An answered prayer.

In our December newsletter that went out about a week and a half ago or so, I had mentioned a prayer request for our passports (Ken & I have ours, but we applied for Heather, Kyle and Jordan's). We were just asking for prayer that they would be processed in a timely fashion and that we would receive the kids original birth certificates back without a problem since if there was one, two of the kids birth certificates are out of New York State! On Christmas Eve we received their passports in the mail and their birth certificates were enclosed. We did not pay extra to have the "expedited" service, but we received them exactly three weeks from when we applied for them! We were told they would return in six weeks, about the middle of January, which would have been absolutely fine, we just hoped that we wouldn't have any long, extended delays in processing. Thank you to all of you who did pray for that need! We greatly appreciate it and we are so thankful to have the passports earlier than expected!

The day after...

We had a simple Christmas, but we always do. We celebrate our children's birthdays in a big way. We even bring out a special "Birthday Flag" which is hung late at night the night before their birthday after they have gone to bed. On Christmas, it is not their birthday, and we celebrate with only a few presents and spend the day reflecting on Jesus' birth. We spoke with family on the telephone; my brother, a missionary Pastor in Scotland, my parents in New York State, Ken's sister in New York State and his sister in Georgia. We went to his parents home for a quiet Christmas dinner and took pictures in the afternoon outside with them since this will be our last Christmas together for a while and then of our four kids together, since we do not know when Danielle will be with us in Costa Rica at Christmas. We came home at a reasonable hour and relaxed. Today, we were up bright and early helping the kids make decisions in their bedrooms about clothes, keepsakes, etc. We have accomplished a lot today!

The Phone Call!

We got a phone call on Thursday, 12/20 and the voice on the other line said, "get your house sold we'd like you there on February 1st". The exact numbers have not been crunched, but we believe that we are at about 95% of our monthly support now since people have been communicating to us that they have sent in pledge cards. Global believes, and we do too, that the rest will come. Please continue to pray for our family as we prepare to go. I will do my best to keep this better updated on exact dates and travel as the time gets closer.

He is faithful!

Rain

Taking a break from sorting, to sit here at my desk and "hear" the rain as it taps the window pane. It seems like it has been so very long since we have had a good rain like the one we are experiencing now. I have not posted recently because I didn't want to bore you to death! Not a lot has changed since the last post. Oh! By the way, to the five or six people who regularly read this blog and to the two that actually ever post comments, "your checks are in the mail". Well, back to going through some things, throwing things, but I had to pause for just a few short minutes and enjoy the sound of the rain, and to thank God for allowing us to have some!
Edited to say: I am not throwing things...I am throwing things out, though. Just thought I might clarify that :)

$400, that's all folks

$400 of pledged monthly support is all we have left to raise. That breaks down to 13 people committing to $30 a month or 8 people committing to $50 a month. We continue to step out in faith trusting that God is going to provide for our needs by getting our house ready to be placed on the market. Two days ago we were at 88%. Today, we are at 90%. An amazing God!

Garage Sale! Preparing to Go.

Hmph...I'm tired. Today was our big garage sale. What didn't get sold we hauled off to Good Will and the dump. We brought nothing back into the house. It was a bittersweet day. Things were sold that we have had since we were married 22 years ago, though seeing someone else buy things and knowing they will probably be put to good use makes it easier. A reminder of how much we have here in the States and how much we "hold" on too sometimes without even meaning too. We still have stuff to go through, mainly clothes, and the dishes we kept to be able to eat and cook with until we can go, but rooms are begining to echo around here. We won't have another garage sale. What is left will be donated to With Love, From Jesus which holds a special place in our hearts. Well, a few more steps closer to being ready to paint and put the house on the market.

Beginning preparations

I seem to be having trouble logging on to our blog from our computer. This post is being done on our lap top. Our livingroom is piled high with empty boxes in one corner, two boxes in another corner packed. There are side jobs that Ken had committed to weeks ago and those doors, windows, etc. are now coming in and he is working on Saturdays to finish those jobs for people. We have other commitments that should be wrapped up soon, R.O.C.K. Rally and Marching Band season will soon begin winding down. It's been busy and we just haven't found a lot of free time to get to the house. We spoke with the person that we will probably list our house with and talked about how the housing market is "really" going. You see and hear things on the local news. He said that in Johnston County housing was going at 110% this past summer, but it's still at about 90% right now and keeping him very busy. We trust that the Lord already has a plan for our home! It seems that Global Outreach has found a home for us to rent in Costa Rica when we get there so that is really nice and makes our transition so much easier. We couldn't be more thankful for that! I haven't had time to get a newsletter done, but I hope to get to that this weekend. If you would, just continue to keep our family in your prayers as we begin to go through things in our home and prepare it to be placed on the market. We feel a little overwhelmed with all that needs to be done. We continue to take it one day at a time and pray that God would allow us to use any available free time wisely!

Costa Rica...in the home stretch!

We have 75% of commited monthly support and another 12% in pending status (waiting for the verbally comitted support to reach Global Outreach offices so that it can added in). That's a total of 87%. I want to make it perfectly clear that God has moved in a miraculous way on our behalf! None of the support that has been commited to our family comes through something that Ken or I have done. Yes, we are the ones who physically stood up and did presentations, made phone calls, sent letters, met with individuals, prayed (but I know we had lots of others praying along with us); God is the One who moved people's hearts toward committing to Missions and the ministry at El Jardin! The last year and a half has at times been hard because we are hard-headed (moreso me than Ken). There are so many people that God, in His love and grace, sent to encourage us and kept us from giving up! He even sent some to help us "get a grip" and "refocus", like Bob & Robin. Then there were times when we did just rest and wait and He showered us with tremendous blessing. I wouldn't exchange the things that I have learned for an easier path! I realize that I have so much more to be taught and that this time has been a time of preparation for things that I will continue to learn through serving on the field. What does the 87% mean? It's time to apply for the kids passports. We need to begin preparing the house to go up for sale. We are coming to a time of "lasts", last Thanksgiving/Christmas with family for four years and the anticipation of "firsts", like all the new things you experience living in a different country and culture. We cannot yet board a plane because there are still funds that need to come in before we can go and while we trust God for those needs, we would be making a terrible mistake to not take this opportunity and allow you to see what God has already done! Please join us in thanking Him for the recent provisions that He has made for our family and continue to keep us in your prayers as we endeavor to be obedient to His plans for us! To God be the Glory!

