Finding Favor

The word "favor" has been showing up everywhere for us the last few weeks.  

It seems silly to connect "favor" to such a dysfunctional year.

2020 for almost everyone has felt like anything except for favor.

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For so long, we have viewed & used the word "favor" in the wrong way.  

We connected the favor of God to what we call blessings or when things fall into place.

The last few weeks - through reading the Christmas account of Mary - we have adjusted our idea of favor and realized that favor through the lens of the Kingdom is quite the opposite.  

The favor that was upon Mary also brought with it a lot of unwanted companions.   Her circumstance from the human eye looked unfavorable.

Throughout our journey together as a couple, we have faced some gut wrenching circumstances.  Some that left us separated, alone, confused, and hurt.  

Some that we still bare the scars from today.

In those moments, I would have never correlated the favor of the Lord with that suffering.  NEVER.  

There were times I can remember crying out to the Lord and feeling the stiff silence from Heaven.  

It most definitely felt like I was forgotten and not favored.  

Now, looking back, I see it all so differently.  

We were being refined.  We were being stripped down, peeled back, and rebuilt.  

We are now walking as new creations because of the suffering that we endured.  

Favor often disguises itself as inconveniences and interruptions.   

Why?  

Because it is meant to make us more like Jesus.

I listened to a Christmas sermon earlier this week & was left amazed by one of the closing points.  The pastor talked about the Lord being "Emmanuel - God with us".  

I have always loved that name for Him.  The idea that He is came to be WITH us is overwhelming.  

But, I had never made the connection that this pastor made.

At the end of Matthew - when the Lord was sharing The Great Commission - the last thing he said pointed back to His birth.

"And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" Matthew 28:20

I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS.

That ... is favor.

The truth is, we all have favor in Emmanuel.  

This Christmas, we are redefining "favor".  

It isn't financial or physical.  It isn't tangible.  But, it sure is precious.  

Emmanuel.  God with us!

Si Dios lo permite ... If God allows it

Si Dios lo permite ... If God allows it

This is a very common saying in the Spanish language.

For years now, we have heard it in every day conversations.

When you invite someone to something ...

When you plan something together ...

When you talk about the future ...

When you talk about possibilities ...

I have always smiled in my heart at the sound of this phrase.

After all, the Bible makes it clear that we should live in the framework of that thought.

Now more than ever, we are realizing the true weight and value of those words.

2018 taught us a lesson about those words in a very hard way.

Since returning to PR in January, things have been uncertain and unstable to say the least.

Over the last few months, we have learned the meaning of those words yet again.

We are very clearly still learning about what it really means for the Lord to be the one to decide what we do & what we do not do.

This lockdown has revealed to us that even though we have surrendered our lives to the calling that The Lord placed on our family, we are still living as if everything that we plan is certain to come to pass.

We fill our daily, monthly & yearly calendars with plans for work at ministry sites, ministry events, short term mission teams, and travel plans.

All with great intentions ... with a desire for the Lord's ministry on the island to continue to reach more young people.

But very rarely considering what will happen if the plans fall through.

Once again, as He has done more times than we can count, The Lord has interrupted our plans.

• Visits in April from both sets of our parents have been canceled.  Being away from family is hard.  These visits help us to connect and give Josie time to make memories.  That time together now has to be rescheduled.

• So far, five mission teams have had to cancel their trips for 2020.  So much time goes into preparing and planning for these teams and their trips.  So many people are involved in fundraising, planning, preparing & executing the work.  Camps have been canceled, kids have been disappointed, & needs are not being met.  It is hard to keep our hearts from wondering why these "plans for good" have fallen through.

• General Assembly - a conference for our global Youth For Christ International family - was postponed.  Missionaries, staff and volunteers from around the world have been looking forward to & planning for this opportunity in The Netherlands for 3 years now.  The conference is now rescheduled for 2021 and we are left with disappointment.

We make intentional efforts every single day to creatively plan ways to reach more people with the Gospel. build awareness of the ministry needs, & maintain connections with our support system worldwide.

Yet in an instant - all of the hours spent in planning and preparing for everything mean nothing as one by one the plans have been dissolving.

We can all plan, budget, dream, have goals and write itineraries.

But in the end, we truly have zero control of the outcome.

We have been reminded yet again that if it is not something that He allows, it simply will not come to pass.

As we exhale each day & process more news of cancellations, delays, disappointments, and extensions of this lockdown, those same four words continuously come to mind.

