Seasons of Transition
We find ourselves caught in the tension of staying present and working hard in our current situation, while also dreaming and casting new vision for what is to come. Working in a pioneering mission organization is different from any ministry position or secular job that we have ever been a part of. Regardless of any “job title” that we hold, our vision and mission remain the same: seeing people all across the world being reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ, seeing lives transformed by the power of the word, the dead raised, the sick healed, the deaf hear, and the lost find their home.
While our J-O-B right now is technically working behind a computer and creating systems that will power the mission administratively, our hearts long to be on the ground with the people.
So the tension is this: knowing that both positions are so desperately needed. The organization is growing at such a rapid pace, and our US office is running hard to keep up.
Where are you going?
Many of you have asked, and to answer that question is to say as soon as we know we’ll let you know. We are actively seeking the Lord on a few locations and that we have been diligent in meeting with leaders in those locations in order to see where the best fit for our family will be.
We are planning on taking a vision trip this summer, once we have a location(s) nailed down!
January and February Recap
The Significance of January
The beginning of the year is probably one of our biggest and busiest months in our current role. We have our annual conference and staff retreat every January.
This year, I (Ashly) managed the hospitality aspects of the Conference. This involved taking care of all our guest ministers and pastors, as well as organizing the lunches for parents and pastors. I handled much of the behind-the-scenes planning and preparation, and it's a pleasure to serve the team in this role.
It’s also the best time of year because a lot of our missionaries get to come together, catch up and get refreshed in the word, then to be launched back into their assignments.
Highlights of February
As many of you know I (Brandon) was in Amarillo for 2 weeks in February raising support for our family and ministry. Our calling and our mission is to be ministers of the Gospel and to share the love of Christ with everyone. 1 John 4:19 says, "We love because He first loved us."
As I reflect on all that the Lord did, the illustration of a camera and the importance of the process of adjusting the lens to make a subject appear sharp and clear come to mind.
My time there was a realignment of my focus. In the busyness of daily life, it’s easy to lose sight of the end goal. It wasn’t that I was focusing on the wrong things; my eyes were set on Jesus. But it was more like a camera lens that was out of focus. As the Lord adjusted my focus, it became clear that I had been working with a distorted, blurred vision.
We have to keep our sight on Jesus sharp and clear. We have eternal life, redemption, and righteousness, and we are co-heirs with Christ—this is the vision we must walk in. Through the renewing of our minds and the foundation of Scripture, our lenses become focused. It’s the intentionality of seeking the Father. Matthew 5:6 says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."
The Lord showed up in Amarillo and fanned the flame. He used people to bring encouragement and used me to be an encourager!
1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
Fan the flame in the ones around you. Be used by the Lord to adjust the lenses of other believers, rather than being the one who takes them out of focus.
We Aquired a School Bus
A Little Back Story
As some may know, when we first stepped out into full time career missions, we financed the purchase of an RV with the intention of having a "home" when we would come back state side to visit. However when our assignment changed to the US Headquarters we ended up selling it as our finances needed to shift to accommodate a US assignment.
We live such a nomadic lifestyle, that it be would great to have a place to call “home” that will also provide flexibility in our transient lifestyle. Over the last year and a half, we have played with the idea of buying a house to be able to give our family the stability we desire however, the Lords hand has not been in it. As we have looked back we have both said many times how we wish we would’ve found a way to keep our RV.
The Lord has a Sense of Humor.
Recently one of our friends was in town and to make a long story short we were talking about how amazing it would be to remodel a school bus and live in it while we were all stateside. Fast forward 2 week later as I (Brandon) was on my way to church in Amarillo, I saw a bus for sale at another local church. Driving past, I kind of laughed to myself and thought, "It would be cool to buy that and remodel it." After I got a little bit down the road, I heard the Lord tell me to turn around. When I pulled into the church parking lot and walked around, I couldn’t find any anyone to ask about this bus, which was strange because it was a Sunday morning and there were several cars around. I called the number on the for sale sign to find out that it was the Pastor of the church. He said they have a bus ministry and they bring in kids from all over to hear the Gospel, they feed them a meal and take them home.
Pastor Paul and I made plans to meet up the next day. We went back and forth sharing testimonies of what the Lord has been doing in our ministries. He was excited about the work we were doing in the nations and offered us an amazing deal with the bus. It was listed for $7,000, and he was willing to sell it to us for $5,000 to help us out. I was blessed by his offer, but the point of my trip was to fundraise for our current situation, so I let him know that wasn’t an option for us at this time. He asked me to reach back out in a few days.
When I left that meeting, I asked the Lord to move on the church's heart to sow it into us. A few days later I followed up and called Pastor Paul back to let him know to go ahead and sell the bus. He then surpised me and let me know that another local church reached out about it, and he had already sown it into their ministry! I was excited that the Lord moved on their heart to sow the bus. What he said next really shocked me, he said that he had two more buses just like it, and that his church was sowing one into our family!!! Speechless and mind-blown, I thanked him and thanked the Lord!! In that moment I was reminded of the Lord's faithfulness, and to dream big with the Lord. He really is the God who sees us.
A Massive Testimony in the Making
As we press forward, we are beyond thankful for the opportunity with this bus. These are the questions we are now asking the Lord; Is this a seed to sow? Do we sell it and use the money for missions? Do we remodel and convert it into a home?" If He blessed us with a bus, He will give us an answer for it. If it is to convert it, then He will provide funds to make a way for it happen. Stay tuned for what is to come, we know there is a massive testimony coming from this, for His glory and our good.
Big Vision, Costs Big Money
14 Days and $4700 Recap
We are currently in a fund raising push and once we settle on a location we will have even larger one time funds to raise, for launch costs etc. (we'll share more, when we know more)
I just wanted to share the testimony of what came in and what is still in the works.
Brandon had an amazing time in Amarillo, seeing everyone, making new friends, and sharing our mission and vision! We proudly raised $825 towards our goal!
We have $3,875 left to raise.
This is just a visual representation of common monthly contributions - giving does not have to look exactly like this. This graft is just to give perspective.
Some other common annual gifts are:
$10,000 annual = $833 a month
$6,000 annual = $500 a month
$5,000 annual = $416 a month
$4,000 annual = $333 a month
$1,200 annual = $100 a month
To catch up on 14 days of biblical giving principles you can go to our Facebook group page to recap: https://www.facebook.com/groups/410686443762624
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