Support Raising, waiting and praying to get to Costa Rica!

We've been busy. That's not even accurate, really. Feels like we've been crazy! We got our last support letter typed and sent to the Mission. You should be receiving that now asking for your help in getting us to Costa Rica by January '08, our deadline. It's almost time for another newsletter to go out. We have received word that we have received additional support, but we do not know exactly what percentage we are at as Global just finished a big conference and everyone's desk is piled high with requests at the office. We should have a better picture next week and be able to report that here to you. In the meantime, thank you to all of you who have been praying for us during this time. We cannot even express to you how much it means to us knowing that you are specifically bringing our family before the Throne. Thank you to our Support Team for your love, prayers and especially the encouragement. It's hard to imagine where we would be without you in our lives. You all mean so much to us! May the Lord continue to move in a way that will bring Him the glory!

"God of Wonders"

Ever find yourself in a state of wonder over God? I find myself like that a lot. The other night it was the stars suspended in the sky. They are there every clear night, bright and just hanging in space. How does He keep them there? What about service? That He even asks me to do anything, now that's just crazy! The fact that He would even entrust us by His prompting to do something for Him, are you kidding me? He doesn't need us! Yet, He allows us to join Him in carrying out His purposes! That blows my mind! I'm thankful that I can't even attempt to figure Him out. If I could, I wouldn't need to depend on Him! I so desperately NEEED GOD. Daily, lately hourly! I'm thankful He's always available, never busy on a cell phone, in a meeting and I'm never put on hold. I fall so short of His glory. Yet, He continues to "hang in there" with me. He's so patient. He absolutely amazes me!

A weekend at home/monthly support report

This will be the first weekend in four weeks that we have all been home together! We attended the family wedding in Atlanta, then we went to Camp Dixie the next weekend, Ken was in Florida for "Big Splash" last weekend. We have been busy!

I love these verses in Habakkuk 2 where Habakkuk wanted answers. "How long, O Lord?" he asks. God took His time. Then He tells Habakkuk, "The vision is yet for an appointed time,". "Wait for it; because it will surely come".

God continues to move us forward and we have now received 46% of our committed monthly support. We have received a deadline to be in Costa Rica by January '08. At least we will have an answer.

Felix

Please keep our missionary friends, the Sims family and all those serving along with them in Teguc, Honduras under WGO with the ranch in your prayers. Also, please remember the MamaTara Miskito Orphanage in Puerto Lempira, Honduras, directly on the east coast which can only be reached by boat or airplane. This is a very remote part of the country, cut off from the rest of Honduras by rain forest. The children there have a special place in our hearts and we are also praying for them too and all of those associated with that ministry. May the Lord hold you close!

BEWARE: Long post ahead!!!!

Last weekend we traveled to Atlanta to attend a family wedding. Congratulations Phil & Celena Halladay! We got home safely, but a little bit later than we planned on Sunday evening and on Monday we embarked on CHAOS in our household. For the first time ever, our four kids are attending four different schools. I was very amused at Ken having taken the day off from work and when all four kids were finally at school he let out a deep breath and uttered these words, "I don't know how you do this every day"! I laughed.

Wednesday night was the wrap-up of a really great Bible study at church. A lot of the ending was about living with passion for Christ and the teacher mentioned how she feels like a lot of Christians have lost their passion. She also talked about Jesus' last command to us to "Go"! She shared (and I am paraphrasing because I cannot remember her exact words, but I am just sharing with you what I took from her teaching) how we have been commanded to "Go" across the street, down the sidewalk of our neighborhoods, across the aisle in our office to the next cubicle. She even mentioned that we are commanded to "Go" to....Costa Rica!

We are "commanded" was the emphasis. It made me think of our black lab, Cassie. She's getting stubborn in her old age. Used to be when you "commanded" her to do something she did it. Now, she's 10, a little more feeble, a whole lot less energy and not as passionate about getting up and going outside to chase a hand-thrown tennis ball. She's a little hard of hearing or could it be "selective hearing"? It seems like in the last six months to get her to do what you want you have to scream at her. She's a little slow on the issue of obedience and kind of likes to take her time "evaluating" what we ask her to do before making her final decision.

I have recently stumbled across the writings of George Verwer, the World Missions Advocate. He writes, "In our Christian walk, we are often not so disciplined and careful. In our effort to stay free from guilt, or in our effort to stay "free and live by grace", we often over-emphasize God's sovereignty, emphasizing that no matter what happens, 'God is in control'. He goes on to write, "A Christian in a moment of anger kills someone. What does he tell the court or judge, 'God is in control'? No, he is forced to be realistic and he may in fact spend life in prison". He also writes about the state of mission field, "25% of the world's population still has not even heard or read the Gospels 2,000 years after Jesus gave the command. Who's fault is it? God's? No! It is a mistake to think that the next big move is God's. His big moves have already taken place, the Cross, the empty tomb and Pentecost".

Do I believe that us leaving for Costa Rica is all in God's timing? Absolutely! But, I also believe that the command that was given 2,000 years ago has not been fulfilled because of our lack of faith and Biblical commitment (obedience). We have been asked by Global Outreach to be in Costa Rica by January. If God has commanded you to support us, don't be like our dog, Cassie, and "evaluate" whether you want to obey. I know that if He asks you, then He will provide for you!

I Samuel 15:22 "Samuel replied, "Has the Lord as much pleasure in your burnt offerings and sacrifices as in your obedience? Obedience is far better than sacrifices. He is much more interested in your listening to him than in your offering the fat of rams to him".

Please, keep us in your prayers!

Our Prayer!