Si Dios lo permite  .... If God allows it

This interruption has made us fully aware of our true responsibility in the Lord's work in this world.

We are simply managers of what the Owner of it all has entrusted us with.

The time, talents and treasures that we have in this life are not ours.

They have been given to us to steward, care for, expand, share, and to manage.

No different than when we borrow something from someone else & ask their permission before we use it, we should be intentional about seeking The Lord before we use these resources.

We own nothing.  We control nothing.

If THE LORD allows something to happen, our hearts can rejoice with thanksgiving & praise.

If THE LORD does not allow it, our hearts can still rejoice knowing that it must not have been His best.

So ... as we wait to see how & when this season will come to an end, we are intentionally choosing not to waste what we have been given.

You see, we are still held accountable for what we are doing with our time, talents & treasures during this time of isolation & uncertainty.

We can choose to use this time to make an impact on this world that carries on long beyond our lives.

We can have an enteral Kingdom impact if we steward well this season despite the discouragement and disappointment that we are feeling and facing.

Si Dios lo permite .... If God allows it.

May we never go back to how things were before this.

May our lives & schedules always reflect the work that was done in our hearts in 2020.

May this world be forever changed because of the way we choose to steward this season!

Lord, we are listening.

Hearts around the world are stirred and fearful.

The world is watching the news to see what the latest is on this virus.

I heard a pastor share this morning that the news is meant to be checked not watched.

We have to guard our minds and hearts more than ever to be sure we aren't swept up in the chaos.

The Lord most definitely does not desire that for His children.

So this morning, we listened to a devotional for some fresh encouragement.

The scripture that was shared was Acts 17:24 - about the creation of the heavens and Earth.

But, after reading ahead in that chapter, these words came alive in a fresh way in regards to our current worldwide reality.

We couldn't keep it to ourselves.

Acts 17: 24-31

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.  

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

 Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Here are the truths that stood out to our hearts this morning.

The Lord created this world and everything in it.

If He created it all, we can stand confident that nothing is bigger than Him.

So, how much should we trust that He is able to handle a virus that caught us all off-guard?

He is not surprised by this.  He is fighting for us as our Defender, Provider, and Protector.

The Lord DOES NOT live in temples made by man.

So much talk over the last few days about churches shutting the doors and canceling services.

So many opinions and judgemental comments.  Pastors are under a lot of pressure to get their response "right".  There's no way to please everyone.

Let this virus serve as a strong reminder that God does not dwell in the four walls that we call the church.

We have become so dependent on the four walls of the church to "nourish" our souls.

In these days, we will have to become our own worship leaders.

We will have to dig into the Word on our own to be fed.

WE are the temples that He dwells in.

The Church is still alive and well.  We have work to do in our own hearts and in this hurting world.

While you are away from your services, take time to pray for & love on your Pastor.

He is commanding us to repent.

By far the most powerful verse for us this morning was verse 30.

"The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands ALL PEOPLE EVERYWHERE to repent".

Could it be that we are watching this very verse come to life?

Is The Lord giving us a chance to truly turn back to Him?

And in His loving-kindness, willing to overlook all of our times of ignorance and foolishness as we turn to Him and truly repent?

Our hearts all along have felt that The Lord is using this virus to get the attention of the world.

So ... now what?

We live robotic lives.

pre-programmed by schedules

 rushed around

performance driven

too busy for interruptions

striving to out-do, out-work, and out-perform those we compare ourselves to 

We have collectively been missing out on His purpose for our lives for a while now.

Is He slowing us down?

Meditate on this scripture.

Repent & remember that this world is HIS.

We were created for a purpose.

But that purpose was most definitely not to arrogantly parade around His world as if we were the ones in charge.

We are praying for each of you as you stay home, protect your loved ones, and slow down for a bit.

We plan to continue to do the same.

This song is so beautiful.  We hope that it will encourage you as it has done for us.

"I'm sorry when I've just gone through the motions
I'm sorry when I just sang another song
Take me back to where we started
I open up my heart to You
I'm sorry when I've come with my agenda
I'm sorry when I forgot that You're enough
Take me back to where we started
I open up my heart to You"

Tug-of-War

When we started our journey in missions in 2012, we had no idea what it was about to unlock inside of us.

It began what has felt like an unending game of tug-of-war on our hearts.

As soon as we returned from our first two months in Honduras, we felt a shift.

We looked around and realized that we no longer felt as if we really fit.

Our hearts had experienced things that most people that we knew had never seen, felt, or experienced.

