelmed this week, and I could sure use an extra dose of grace in my spirit. We’re starting to feel the ache of the good-byes as we get our house ready to sell. Our house is a big thing to give up...we bought it together when we were just 21 years old and about to be married. Both children were carried home here...took their first steps here, and this is the last place I saw my mom before she died. We have cursed this house I don't know how many times for the shoddy repair jobs the previous owners did, and now we realize that we too have had to fix it with little means and experience, and now we are working hard to spiff it up to sell it. It's just a thing, and the house won't miss us, but we will miss the house...the home. It's the first good-bye.
There's so much to do in selling the house, doing missions stuff, and living regular life, that sometimes I get stuck, and I just want to sit and do nothing (does that make sense)? Everything now is a learning process. I'm actually not very good at having to learn new things...I like being knowledgeable about things, but I don't like the work involved with learning (weird, I know, but that's how I am). So, I'm trying to dig in and tell myself to keep moving and working even when I want to stop and go back to where I know the essentials already...know what I mean? The learning curve will be so much bigger in Peru, so I’m thankful for the slow beginning so I can get used to being constantly learning again.
So I pray for serenity, and all that comes with the well-known prayer, “God grant me the serenity….” I am so excited for the winds of change, I pray to become a willing vessel in the process of making it happen. Mostly, I just plain need to get up and get to WORK, and I need God’s grace and discipline to get me moving.
Transparently Yours,
Gillian
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Another Great Week!!
This past week and weekend have been great. God has really blessed our time as a family. Alex and Nathan have been playing like brothers. They will give each other big hugs and then see who can knock the other down. It is a great competition to watch. We are debating starting the process of potty training with Nathan. He seems interested, but we will have to make the determination if he is really ready.
On Saturday, we went to see my nephew Cameron play baseball. Later that day we all went bowling to celebrate my his sixth birthday. Even Nathan was able to get into the action with a little help from the bowling alley ramps. After bowling we all went to Monterrey's Mexican restaurant for dinner. It was good to be out with family. We haven't all been out to dinner in a long time. With 5 little boys it can be alot of work but it was still enjoyable. Gillian and I are trying to make the most of our time with family since we won't be with them once we go to Peru. It is hard to find time to just relax with family sometimes. There are alot of things that have to be done before we go - spiff up the house, sell the house, sell the cars, raise support, continue working full-time and participate in the ministries we are involved in. With any luck by the end of the summer the big tasks will be over.
On Sunday, we went to my former pastor's church, Sandy Bay PHC in Kingstree, SC. We were invited to share with the congregation what God was doing in our lives and let them know about our needs before we go to Peru. We were a little nervous to start, but after we arrived at the church we felt right at home. It was really good to share with others the burden that is on our hearts for the poor in Peru. I hope that they are able to share in our burden. After the service we all went out to Brown's BBQ in Kingstree. All I can say is YUM! We had a good time of fellowship with everyone. I thank God, and the Sandy Bay PHC for the blessings we received from our visit.
As of Tuesday, our total outbound budget is at 10%. This is the percentage of the overall money that FHI needs to be in our budget line before we can go to the field. Our monthly pledges are at 37%. The great thing is that as the monthly pledges come in they will go directly toward the overall outbound budget. The monthly pledges are the most important because they will go towards the outbound budget until we leave.
Well, my lunch hour is almost up so I will go. I found a peruvian Christian radio station on the Internet. I like to listen so I can keep my ears trained to process the Spanish as I hear it.
Hasta luego!
On Saturday, we went to see my nephew Cameron play baseball. Later that day we all went bowling to celebrate my his sixth birthday. Even Nathan was able to get into the action with a little help from the bowling alley ramps. After bowling we all went to Monterrey's Mexican restaurant for dinner. It was good to be out with family. We haven't all been out to dinner in a long time. With 5 little boys it can be alot of work but it was still enjoyable. Gillian and I are trying to make the most of our time with family since we won't be with them once we go to Peru. It is hard to find time to just relax with family sometimes. There are alot of things that have to be done before we go - spiff up the house, sell the house, sell the cars, raise support, continue working full-time and participate in the ministries we are involved in. With any luck by the end of the summer the big tasks will be over.