"This season of waiting is always an essential qualification for successful service. God would have His children realize the utter inadequacy of all human means to accomplish His gigantic purposes, that thus the praise and glory might be afterwards ascribed exclusively to Him".
-Hugh D. Brown-

Busy, busy!

Taking a breather for a few minutes and thought I would write an update. I just finished our newsletter, so you should be receiving those by snail mail or email in the next couple of days. We have another presentation this Saturday afternoon that we are preparing for. I need to write a letter to go out through the mission as well so they can get those sent off. We find ourselves in a constant balancing act; trying to prepare for the mission field, but not being ready financially to go, and allowing our four kids to live their lives here in the States, but not knowing when we might leave and working our full-time jobs. It can be difficult at times. Sometimes it is heart wrenching, especially for Heather whose band has been invited to the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. She is on the color guard. Preparations for that are already beginning and you can imagine the excitement over being invited to participate in something that big. Only 5 high school bands will be performing and 300 tried to get a spot. We just take it all one day at a time. Last week was orientation for Danielle and she has now been attending her one and only high school class for a week (she will graduate in December). Today, she added in her college courses to her schedule and should finish up with Cosmetology School in July. She was a little "stressed" last night beginning the paperwork for her English IV project. It's been hard for me to embrace the fact that she is a Senior! Where does the time go? Heather just finished two full weeks of band/color guard camp. She didn't get her ability to walk backwards and to the side simultaneously from me I tell 'ya! Today was her freshman orientation and she continues with two band practices a week. Tomorrow, Kyle has a physical and then try-outs for middle school football. 4 kids, 4 different schools this year. I haven't quite figured out the carpool/bus schedule. My little mind just isn't there yet! God remains our strength and our peace even in our daily activities!

Isaiah 26:3 "He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! Trust in the Lord God always, for in the Lord Jehovah is your everlasting strength".

An "ordinary" Sunday...NOT!

Yesterday morning was crazy in our house. Men's breakfast, invitation to meet a missionary at another church, financial presentation at our church...we were going in different directions and I felt frustrated. (I like my Sunday morning leading up to Sunday School and the worship service to be calm as I prepare and anticipate receiving something from the Lord). We had also received word on Friday that we were still $400 short in shipping the ambulance off to Costa Rica and that was weighing on my heart. We arrived at the other church early enough to get to meet the missionary, Jan, and talk for a few minutes before the service started. Things became "wild", not Jan, but GOD. We had so much in common, that we all knew, this was a Divinely-appointed meeting! Jan is a short-term missionary to Costa Rica working in an orphanage about a half hour from El Jardin, the camp. Her and her husband operate a retreat center/camp not to far from our town. Weird...we had never even heard that there was a retreat center in this area. The service began with worship music and their choir, and then Damascus Road, a singing group. I received through the worship music that preparation I had lacked before leaving my home. We were introduced to the congregation as missionaries before the offering and the Pastor told them that we needed to leave to attend our church. Before we left we were given cash by Jan and the church promised a check to match her gift. The total was $400. It reminded me of this verse, "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue; but in deed and truth". I John 3:18

Our calling to missions

Galatians 1:2, "I was not called to be a missionary by any group or agency. My call is from Jesus Christ himself, and from God the Father who raised him from the dead".

While we have been licensed to serve under Global Outreach Mission, God continues to remind us that our calling is directly from Him! These past few weeks He has kept us very busy with contacts and presentations. In fact, we have had three presentations to do this week alone! Last Monday, we received word from a friend that a local church was considering supporting us and we needed to send some budget information to them right away. When we offered to set up a time to come to the church and do a presentation we were told it wouldn't be necessary. "Wouldn't be necessary"? I kept thinking to myself, "Someone, please pinch me, it's not supposed to be this easy"! Yesterday, we received confirmation from that church that they had made a commitment to Global Outreach Mission on our behalf for monthly support! For six months now we have been sitting at the 33% mark of our pledged monthly support. Today, we moved up to 37%! God continues to move us forward in His timing and in His way!

Presentation Report

We have a small-group presentation to do tomorrow evening beginning at 7 p.m. So, if you wouldn't mind lifting us up today and tomorrow as we prepare and then during the presentation. Last night, Ken was supposed to be meeting with a Pastor at a local church that will be supporting us, but the Pastor had to cancel our meeting because he had two other meetings come up, one before his Wednesday night prayer service, and one immediately after. Phew...my brother's a Pastor and it can be rough sometimes with scheduling, so we fully understand. This meeting will definitely be rescheduled though. This Sunday morning the leader of our sending team in our church will be doing an update presentation on our ministry and I know she would definitely love to be supported in prayer! We had a meeting last night after our church service with the Pastor of the church across the road. We have met with him before and will be scheduling a presentation in his church in the next coming weeks. They also invited us to their church on Sunday morning for their service which starts an hour before ours because another missionary from Costa Rica is coming in to talk with their congregation since they will be sending a small group to Costa Rica in March to work at an orphanage with her. This is a bit of a planning meeting for them and to show them pictures and explain what they will be doing when they go. Their Pastor is a neat guy and was really excited about the ambulance parked across the road at our church during our VBS. Well, as you can see, busy days in front of us! Thank you in advance for your prayer support!

Do you still make cards?

Someone just asked me the other day if I was still making homemade cards. Yes, I do. Since I have been teaching rubber stamping classes at Michael's in the White Oak Plaza for the past year, I fnd that I am usually creating under "pressure" for a display in the store. I thought I would share this one that I made today when I had a few spare minutes and just sat down for the "fun of it". This card is made by rubber stamping the boot (which is a Michael's rubber stamp) on card stock and then coloring it in with colored pencils and blending it with odorless mineral spirits. I doodled around the boot to make it look like barbed wire as I thought it might kind of fit in with the "cowboy" theme. I don't know who I will send this to, or shall I say, I wasn't making this one with anyone particular in mind. When I do have time to make a card here and there for fun I like to set them aside and send them to people in the church. I'd have to say that our Sunday School teacher is always elated to get one which is fun! Well, off to the church directory to find me a cowboy to send this too! I thought I'd just share with you what I did in my "therapy" session today! Hope you're having a blessed day!