We struggled to adjust to life back as we knew it and we never found complete contentment.

That is where & when the "battle to belong" began in our hearts.

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The battle continued throughout our experiences living in Central America & has been a part of our journey ever since our hearts were ruined for good in 2012.

Even here in Puerto Rico.

Exactly one year ago, we had a silent but serious season of struggle.

From the outside looking in, it would have been hard to tell.  But, the tug-of-war was there.

We were recovering from a whirlwind & the heaviness that 2018 brought onto our shoulders.

We found ourselves needing to step back a bit and process everything we had faced.

The emotions of an unexpected change of our field assignment from Honduras to Puerto Rico  

Another adjustment to culture and environment changes

Responding to deep needs in the aftermath of Maria 

An overwhelming amount of work in a short amount of time with mission teams

The Lord forced us to take a "timeout" in order to rest, restore our hearts, and remember our purpose.

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We traveled to SC at Christmas & we realized that things in our hearts had shifted.

That shift was just as strong and life-changing as the first shifts that happened back in 2012 after our first summer in Honduras.

For the first time, we didn't return to SC to find a feeling of being "home".  It was not an easy feeling to process.

We prayed and asked that The Lord would encourage our hearts upon our return to Puerto Rico in January and make it clear to us that we were in the EXACT right place for His purpose for our family.

And ... He DID.   1,000,000 times over.

We have been so blessed by the new relationships and open doors that we have experienced in 2019.  It is exceedingly and abundantly more than we ever imagined.

We literally could not ask for more.

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But, a few weeks ago, I (Laura) found myself in yet again another tug-of-war battle.

A deep, deep longing for what our life was like in Honduras.

I believe that a part of my heart will always long for what was and what I had envisioned our life would be like there.

Especially for our loved ones there that hold such a deep place in my heart.

Honduras was our Plan A.

We didn't have a Plan B.

But, we have realized that The Lord didn't have a Plan B either.

His plan A was exactly what has happened.

After 5 years of prayer & preparation, He only saw fit to give us three months to serve full time in Honduras and that is still so hard for me to understand.

We tell people when we share our story that we were more at peace with spending 3 decades in Honduras than we were only spending 3 months.  And it's so true.

At times, our hearts still long for our feeling of being home in Honduras.

As I began praying through all of the emotions, the Lord showed me that it was truly just a sense of home that my heart had been longing to find.

You see, missionary families walk away from any true sense of belonging the moment that they step out.

And now, when families like us return from the field, they get to spend time with family and friends in familiar places.  They return to places where they used to call home ... only to find that things have changed.

We all know that trips back to where we used to belong will never feel the same.

Our hearts have been changed.   

Life in the places we used to call home has changed.  

And as much as we hate it, we have had to accept it.

We have been so blessed in Costa Rica, Honduras, & now in Puerto Rico to have people surrounding us that have become like family to us.

There are parts of our hearts that we will forever leave behind in all three places because of the brothers and sisters in Christ we carry now in our hearts.

But, there is still not a complete sense of home.

Our hearts often feel stuck between two worlds.

Our Missionary Care Pastor with YFC often reminds us that the most comfortable place for a missionary is on an airplane. We are finding that more and more true in our experience.

As we prepare for another trip back to where most people call "home" for us, there is tension building yet again.

We will be Stateside for 7 weeks as we update our ministry partners & churches about what is happening on the island and what is coming next for 2020.

Many would think that there would be overwhelming excitement about heading back to what used to be our "norm".

But to be honest, I feel the tug-of-war more than ever.

Our hearts long to be with our loved ones.  But, we have planted our lives here and it is really difficult to leave.  We know we need rest yet we feel uneasy knowing that we won't be here on the island.

It is impossible to explain to someone who has never experienced it.

But at the end of the day, the truth we have discovered is that home is where He is.

It is when we choose to abide in Him that we find our deepest sense of being home.

We are realizing that the battle to belong & feel at home keeps us hungry for more of Him.

So ... instead of allowing the enemy to beat us up with doubt, cause division in our relationships or overwhelm our hearts with emotions, we are choosing to believe that longing to belong is really just a longing for our home with Him in Heaven.

And one glorious day, this game of tug-of-war will end.  Thank you for that promise, Lord!

HIStory in Puerto Rico!

2019 has started off with so many unbelievable stories of The Lord & HIS amazing ways.  There are too many to count.  He has shown us in the last two months that He is MORE than able to open doors that no man can shut!

