Unpacking?!?!?!?!

Larry and I have spent the last 2 weeks going through "stuff" deciding what goes and what stays. And then today, we unpacked it all and put it back in the shed!

Last night we were watching the movie "A Nativity Story." I was so inspired by Mary and all that she must have gone through, things that I don't normally think about. I mean, she was pretty brave, to get on a donkey and travel 100 miles to Bethlehem...while pregnant! Wow! After the movie I went and told Larry that I had been thinking about something during the movie. How Joesph and Mary took things they needed (food, money, water, etc.) In the movie, while they are looking for a place to stay, Mary cries out, "Lord! Will you not provide a place for us?!" And then He did!

It got me thinking..."Why in the world are we even bringing all this stuff?" Boxes of pots, pans, pictures, stuff we can get in Ecuador." Larry got this little smile on his face and was quiet. He said, "Well, I've been praying that God would somehow make you want to take less stuff...but I didn't think you were going to go this far!"

We decided to pray together about what we should do. I could hardly sleep, I was so excited about the idea of not bringing it all! I woke up and asked God this morning to show me if this was right. I didn't want it to be an emotional feeling.

While at the Vet's office I was holding some papers Larry had used to write notes on the back, when I see an article by Stormie Omartian called, "Knowing How to Pack for the Wilderness!" I read it, and start laughing out loud right there in the office. I'm actually laughing so much, I'm crying! I ask, "Babe, did you put this in here for me to see?" He says, "No, I don't even know what it is. I took notes on it a couple of weeks ago b/c it was the only paper I could find." I laugh again and know that we are supposed to take less.

One paragraph stuck out from the article: "When traveling in the wilderness, learn to seek the abundance of the moment. Ask God to open your eyes to all the blessings he has for you there. Oh, and remember to pack lightly. I'd say take the Word of God, a measure of patience, a garment of praise, a pair of knee pads for those fervent prayer times, and an open vessel to hold the living water God is going to pour out on you. That's all you can manage on that path, anyway-especially in the kind of light you're going to have."

I was still laughing when I got in the car. Lord, you are cracking me up! I asked you to let me know, and out of nowhere here is this guide for "packing for the wilderness!" Lord, forgive us for going through the motions and packing without really asking you what you want us to do/bring. What a weight lifted! I'm so excited to be traveling light! I'm so excited to trust you through the wilderness for everything we need!

Declaring the Wonders of His Love!!!

Saturday night was AMAZING! Larry and I are so thankful to be able to share the celebration with our church, family, and friends! It was a beautiful ceremony that I will cherish in my heart forever. I wanted to share about what God had been teaching me from the beginning of our journey in which He helped me realize just hours before the service.

When we first started raising our support, it was easy to get discouraged. After many months, I cried out to God asking for help because it just wasn't going as quickly as I would have liked it to:-) God gave me this verse in Malachi "Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it!"
That verse, at that time, gave me hope. The hope that I needed to keep pushing forward and to not worry about how or when it would happen. I immediately equated "blessing" with "reaching our goal." But as I read more, I realized that it went deeper than that!

It was during those months, when we visited with churches, bible study classes, family, and friends that Larry and I became so encouraged. Yes, we were excited when we received another prayer partner or supporter. Our hearts would be filled with so much joy! But the one thing that stuck out the most was this- it was the love that God's people had for one another and the love they had for people they did not even know! To see God working in so many places, in so many ways was such a beautiful thing to witness!

Our prayer was this: (1) That God would receive ALL the glory for what He had done, and (2) that people would be able to see the love that God has for them. In Romans it says, "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us"

People have asked if our service was what we had hoped it would be. I smile and say, "It was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined!" God was there, He was working, and His spirit filled the chapel at University Baptist Church!

So we will leave EXPECTING GOD TO DO GREAT THINGS, BELIEVING THAT GOD WILL ACCOMPLISH HIS WILL AND HIS PURPOSE! Thanks to all of you who have come along this journey with us and partnered in what God is doing around the world! We love you!

In Prince Caspian, part of C.S. Lewis's Narnnia Chronicles, the children, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy all find themselves in Narnia after a long absence. Aslan, the great king and lion, is nowhere to be seen. Lucy, the youngest of the children, particularly aches to see him. One night she wakes to a great stirring in the forest, and to a voice calling her. While the other children sleep, she ventures forth through the woods and into a clearing. Here's what happens:

A circle of grass, smooth as a lawn, met her eyes, with dark trees dancing all around it. And then - oh joy! For he was there: the huge Lion, shining white in the moonlight, with his huge black shadow underneath him.
But for the movement of his tail he might have been a stone lion, but Lucy never thought that. She never stopped to think whether he was a friendly lion or not. She rushed to him. She felt her heart would burst if she lost a moment. And the next thing she knew was that she was kissing him and putting her arms as far around his neck as she could and burying her face in the beautiful rich silkiness of his mane.

Aslan, Aslan. Dear Aslan, "sobbed Lucy. "At last."

The great beast rolled over on his side so that Lucy fell, half sitting and half lying between his front paws. He bent forward and just touched her nose with his tongue. His warm breath came all around her. She gazed up into the large wise face.

"Welcome, child, " he said.
"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."
"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.
"Not because you are?"
"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."

When I heard this being read during our training, I could relate so much with Lucy. What a beautiful picture of how God waits for us to come to Him and how He desires to have a relationship with us. The more we know Him and see Him at work, the bigger He becomes!