Happy Birthday La Iglesia de la Alegria del Senor!

The new evangelical church at the camp is one-month old and had 70 people in attendance on Sunday! They met here like they have the past three weeks on the camp grounds, but this week was special. They had a new roof over their heads. This picture is SO exciting! Shhh...I stole it off Nathan & Amber's blog :) If you have seen our pictures or our presentation from our trip to Costa Rica in Feb. '06, this is the building that was built during our two weeks there. The completed roof is an answer to so many people's prayers! This is a multi-purpose building filling the new role of church, but will be the new dininghall too. I have a passion to see children and youth being ministered to in this building through VBS and camp programs, some hearing the gospel message for the first time. It's a place where a youth group can meet and hold weekly Bible studies and have fellowship. I also have a passion to see children and youth minister as an outward expression of their love to our Savior, through worship in song and drama. A person has already come to this building and accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. It's just a structure, really. But the Spirit of the Lord has been evident there! So much to thank God for! We can hardly contain ourselves!

God's timing

Yesterday was "the beach or bust" and...it was a bust! We watched the weather report on Friday night and "blow over" light rain was predicted for over Wilmington on Saturday. We got up early. I had been bragging to Ken and the kids about a fun country restaurant I had found on one of my excursions with a friend to do some scrapbooking at a scrapbook store in Wilmington. We found the restaurant and had breakfast there. About halfway through my bacon-n-cheese omelet I heard thunder and it grew dark outside. We left there and got gas in the car and Ken just happened to ask a man at the gas station about the weather forecast for the day. Sure enough, "it will pass over in fifteen minutes", the man said. We decided to do a little school shopping at a nearby plaza where Rugged Warehouse and Ross' were. Hmmm...trying on clothing in a totally dark store is interesting! Needless to say the storm never blew over. We did get to the beach during a 15-minute lull in the storm, though it picked back up again. We had a fun day even though it wasn't quite what we had planned.

It kind of reminded me of a testimony Ken gave at a church service on Thursday evening. We had gotten a phone call from a local church that they were interested in supporting us in some way. We never expected that! In the fundraising process, you always have a standing list in your mind of people you should be following up with, talking too, etc. He continues to move in His timing and in His way! We were reminded this week of this verse from Proverbs 16:1, "We can make our plans, but the final outcome is in God's hands".

Two important meetings this week: Friday evening we have a small-group presentation and on Sunday morning. Thank you for your thoughts, and your continued prayers!

Waiting and the bumpy road

It's been a little rough the beginning of this week. Sunday's presentation by Alan & Dana Sims, at least looking at their ministry pictures was hard for Ken & I. We sat and watched with tears streaming down our faces in a congregation of people we had never met before! Uncomfortable, to say the least. We've been to Honduras five times and looking at their pictures brought back memories from a country that will always be close to our hearts. Part of the crying was pure joy at being able to hear and see all that God is doing in their ministry. It was amazing and exciting! A very small part was sadness at still sitting here in the States. We feel homesick to go back to Costa Rica. We've been encouraged and reminded that all of this is in the "plan". We wouldn't choose to change any of this bumpy road! We've grown, we've cried, we've prayed, we've fought, we've surrendered! God loves Ken & Sherri Dundon with an unconditional, unfailing love! And so we continue to wait probably more patiently than we ever have before, not because of anything we have done, but because of all that He has! To Him be the glory!!!

Worship chorus, ministry budget dilemma

What a dilemma to be in and I PRAISE GOD for it! I had given a copy of our budget to the head of our sending team for a presentation she is working on. Not having had time to make a copy I gave her the original and was supposed to get it back yesterday, but had an invitation to attend a missionary presentation, so I wouldn't be seeing her at our home church. Today, I got a phone call that a local church is doing their church budget and needs a copy of our budget by tomorrow evening since they would like to consider supporting us and their budget committee is meeting tomorrow evening regarding this. Thank God for this dilemma and the fact that Global Outreach is emailing another to us this afternoon.

"...Love, so amazing, so divine. Demands my soul, my life, my all. " - Oh, the wonderful cross, Chris Tomlin & Matt Redman.

Thought provoking for me, to say the least.

"Git-R-Done" Ministry Presentation - God style

A phone call, a calendar check and our next presentation is August 18 at 2:00 p.m. That easy. Somebody pinch me! Praise God!!! (Okay, time for the "Skippy Yippy" dance)! :)

Ministry Training-Presentations

Finally...cooler temperatures and less humidty. A northern transplant can only take so many 90+ degree days, you know! I was awakened this morning by the sounds of construction at 6 a.m. I guess that's the price you pay for growth as a new subdivision (200 homes) is going in behind our tiny neighborhood . I am working on some numbers for one of our supporters. She is actually the head of our sending team and she is finishing up a presentation that she will be doing to bring our church up-to-date on our ministry. Tomorrow morning we will attend the presentation of the Sims Family (Alan & Dana) from Honduras as they report back to one of their supporting churches in our area. This will be a training session for Ken & I. While we have done our own presentations, we have not had the opportunity to hear too many other missionaries presentations in the past couple of years and in particular, a presentation where you do a "report back". I am sure there will be something we can glean from their experience. It is always encouraging to hear what God is doing in other countries and through other people. After the service we've been invited to a barbeque to get a chance to visit with Alan & Dana and their six children. We're looking forward to that as well!

"Support" in more ways than one!

Today, someone who works with Ken let him know that they sent in our prayer card to Global Outreach and would be supporting us monthly. I received an email today from a friend who was sharing her thoughts on some of my previous posts. Her words were really encouraging and as usual, she has a gift for throwing in a little humor along the way! Monday night Ken did a side job after work. He came home with a check from the homeowner's made out to Global Outreach. While this was a one-time donation and not for monthly support, I have to say, that it was me when we worked out the final budget numbers who thought there was no way we would ever be able to raise the funds for our outgoing expenses. To date, we have raised more than half of the total amount needed. It is amazing to me how God continues to send us tidbits of encouragement and how He knows exactly what we need and when we need it! Tonight we were also able to finalize the date for our next small-group presentation. We'll be doing one in two weeks on Friday, August 3rd, in the home of one of our supporters for their family and friends. God is good!