Youth For Christ Puerto Rico is moving and growing in ways that we did not see coming.  HIStory is being made as we lay the foundation of Youth For Christ on the island ... trusting that the work now will carry on for generations to come.

We have been told that Youth For Christ International rarely sees things progress in the way they are progressing here.  

We know believe after 30+ years of prayer for Youth For Christ to be launched in Puerto Rico, NOW is the time!  

Here are a few of our favorite stories so far from 2019.

One day, while walking the beach with Laura's mom, Daniel struck up a conversation with a man who was walking the beach.  He began to ask Daniel if we were vacationing in PR and that conversation led to Daniel sharing with him about us moving here to pioneer YFC PR.  Minutes later, this man was sharing his faith with Daniel which led to him laying hands on him on the beach and praying for our family & ministry.  Turns out, this man is a well-known business man on the island with endless connections and resources.  Connections & resources that he said he knows The Lord wants him to use to further the Kingdom.

The Lord has used this connection in SO many ways.  Our legal paperwork to establish YFC PR as a non-profit was processed in 5 days, (we were told it would take at least 6 months) YFC PR was given a space to use as a youth center in Aguadilla, and our board has already had 2 formal meetings because of his help and guidance.  We are in awe & very thankful that The Lord lined up this encounter on the beach.  Always be prepared ... He is at work for us!

New YFCPR Youth Center

New YFCPR Youth Center 

First YFC PR Board meeting!

A few weeks ago, we were invited to a meeting with other missionaries and two local pastors.  We were amazed to see how the Lord had given similar visions to all of us for the island but have been even more amazed to see how this meeting has led to so many things.  

Meeting with missionaries & pastors

One of the pastors at that meeting reached out to us and said that there was a local middle school in great need for intervention and help.  This middle school, located next door to the apartment complex that we ministered in throughout 2018, is located in front of the area of town where drug dealers sell and use hard drugs.  Many of these students have been exposed to drug activity & are struggling in many ways.  The pastor said that the director of this school attends his church and she was desperate for help for her students.  

Last week, we had a meeting at the school & shared what we could offer at the school to help the students.  She immediately e-mailed her supervisor at the Regional office of the Department of Education & got us an appointment there.  On Tuesday, March 5th, we have a meeting to present a proposal for Campus Life - a weekly club meeting where we will build relationships with students as well as provide encouraging lessons to them.  We believe that this connection was led by The Lord and that He will make a way for us to find favor with the Department of Education.  This is a HUGE opportunity for the ministry.  Pray with us!

In just one month, we will have our first mission team of 2019 with us in Puerto Rico!  We are really looking forward to hosting teams from New York, Canada, South Dakota, and a few different places in South Carolina this year.  It will be so exciting to see the teams participate in our weekly youth ministry while they are here to serve.  We can't wait for the youth to meet each team & see how the Lord works!

Another huge accomplishment happened JUST this morning!  We have been waiting for the last month on the final piece of paperwork to be able to open a bank account for YFC PR.  We have gotten the run-around with different people telling us different things.  Trying to legally establish YFC PR has been frustrating at times with the language barrier, difference in process, and culture challenges.  

This morning, Daniel called the Government Regional Office to try to get through to someone to check the status of our paperwork.  We were connected to a lady (who spoke ENGLISH!) and she was SO helpful.  When we told her what we were trying to do, she said, "I will do whatever I can to help you with this.  I love Jesus and want to see young people come to know Him".  She was able to get our paper processed IMMEDIATELY & even gave us her personal number & e-mail.  She asked for more information about Youth For Christ & said we can call her anytime if we have other needs.   WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE!

So ... what's next?

• We are continuing forward with weekly ministry at the Youth For Christ youth center on Friday nights.  We are asking the Lord to continue to connect us to young people in the area so that the center can be used to touch many lives.  Please pray with us for Friday night ministry!

• We are working hard to prepare and plan for mission teams.  We will be hosting teams every month from March through the end of July.  Please pray with us for wisdom as we plan and for endurance for this next season!

• With all of the growth in the ministry & responsibilities as we expand, we are seeking the Lord for wisdom in taking steps towards hiring our first YFC PR staff member this year.  We want to maintain the momentum of the ministry but it is getting to be too much for just the two of us to handle.  Please pray with us for The Lord to make a way financially for this to happen & for the right person to step forward to join the team!

Now that we have shared with you some of the ways that God is moving in the ministry, here's an update on our family!