On Sunday, we went to my former pastor's church, Sandy Bay PHC in Kingstree, SC. We were invited to share with the congregation what God was doing in our lives and let them know about our needs before we go to Peru. We were a little nervous to start, but after we arrived at the church we felt right at home. It was really good to share with others the burden that is on our hearts for the poor in Peru. I hope that they are able to share in our burden. After the service we all went out to Brown's BBQ in Kingstree. All I can say is YUM! We had a good time of fellowship with everyone. I thank God, and the Sandy Bay PHC for the blessings we received from our visit.
As of Tuesday, our total outbound budget is at 10%. This is the percentage of the overall money that FHI needs to be in our budget line before we can go to the field. Our monthly pledges are at 37%. The great thing is that as the monthly pledges come in they will go directly toward the overall outbound budget. The monthly pledges are the most important because they will go towards the outbound budget until we leave.
Well, my lunch hour is almost up so I will go. I found a peruvian Christian radio station on the Internet. I like to listen so I can keep my ears trained to process the Spanish as I hear it.
Hasta luego!
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Spring is in the air... literally
Well, Spring has finally arrived in SC. The temperatures are in the low 80s and the air is filled with yellow pollen. The pollen is the true sign of Spring. It is quickly followed by sounds of sneezes, snotty noses, and the sight red bloodshot eyes. Spring in the South, you can't beat it!
We had our first "Care Team" meeting last week. This is the group of people who want to be a part of our inner circle as we go on missions to Peru. They will be the people we contact first with prayer and physical needs as we prepare to leave and once we are on the field. Our first meeting was very productive. Gillian and I shared with them the things that we have coming up in our lives in order to be ready to go next January. The most pressing thing on our minds are getting our housed fixed up and sold and the second thing is raising support. We had a good time of fellowship, prayer and discussion and we received a lot of good ideas. We were really encouraged by the meeting.
Over the last week we have been in contact with some of the staff in Peru. We have been discussing housing options, churches, shopping and more. It is really encouraging to talk with people that are already on the field. I know nothing can really prepare us for the change that is about to take place in our lives, but it is nice to try to conceive our new home.
I am writing on my lunch hour and it is about up so let me post some of the highlights of the last couple of weeks.
We had our first "Care Team" meeting last week. This is the group of people who want to be a part of our inner circle as we go on missions to Peru. They will be the people we contact first with prayer and physical needs as we prepare to leave and once we are on the field. Our first meeting was very productive. Gillian and I shared with them the things that we have coming up in our lives in order to be ready to go next January. The most pressing thing on our minds are getting our housed fixed up and sold and the second thing is raising support. We had a good time of fellowship, prayer and discussion and we received a lot of good ideas. We were really encouraged by the meeting.
Over the last week we have been in contact with some of the staff in Peru. We have been discussing housing options, churches, shopping and more. It is really encouraging to talk with people that are already on the field. I know nothing can really prepare us for the change that is about to take place in our lives, but it is nice to try to conceive our new home.
I am writing on my lunch hour and it is about up so let me post some of the highlights of the last couple of weeks.
- Alex is potty trained
- Nathan has begun to try to say some words, finally (Still hard to understand, but we know what he is trying for)
- Our monthly pledges are at 35% of where they need to be by January. This is encouraging.
- We have 6.9% of our outbound budget raised. We have to be at around 23% by July in order to go to training in August and we have to have 100% before we leave for Peru in January. We are praying that God will introduce us to people who have a desire to support this work.
- We received an invitation to speak at my former pastor's church in Kingstree, SC this Sunday, April 10.
We are encouraged by the things that have happened and we are hopeful for the things that will happen in the coming weeks.
Justin
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