#1

We had a relaxed, abbreviated one-on-one presentation last night. Ah, practice makes perfect, they say, though we are hardly aiming for exact perfection here. In the process, that one person became a supporter! "Skippy Yippy", I shout! That's Danielle's saying when she is squealing with excitement over something grand! You know, Jesus would have went to the cross for one person. We did a presentation for one person last night and we'd go to Costa Rica for the opportunity to share with just one person too!

Ministry Ramblings

Lately, there has been much talk about supporting "Ken & Sherri Dundon, the missionaries". Today, I find myself struggling with my own identity. I'm not any different than most people, really. People, just like me, have "callings" to do things either in the business world or through other ministries altogether. I feel like sometimes people have elevated me to something that I can't possibly live up too. I am human and I am still "in process" with regard to my Christian walk. I make mistakes. I say things I shouldn't, hurt people I don't intend to, don't spend enough time with God when I am sometimes busy. It irks me to death that the one person I am trying to be obedient to and serve is often the person who gets my attention at the end of the day when I have the least to offer, though this is happening less and less. I think that's why it is so important to me that people take us out of the equation with fundraising. Our ministry is not about us! It's about what God is doing in us and through us. Giving to missions isn't even really giving to us! The bigger picture is that you are being asked to be obedient to becoming partners with us in God's work in Costa Rica. The ministry there is His, not ours! In essence, we are fundraising for God! Tonight, we have another presentation. I don't know how many people are coming. I do know this! Today, as I make the last preparations my heart is calling out to God, screaming really, "Father, strip me down! Allow me, by your grace and your mercy to bring you honor and glory in all that I say. Just as your Son came with no reputation, allow those who attend to see that we are nothing without YOU". He does not need any of us, but He allows us to join Him for His purposes.

3 John 1:5&8 "Dear friend, you are doing a good work for God in taking care of the traveling teachers and missionaries who are passing through. So we ourselves should take care of them in order that we may become partners with them in the Lord's work".

Presentation

We are in the midst of preparing for a presentation. It will be this Sunday evening at 7 p.m. in the home of one of our supporters from our church. They have extended an invitation to a network of their family and friends to come into their home and hear more about our ministy. Please keep this in your prayers for us. Okay, back to preparing...Adios!

Maybe I am not a "weirdie"?

I've been doing some reading! I hope to finish up the last chapter of Neal Pirolo's book, "Serving as Senders" in the next two days. Then, I've decided that I will read it again. It had so much in it, I just want to make sure I didn't miss anything the first time around (which I'm sure I probably did). It's a book about missionaries and covers the topics of how to care for them as they prepare to go, while they are on the field and when they return home. We have a "team" of supporters in our church reading this along with us. We have some extra copies, so if you attend our church and this book might interest you, just let us know. I've learned that I'm not totally insane! (maybe a little, just not totally). I'm glad to know some of the things we've been feeling over the last year and a half are "normal". I also found a devotional book that I have been trying to put my hands on for a year now! Amber actually enticed me with it on our long drive up to Buffalo, NY last year in June for Global's Missions Conference. It's "Voices of the Faithful", devotionals written by missionaries as they are serving from the field. Beth Moore also has some writings in it, chapter openers. It's a really good devotional book! Hard to find, but well worth the wait. So, I've been reading along in that too. We have another presentation coming up and so we continue to prepare for that. We're continuing to look for monthly supporters to be able to go to Costa Rica! Send me an email if you are interested. "And how shall they (go) preach except they are sent"? Romans 10:15

Homesick Missionary!

Well, in her words, "given the chance to come home today, I'd be on my way"...Danielle. She's quite the "home-body" and she misses her cat, Beau. She misses her bed and her "baby brother", Jordan. To put things in perspective, she called this afternoon, and when I answered the phone I heard, "Can I please speak to Jordan"? No, "hi Mom", no "how are you", JUST "can I speak to Jordan"? Humph! It's okay. Today, is actually their last day of work. Tomorrow is white water rafting (that should be fun to hear about since none of us have ever done this before). Friday is another free-day (insert eyeball roll). Okay, I need to put this in here for any of you reading this - in Costa Rica we don't do mission trips like this! We attempt to get as much work out of you as possible! Bwahahahaha! Alright, we do some sightseeing! Heather sounded good too! Keep 'em in your prayers, please.

Missions at Home

Danielle called home at lunch today and she and Heather got to Tennesee safely with the rest of the youth group for which we are most thankful! They were on their "lunch break" and had built a shed. After lunch they planned on returning to the construction site to paint the shed. They seemed in good spirits. This is Heather's first missions trip and she was really talkative about "missions" and building things, and a sense of feeling like she was helping someone else in some way. I miss my girls!