Since returning to Puerto Rico after the holidays, we have experienced a whirlwind of emotions as a family.  We moved into a new place just a few days after returning.  This move has been so life-giving to each of us (even the Peal pups) because we have some outdoor space to enjoy!  After searching for over 6 months for a place, we "accidentally" found the home we are renting tucked away in Isabela in a very convenient location for our church, Josie's school & the community we have grown to love.  What a blessing!

A recent sunset from our new home!

Happy to have outdoor space to play!

Enjoying the yard!

Josalina continues to love her school.  She is working hard & making great progress in reading & writing.  We recently discovered that she is having some trouble with her vision.  She will now be wearing these super cute glasses to help her at school.

So sweet!

She was way too excited about getting glasses :) 

We had a visit from Laura's mom & Daniel's parents already in 2019!  What a blessing to live close enough to family that quick trips are possible.  It was so great to have time with family in our new space & spend time showing them what every day life is like for us here!

Grammy & Josie at our church

Nana & Papaw were here to celebrate Josalina's birthday!

Last week, we received news that water rationing would begin for the northwest region of Puerto Rico.  We were not prepared for this news.  We posted on our prayer page and ministry site that we had a need for water reserve tanks for our home & the mission house.  Within 48 hours, we received enough in donations and Home Depot gift cards to meet this need!  We have been moved to tears more than once over this miracle.  Water rationing began Saturday night.  We will be on a 24 hour schedule (24 hours with water, 24 hours without water) until further notice.  These tanks make it possible for us to have water.  We are SO thankful!

Tank on the left will go to the YFC PR Mission house ...
tank on the right is hooked up and working great at our house!

With the great start to 2019, we are expecting huge things this year for our family and The Lord's ministry in Puerto Rico.  

It's not just history in the making ... it is HIStory!

We know that He is doing a great work on this island and we are honored to be a small part of what is happening here.  

We are so thankful for your continued prayers and support as we keep taking daily steps of obedience to fulfill HIS plan for our lives!  We can't do this without YOU!

4:14

Our last blog post was about thriving here in Puerto Rico & how the Lord has been so faithful to meet & exceed our expectations for life & ministry here.

We hesitated to even post about it but we knew that we wanted to give glory & praise for the way that the Lord has breathed life back into our hearts after so much struggle.

He truly has given us such beauty from ashes.

While all of that is still very true, it seems as if after making that declaration & praise ... the enemy kicked up his attacks on our family.

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We had times where we were spread pretty thin over the last few months.  We finished our summer season of hosting teams from the States, completed the house project in the mountains, adjusted to a new routine with Josie in Kindergarten, & balanced all of the responsibilities that come with launching Youth For Christ Puerto Rico.

We jokingly declared we were just trying to "survive September" as we spent more time apart than we did together with all of the commitments & responsibilities we had taken on.  Thankfully, so far October has been much easier overall.

But through all of the stress, strain & struggle, the Lord has continuously brought us back to the importance, power, and value of prayer.

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As our hearts have turned towards the power of prayer, we were reminded of a way that The Lord spoke to us about prayer before in our journey.

Our 9 months living in Costa Rica at language school was a season of discipline & growth.

Any time that we are asked about language school, we say that we learned MUCH more than Spanish.

We walked away from that season in Costa Rica battered from the battles, but we were praising the One that carried us through it all.

One of the biggest lessons that we learned in our time at language school was that our purpose is not conditional on our location.

Our favorite family picture from our time in Costa Rica ... overlooking San Jose

We felt the Lord really challenge us to see Costa Rica as an sovereign assignment ... not just something we needed to check off of a list in order to get to the mission field.

Little did we know that The Lord was teaching us that lesson because He would be revealing HIS plan just 3 short months after we moved to Honduras.

A plan that would test our faith, require us to surrender even more than what we had already left behind, and ultimately reveal the posture of our hearts.

He is faithful to prepare us for what is to come.  Even when the preparation in painful, He is faithful!

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While we were in language school in Costa Rica, Daniel had the opportunity to share a few messages with the student body.

One of the messages that the Lord put on Daniel's heart to share with the student body was about influence.

He challenged the student body to not waste their influence during their time in Costa Rica.

He asked us to consider those that the Lord had placed in our path & realize that while we are studying the language to eventually get to our assignment on the mission field, Costa Rica was also an assignment from The Lord.

As a student body, we looked at Esther 4:14.

This verse challenged us to consider that we are exactly where God intends for us to be "for such a time as this".

Daniel asked the student body to set their phone alarms for 4:14.

He challenged us to pray every day at 4:14 for our community & the influence that our families had in Costa Rica.

