If we're honest ...

To say that this part of our journey is easy would be lying.

If we're honest, it's harder than anything that we have ever been through.

Don't get me wrong.  We have found deep joy & peace in this season.  We have seen God provide through willing hearts in ways that we would never have planned.  We have grown in our faith & we are truly more excited than ever!

But we have also had some hard days.  Really hard.

We have given up our lives  -  all we own, all we know, and all that we love  - to answer the calling that He has placed on our family.  It's more than a calling really.  It's a command.  We have abandoned comfort & everything that "makes sense".

Selling all that we had & walking away from all of the "things" that gave us a "full" life here.

Living with Daniel's parents ... all 3 together in one bedroom.  They have been more than amazing ... but there are times that it is just plain hard not having our own place to call home.

Not working jobs but constantly working.  Making phone calls, setting up appointments, traveling to speak, and doing all we can to contact others to share our vision.

Waiting day to day for the Lord to provide funds through those phone calls, visits, e-mails & even through people we haven't yet met.

We have faced criticism for the decisions we have made for our family in the most unusual & hurtful ways.

Those that are closest to us that we have known the longest have not been the most supportive or present in this process.  We are already beginning to feel the disconnect from life here ... and it's hard.

We have both been in this spot before in our lives individually.  The place of true surrender.  Often times, that is after The Lord has stripped you down to nothing but Him.  So this place is familiar to us but it's not easy.

We are having to continuously turn our eyes upon the One that is truly in control & remind ourselves that this is not about us.

Abandoning all has truly left us abiding solely in Him.  We have had to stop seeking our emotional support from others around us more than we are seeking power & strength from Him.

We have had to fully force ourselves to believe in Him as the provider & not the names on a list.

We have realized quickly that God's plans require God's power.

We know that God has fully fulfilled His promises & our assignment.

But, at the same time, we recognize that He is at work in the hearts of other people as He prepares us to GO.  He is leading them to give towards this ministry and partner with us while He is working in their lives.

I say all that in love but from a very transparent place.  We are so thankful to be loved and have the support that we have already been shown.  We just really want everyone to know that while we are excited, full of joy and ready for this adventure ... there is still an ache & really hard side of it, too.

So here we are ... one month into full time fundraising.  By the looks of it, we will not be making the cutoff to be in Costa Rica for language school in August.

We are sitting at 15% funded.  We have to reach 100% before leaving for language school.  We are trusting & believing God that we will be able to start the next trimester in January.

Our account may not be full.  But our hearts & lives are more full than they have ever been before.

Having less than we have ever had.  Experiencing joy as we are choosing to be content.

And in that, we are realizing more each day that we are able to do all things through Him because HE strengthens us.

Philippians 4:11-13

I don't say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in.  I know both how to have a little and I know how to have a lot.  In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content - whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.  I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Where did June go?!

We knew that the first two months of this new journey were going to be a whirlwind ... but WOW!

After Candidate Orientation Week in May in Denver, Daniel took off to Kenya for two weeks to visit our friends that are full time missionaries there.  It was a surprise visit for Jeremiah ... and he was overjoyed to see Daniel & our friend Mitch.  They had a great two weeks of laughs and encouragement & it was good for all of their hearts!

Daniel returned from Kenya & just 5 days later we boarded another plane to lead a team from our church to Honduras!  We were so excited to get back to Honduras this go round ... we knew it would have a completely different feel this time around since we have stepped out to start the process to live there full time. We had a wonderful two weeks there full of ministry & reconnecting with friends.  We were able to sit down to talk through our vision for our ministry ... and get even MORE excited about becoming a part of YFC Honduras & the community of La Entrada de Copan.

On our two week trip, we hosted VBS with over 200 kids, hosted a teen purity camp, visited several schools, served one morning at a boys' orphanage, & got to attend a praise concert in San Pedro Sula!  It was such a joy to be able to pack our two weeks full of different ministries & kids.  We are thankful to have served alongside such a great group of people from South Dakota & Brookhaven Fellowship!

To say that the months of May & June were hectic would be an understatement!  We are thankful that we were given the opportunity to do so much with different ministries ... but we were thankful to slow down a little & get our minds wrapped around our "new normal".

Now that we are back from Honduras, we have started our full time fundraising process!  We have been working hard to partner with individuals, partners, and churches that support our vision & believe that the Lord has called us to this.  We spend our days on the computer, making phone calls, and setting up appointments to share more about YFC & our vision.  We have been able to reconnect with so many people through this process.  It has been so fun to make connections and have so many others share in our excitement!

We have 6 church services in the month of July that we will be sharing in about our ministry!  God has really been showing us that He is going to provide in HIS way with specific people that He is already preparing & we could not be more excited to continue to watch this unfold.

• On July 3rd, we were able to share at Redemption Church in Hollywood, SC.  Everyone was very receptive & welcoming.  They are interested in partnering with us in the future & bringing their praise band down to serve at the camp!  We could not be more excited for that opportunity to share our love for Honduras with them & serve at the camp alongside of their praise band!

• On July 10th, we shared at two services at Latta Baptist Church in Latta, SC.  Brad & Anna Wise hosted us & could not have made us feel more at home!  We are so thankful that the Lord reconnected us with Brad & really enjoyed our time with them.  Our time in Latta was very encouraging.  Latta Baptist Church had several church members that have been involved with mission work in Honduras so speaking to them was exciting!  There is a group of people from their church that have already said they want to come next summer to the camp when we are planning to go.  We are praying that The Lord continues to prepare their hearts & that the trip will come together!

• This Sunday, July 17th, we will be speaking at our home church! Brookhaven has been more than supportive over the last several years as we have served & we are excited to share our vision with them this Sunday.  We know that this will be our core group of prayer support & the familiar faces that we have come to see us when we are on the ground there full time!

• The evening of July 17th, we will be sharing with First Emmanuel Baptist Church in Summerville!  We were married in that church so it will feel like "coming home" when we get the opportunity to go back to visit!  We are thankful for the opportunity to see old friends, meet new church members & share all that God has stirred in our hearts.  

• Finally, on the evening of July 24th, we will be speaking at First Baptist Church of Jedburg.  We would love to see familiar faces at these services so if you are in town and available, please come join us & hear about our ministry with Youth For Christ!

We are striving to do everything we can on our end to reach our budget so that we are fully funded  & able to leave for language school!  If we are not fully funded by August 1st, we will wait and leave in early January 2017.  We are excited to watch the month of July unfold as we share at churches, meet with families, and watch God provide!

If you or your church would be interested in hearing about our ministry, please contact us!  We would love the opportunity to share all that God has already done in Honduras & the vision He has given us for the future there.

Thank you for all of your prayers & support as we continue to take daily steps in response to God's calling on our lives.