Phone calls, Preparations and Projects - Costa Rica

We have brought the ambulance to our home and now the fun begins! We've been on the phone with Global Outreach and emailing back and forth information to Dr. Wilson on the make, model, VIN, etc. so that beginning preparations can be made to get it to Costa Rica and for him to receive it. We are still waiting on the Title and need to gather the donated medical supplies and get them packed in the ambulance. I think we will miss the ambulance when it is time to ship it out! In some way it allows us to feel "connected" to the ministries and our team down in Costa Rica while we wait here to be able to go. For the record, don't think we haven't thought about just packing ourselves! ::evil grin:: We have an upcoming presentation to do to a small-group and so we begin the preparations for that. Then there's the list of "projects" around the house, big and small, that need to be tended too. God is continuing to open doors for us to share about our ministry and so we need to begin some preparations on the homefront to go to Costa Rica! It would be suicidal for us to leave everything to do until the last minute. Besides, if we get started on some of them now, we will get to enjoy them before we leave! For example, the ditch that lines our property. It is filled with standing water and we dug it out two years ago by hand with shovels. Excellent preparation for the mission field, I might add, as it took for ever! You could say, "It was done on Tico time". Parts of the ditch are always wet, it always has to be weed whacked and it is a long ditch and unsightly. Next weekend we will have a Bob-Cat and stone delivered to begin cleaning out the ditch. Last summer we bought outdoor paint to paint the handrails, spokes of our porches and also around our vinyl replacement windows. Like every other "busy" family we never got to lift a paintbrush, but I will begin that next weekend. When the trim around the windows is done being painted Ken will wrap the windows in vinyl. We've also been doing some much needed cleaning of closets in bedrooms and I now have a "mound" of "Mom, these don't fit" clothes on my livingroom floor folded neatly in front of the loveseat. I need to go through these and pack them in boxes to cart off to Good Will tomorrow (clothes didn't sell well at our fall garage sale even though they had been washed and we only had items in excellent condition for sale). But before any of this work begins, this weekend Greg Laurie is in Raleigh and tonight he kicks off "The Harvest Crusade". We'll attend the the pre-crusade concerts; tonight Andre Crouch and The David Crowder Band! Tomorrow night, Toby Mac (you read it here first folks, Ken LOVES him some Toby) and Sunday Third Day. We'll be there as a family and we'll be praying Greg through as he brings the message of Jesus Christ to our city! Our prayer is that many will come to know Him as their personal Lord and Savior this weekend!

The blessing of an ambulance

It's been a long week and in my excitement over how much money was raised, I totally forgot to post a picture of the ambulance! By the way, this is the first thing on this blog that I have figured out all by myself! How to post a picture, that is. Where there's a will, there's a two-hour period of frustration and a way! But, I thought it was that important for ya'll to see what God did this week through our church family!

Ministering to Costa Rica

The final amount of money raised this week was $2,729.74! "God ALWAYS pays for what He orders" is what my friend, Jeff Burns reminded me of in an email today! We are grateful to all who participated in donating funds/supplies for the ambulance. This ambulance will go a very long way in meeting the physical/spiritual needs of the people of Costa Rica. Thank you so much!

Overwhelmed!

I can't share with you yet the total amounts of what the kids brought in with a little help from some "friends" for the ambulance because that will all be revealed tomorrow night and the kids don't know yet. I can tell you that it is amazing! I can't tell you who brought in more money (the boys or the girls) because I wasn't told, but what I was told is that it is very close! Tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. I have an interview at the church with the newspaper regarding the shipment of the ambulance to Costa Rica. The article along with a picture of the ambulance in front of the church should be in the Benson News in Review next week! It has been a really exciting week. Stay tuned for an update tomorrow evening!

Ministry and it's blessings!

I don't even hardly know where to begin. I'll start at the top. We needed to raise $600.00 for the shipping costs of the ambulance to Costa Rica. Last night, after three nights of VBS, the kids (along with some "kids at heart") have raised over $800.00. We have surpassed our goal! Dr. Wilson and Global Outreach Mission on the other hand, have to raise $2,500.00 for Dr. Wilson to be able to "receive" the ambulance at port in Costa Rica for taxes and customs, etc. Anything that is brought in now will help to off-set the amount of money they need to raise! On the first night of VBS someone donated a motorized wheelchair to be packed in the ambulance! Last night a paramedic in the church confirmed that he got a hold of his medical supply company and donations of gauze, bandages, etc. are on their way to be put in the cupboards of the ambulance. We prayed over prayer bears, hand stuffed by children for another child in Costa Rica with a small slip of paper tucked in it's pocket. I read one of the slips last night, "To my friend, from your friend, Anna. Jesus Loves You". Simple words from a child, but a life-saving message! I was able to share with the kids last night about Dr. Wilson and show them some slides of his ministry. I was reminded again of how much we have here in the U.S. The ability to call 9-1-1 and have an ambulance respond to your emergency with trained workers. The ease with which an ambulance can rush us off to a local hospital in an emergency and we can receive treatment whether we have medical insurance or not. I was overcome by emotion, but so were some other adults. We are so blessed here in the United States! I am blessed to be "allowed" to have a part in this project. Blessed with so much more than I deserve!

Ministry Weaving!

I am sorry about the lack of posts as of late. I did fall victim to the stomach bug over the Memorial Day weekend along with every other member of our family. We had it bad here for about four days! We are all better now, but then I was unable to sign on to our blog this past week as I guess they were having some technical difficulties. Actually, we also had a banner across the top of our blog for "objectionable material" (insert eyeball roll here and me rolling on the floor laughing). I guess they have now worked out their quirks! Beware: This will probably be a long post!

It is amazing to us how God often times "weaves" ministries together for His purposes! We have had the opportunity the last couple of weeks to get to know a little more about Jeff Burns and his ministry, The "JAMES" project. Yesterday, Ken finally got the opportunity to meet Jeff in person (much to my disappointment that I had to stay home) when he drove outside of Ashville to pick up the refurbished ambulance. The James Project stands for JESUS Ambulance & Medical Equipment Service. This ministry was founded by Jeff and Faith Fellowship Church of Newdale, NC. The "JAMES" project mission is to provide EMS and rescue equipment and training to communities mainly, not limited to third world countries and developing nations. Currently, there are ambulances in Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador and 34 other places because of this ministry. They have been working on five ambulances simultaneously for Global Outreach-Team Costa Rica, Nicaragua, India, Thailand & The Congo. If you would like to read more about Jeff and his ministry, please go to his web site at www.thejamesproject.info. Thank you Jeff Burns and Faith Fellowship Church for helping Dr. Wilson and Global Outreach Mission continue to help meet the medical needs of the people of Costa Rica! We appreciate you partnering with us!

Well, the ambulance is now over at our home church, Hickory Grove, and our Vacation Bible School Program begins this evening. Hickory Grove is partnering with Global Outreach Mission through it's Vacation Bible School offering to raise the necessary funds to ship the ambulance to Costa Rica! We also have some paramedics and EMT's in our church looking into finding donations for medical supplies, i.e. gauze, medical tape, bandages and the like to fill the cupboards of the ambulance. The children will be sewing Prayer Bears, one for themselves and one for a child at the Camp in Costa Rica that will be packed on the ambulance to get to Nathan & Amber for distribution. The Youth, not to be outdone by the children, will be making fleece throws, to be packed in the ambulance for Youth who come to the Camp. For Ken & I and our family it is very humbling to see a church body, children, youth and adults alike, get excited about something that is so near and dear to our hearts! Most importantly, it is exciting to be a part of a church body who is concerned about the "nations". Please keep this project in your prayers!