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We reflected on this prayer challenge as we have been praying about YFC Puerto Rico & the future that The Lord has in store for the youth of this island.

For over 30 years, Youth For Christ leadership had been praying for ministry to launch in Puerto Rico.  A few different times there were some attempts ... but it never took off.

And now ... in the aftermath of the worst Hurricane in almost 100 years ... we are here.

For such a time as this.

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We are digging deep in faith & going to being praying boldly for the future of YFC in Puerto Rico.  

We believe that The Lord has plans to reveal Himself to the people of the island in ways that they have never experienced before.

We are expecting a revival & to see the church of PR totally transformed.

We are stepping out in faith.

We are setting that alarm again. 

4:14.  

We will be pausing to specifically & intentionally intercede daily for the island, the church, Youth For Christ ministry here, and for our influence to not be wasted.

Our desire is to be found faithful in prayer.

Will you join us?

Set your alarm for 4:14.

Pray with us for PR ...

but also pray that YOUR influence will not be wasted.

Made To Thrive

We often find ourselves talking about how PR has been such a great fit for us as a family.  We never imagined that we would find such deep contentment & peace here.

It almost feels wrong to say that we are doing well & in such a great place.  We have found that often times people believe that missionaries on the field are constantly suffering with feelings of being lonely, misplaced, forgotten, homesick, etc.

That's not the case for us here.  But don't get us wrong ... we have had those days!

Back in January, we almost quit.  We almost gave up because we were tired, discouraged, & confused by the change in plans.

Once we realized that His plan never changed & we chose to trust Him, we began experience a harvest of blessings like we have never experienced before!

The truth is - we are doing great.

And we are embracing this season with a posture of praise ...  He really has proven Himself worthy of our trust & it has changed everything for us.

Maybe you are experiencing a season of discouragement ... we encourage you to dig deep & continue taking daily steps of obedience.  Your responsibility is obedience & He is responsible for the outcome.  We can speak firsthand on this ... His plans ARE truly for your good!

So let's not get tired of doing what is good.  At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.

Galatians 6:9

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Josie continues to amaze us with the way she has adjusted.   She has embraced her role with the teams that have stayed with us & looks forward to our outreach events/ministry days as much as we do.  She has sent both teams off with hand drawn pictures and/or toys that she has decided to part ways with as a way for the team members to remember her.  It's just the cutest thing ever.  We are so thankful she is a part of our team!

As for us, we have been pulled in multiple directions as we have worked hard to prepare our home for hosting teams, developing ministry plans and schedules for the groups, and working out all of the details that most do not even see.

Daniel continues to work hard to manage the house project we are doing this summer with our teams.  It takes a LOT of work to get things lines up for materials, lodging, meals, and transportation for teams on the ground.  He has done an amazing job working together with the locals to make progress & continuing to develop the construction plan.   Here are some pictures of Daniel working on the project in Ciales, bunkbeds at our home, and loading the trailer with supplies.

Laura has worked hard to make the house feel like a home, establish a routine for our family, & do the 'behind the scenes' work for what is happening here with teams.  It takes a LOT of work to get schedules in place, make sure the house is stocked with what the groups need, & host so many at once making sure all needs are met.  Here are a few pictures of Laura coordinating the team, working around the house, time just being a mommy, & helping with scripture reading at our church.

Here's a peek at some pictures of the progress on our home!

Thankfully, all of three of us together have been using our strengths and the transition has been easy.  We have been surprised with how smooth things have been so far this summer with teams.  It has been a joy to open our home here to host.  We have grown as a family as we have been stretched beyond our comfort zones ... but it has all been for our good and ultimately HIS glory!

Looking ahead ...

We have a few more months ahead of us ... seems like summer is going to be our busiest time of year!

Here's a peek at what July, August & September look like for us!

We know that there will be days when we are tired & spread thin.  It is impossible to do on our own strength!

But instead of looking ahead to these months & allowing ourselves to feel overwhelmed, we are embracing our schedule with grateful hearts.

The Lord has allowed us the blessing of hosting so many people that are willing to serve alongside of our family in PR.

It is truly a gift.  We are choosing to thrive in this season and not just survive.

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If you would like to partner with us & the ministry God is starting in Puerto Rico, please visit our giving site:  https://yfc.givingfuel.com/32216

If you are interested in bringing a team from your church or joining a team next summer, 

please e-mail us for more information.  

We would be thrilled to host you in PR!

  

dpeal@myyfc.org

843-804-0110