Happy Fourth of July!

We pause for a moment today to give thanks to God for the blessings and opportunties that the has bestowed on us as citizens of the U.S.A. We praise God for a country where we can be free to worship Him and tell others about what He has done in our lives and those of so many others. However, we remember the words of Luke 12:48, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." We recognize that our blessing is coupled with a responsibility, one to go "into all the world" with the Good News.

While we follow the path of preparation to "go and make disciples of all nations", we thank God that he provided us a place where we could learn about him without fear of persecution. This fact heightens our awareness all the more that people around the world are suffering for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Please keep them in your prayers as you celebrate your freedom today.

Now that General Assembly is over, we begin the process of scheduling deputation services with churches around the country. We will be traveling to churches that will have us throughout the fall, sharing our testimony and telling about the Africa Region and the many needs that are represented there. We hope to be able to raise the prayer and other support necessary for us to go and be successful, and trust God, knowing that he will provide.

As part of this process, we have taken our first full family picture since Jake came into our lives. We thought we'd share it here as well. I think this is our "official" missionary picture, so feel free to make posters, coffee mugs, buttons, etc. from it. :)

Well, lots to do today, a ten-page paper to finish up before enjoying a baseball game and fireworks. Please continue to remember us in your prayers and we will be praying for you all as well.

Happy 4th of July!

Preparations Continue...

Like he always does, God really provided an answer to prayer this week! We received an offer on our house within 3 days of putting it on the market, but it was lower than we had hoped. After negotiating with the buyer for several days, we were still not able to get to the price we wanted for the house. However, within just a few hours of needing to provide a final answer to our bidder, another offer came in that exceeded our expectations! We praise the Lord for his providence, he always comes through in bigger ways than we can imagine, doesn't he?

With the paperwork underway for the sale of our house, we feel yet another burden being lifted from our shoulders. However, there are still many things to take care of and much prayer that is needed. Please continue to remember us in prayer in the following areas:

-- Direction on where/when to schedule deputation services for the fall
-- Focus and patience for Jeremy as he continues through a full load of summer school
-- Endurance and peace for Tricia as she manages the household and takes care of the majority of the "business issues" this summer
-- Jake's adjustment to a more hectic lifestyle and being in "MK training" this fall
-- Selling our SUV
-- All of the other "details" that need to be worked out between now and August
-- The work of the church around the world, and specifically for our new assignment in South Africa
-- That God would use our lives to point to Him

We thank you for keeping us in your prayers, as this is by far the most important thing any of our friends and family can give us! We will keep you updated on a regular basis as to how things are proceeding throughout the next couple of months of preparation.

Take care and have a safe and enjoyable summer! May God bless you richly.

The Adventure Begins!

We are thrilled to announce that we have received an offer for an assignment as missionary interns through the Church of the Nazarene! World Mission sent us a letter late last week offering us the position of Financial Coordinator for the Africa Region and we have accepted! We will be based in Johannesburg, South Africa for our 3 1/2 year assignment.

We are scheduled to begin training in Kansas City, MO in August (yes, that soon!) and are scheduled to leave for South Africa in January 2006. We have set up this website so that our family and friends can keep tabs on us and we can let them know what the Lord is doing in our lives and through the ministry of the Church of the Nazarene in Africa!

We hope you enjoy the site and come back often for updates! May the Lord bless you!