Well, some of you have been asking in person or sending emails regarding our monthly support. I called Global's office in Buffalo on Thursday to find out how things are progressing. Right now, the office has not received any new supporters, but it is important to note that the last presentations that we did were just over the Mother's Day weekend in May. It may take some more time for people to respond. So we currently remain at 33% pledged of our monthly support. We want you to know that in the last two weeks there has been a "movement" so to speak, of some of our regular supporters to put together some small-group presentations for us in their homes inviting their friends and family. This is an answer to prayer! On a side note, we need to raise $25,000.00 in outgoing expenses (airline tickets, health insurance, rent in Costa Rica, household goods, etc.) Our report did show that we have already raised half of that amount and it is sitting in our account. Praise the Lord! In my devotional time, God has reminded me that sometimes we are asked to go through tests of our faith. Our prayer in all of this is that we will remain faithful. Faithful to trust, faithful to patience.

With traveling up north and then coming home and getting sickl, I totally missed getting our May newsletter completed. So, our newsletter will be a May-June combo and I hope to complete that this week. Look for that in your email box or snail mailbox soon!

Thank you to all of those who check in our blog even when we have no new posts. There are many who return every couple of days to see if there is an update. Thank you for praying for our family, for our calling and for those who support us financially we thank you in joining with us, partnering and becoming part of our team in serving the country of Costa Rica!

God bless, Sherri

Down TIme!

Sorry for the recent lapse in posts. We've been busy since we got back from our trip up North getting right back into school, work, EOG's and the beginning of end of school year kind of stuff. I'd have to say we've also just been feeling kind of drained physically lately. I've tried to sit down a couple of times over the past week and "do a post", and to write our May newsletter, but I've felt like my brain is fried. We even stayed home from our church camp gathering this long holiday weekend to get some rest. Most of all, we've been frustrated with the feeling like our family has been "scattered" over this past month. We all decided to stay home and "regroup". Now, half of us have the stomach bug. Ken and Kyle started throwing up at 3 a.m. this morning. Jordan was sick Thursday night into Saturday. There were some highlights to the weekend though, the silver lining. Ken got the kids a 5-man tent and they all slept outside on Saturday night after a family bon fire complete with smores and a game of hide-n-seek in the dark. I tell ya, Heather is hard to find. I finally got scared after looking for her a half an hour and told her she needed to come out. Who da' thought to look for her hiding standing up in the center of a Leland cyprus tree? Sunday we went to church and Ken's parents came over for steaks on the grill. The rest of Sunday was spent playing Parchessi (I won), fishing and the kids slept outside Sunday night. That's kind of a wrap up of the holiday weekend.

Many of you have asked how we felt our presentations went over the last two weeks. Our prayer is that we have brought honor and glory to God! It isn't about us, but about Him, and what He has done in our lives. We are most grateful for every time that we get to share! It will be weeks before we know if any more support has come in from these presentations. We continue to operate in "prayer mode". And the amazing thing is that we always seem to come away feeling like we've received more than we've given. The encouragement the last couple of weeks has been needed and so appreciated! Again and again, we thank you for partnering with us in our endeavor to get to Costa Rica. May God continue to bless you in return for blessing us!

God has no time for pity parties!

For a moment this morning I thought about Renee and how she would always call all of her family members and sing a special birthday song that we "expected" to hear every year. At her funeral we found out that almost every one that she knew was getting the same phone call every year on their birthdays too! It was said "if Renee met you once and she found out your birth date, you were guaranteed a song". Some family members have this song recorded on their cell phones and someone even recorded it off their cell phone into a Build-A-Bear for Renee's granddaughter on her first birthday in April. It is that priceless! Well, today is my birthday (Sherri). I didn't expect to hear anyone call and sing Happy Birthday to me today. I was wrong! Three people have already called today with three different renditions of the birthday song. A style all their own! Two, are priceless recordings on my answering machine. My God cared about a simple song. He knew it would bless me in a BIG way!

Ministry Blessings!

We arrived home safely last night at 10 p.m. Thank you to all of those who prayed for us during our whirlwind trip to Syracuse! I felt that we were "prepared" for the three presentations that we did, but we never seem to be prepared for the blessing that we receive in return. It's like that A LOT in missions work! We were surrounded Friday night in our small-group presentation by people that had "brought us up" in our home church, Youth leaders, Worship leaders, friends and family. It was heart warming to see them teary-eyed as we shared about our "passion" to serve God in Costa Rica. There were 15 in attendance. On Saturday we spent the day with Ken's younger sister and her family. We received a "surprise" visit from Ken's niece and her beautiful children. She is Renee's daughter (Renee is Ken's sister who just passed away in March) and it meant so much to us that she would travel an hour and a half to come see us with her small children. She is a real trooper and a blessing to us! On Sunday morning we went to my sister's church. We did a small-group presentation to 20+ people there during the Sunday School hour while Danielle did a simultaneous presentation to about 8 Youth. We then did a very short, about 15 minute presentation in the Worship Service. We were blessed by the warmth with which we were received at Scipio Center Community Church. We immediately felt like we were part of "their family". I know for sure that they share a kindred spirit for missions in their church and for reaching the lost with the Good News of Jesus Christ. I hope we can visit this church again. We left there excited, feeling as though the Lord was at work amongst them! Kind of like a feeling that you want to "stick around" because you feel like you're going to miss something exciting happen! On the way home yesterday we got to see Ken's older brother meeting up with him for lunch. That was a lot of fun! Well, today it's back to work, laundry, school, but also more preparation. This Sunday evening we have another small group presentation to do at 7 p.m. While we are tired from traveling, we are still excited! Excited to be able to share what the Lord is already doing in Costa Rica and how others might be involved in the ministry there. Keep us in your prayers! God bless you all!

I've been tagged!

Okay, I'm sitting here a little bleery-eyed this morning. I just woke up and checked my email because that's how my medical records come to me to transcribe. Low and behold, an email from my good buddy Nathan Babcock, name ring a bell with you? He's part of our missions team in Costa Rica. I had other emails, but his and Amber's always take priority! He has blog tagged me! So, here's the rules:

Each player starts with eight random facts or habits about him or herself.
People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
At the beginning of your blog, mention the person who tagged you. At the end of your post, choose eight people to tag, listing their names.
Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Here's the eight gorey details!

1. I (Sherri) won Most Valuable Player my senior year of high school in soccer setting a school record as goalie for most shut-outs.
2. Our family's favorite card game is "Hearts" and one of our daughters, who is very competitive, wants to make sure Nathan knows how to play. Why...I asked? And I quote, "I want to clean his clock in Costa Rica". The name of this child shall remain a secret!
3. I can't stand, I mean, CANNOT STAND, to have my pillow fluffed. I'm neurotic about it and Ken does it just to irritate me sometimes! LOL!
4. I do not bite my fingernails, but I am obsessive-compulsive about cutting them. Okay, I type medical records for a living. I can type faster when my nails are short.
5. We all love Mexican food, but Jordan, who is 6, along with Ken, can eat it very spicy.
6. In my free time, which I don't have a whole lot of, but here and there I enjoy making homemade cards. Rubber stamps are my weapon!
7. Ken & I both graduated from Christian high schools, who are rivals! We never attend Homecoming because those two schools play against each other on that day (soccer). I mean, how do you explain that to your children? Mom on one side of the field, Dad on the other? Dirty looks, you know, the whole rivalry thing! It's ugly!
8. We've lived in N.C. for ten years this month, but have never really left our hometown sports team and adopted Duke or Carolina (much to Nathan's dismay) as our own. Long live the Syracuse Orangemen!

Okay, I know no one else who has a blog. So I now have no one to pass this tag game on too.

"Pumped" for ministry presentations!

We are SO PUMPED!! We get really excited when we have the opportunity to share about the ministries of El Jardin and how we believe God is calling us to serve in Costa Rica. In fact, minimal caffeine will be needed to keep us going this week! Friday night we will be at our home church in Syracuse, New York combining my brother's small-group with my sister's small-group and doing a presentation there. On Saturday, we will spend some time with Ken's sister and brother. Sunday, we will attend my brother-in-law's church and do a small-group presentation there in the morning during the Sunday School hour. Danielle will be doing a separate presentation from us to the Youth since she went to Costa Rica herself last summer. We will then do about a 15-minute presentation during the worship service. We will begin traveling home on Monday morning. I told our Youth Group last night at their meeting, "Here's your opportunity! If you have ever wanted us out of this church this would be a good time to pray us out"!! We all laughed. Seriously though, we can't emphasize how much we need YOUR PRAYERS during this week as we prepare, as we travel, as we speak! And don't forget to pray for Heather and Kyle as they stay home in N.C. with Grandma & Grandpa (course, Grandma & Grandpa might be the ones who really need the prayer, just kiddin'). In all that we say and do may God our Father receive honor and glory! We KNOW you've got our backs! Thank-you!

Presentation Update/Prayer Request

Our Saturday night presentation was cancelled for the second time with a closed door for rescheduling, and while we are disappointed we still believe that God is in control! I can't say that we fully understand what His plans are for us and there are days we sure wish we knew, but we do have peace! Peace that He knows what His purpose is for our family in all of this and peace that He knows what is best for El Jardin! We will travel up North in about a week and a half to do a church presentation (Sherri's first Mother's Day with her Mom in ten years! She's very excited) and a small group presentation, and then we have two more small group presentations to do down here in North Carolina, one in May, one in June. We don't know what we will do from there as we will be at the end of our contact list. So, just continue to keep us in your prayers as we wait and know that we put our trust in Him! We believe that He knows exactly who He would like to be involved in this ministry with us! Our only desire is to be obedient to His will for us! "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose". Rom. 8:28. Thanks for praying!

Worry looks around. Sorry looks back. Faith looks up!

Presentations!

We've got some presentations coming up and could really use everyone's prayers as we prepare! The first is 4/28. We have four coming up in May and then one in June (I'll post those dates when they get a little closer). That's six in total and we are most T*H*A*N*K*F*U*L!!!

Revive Me, Oh Lord!

"Someone had once asked the British evangelist Gipsy Smith how to start a revival. "He replied, If you want to start a revival, go home and get a piece of chalk. Go inside your closet and draw a circle on the floor. Kneel down in the middle of the circle and ask God to start a revival inside the chalk mark".

April Ministry Newsletter

We just completed the April Newsletter, so those of you who receive it my snail mail should be receving it this week. If you are not subscribed to our newsletter updates and would like to be, subscribe in the box to the right of these posts and we will be sure and it get to you!

The newsletter has our updated prayer requests, usually some personal thoughts on how God is working in our lives and news from the field of Costa Rica. It is always exciting to write about how God is at work down at the camp since Nathan & Amber have started ministering there. We really want to be down there working alongside them. Until then, we wait and we trust!

May God's blessings surround you!

Easter Services and it's tie-in to ministry

Easter Sunday service was, I don't know how to even describe it. It was just awesome! The music was top-notch! The message was exciting! Ironically, if anyone sat by me they probably thought, what in the world?!? But, just the word "death" or "funeral" gets me a little teary-eyed these days. However, when you add the word "Hope" in there I get really emotional and I almost had to leave the service yesterday. Phew...people next to me probably thought the flood was coming Again! A lot of thoughts crossed my mind during the service, like, How many will perish because they never heard? How do people in these times make it through their day and not know there is a Hope for this day, for tomorrow and for their future? It boggles my mind, really. It saddens me and wrenches at my heart. But at the same time it makes me want to shout in celebration! Our service ended in a round of applause to God, the Father who did send His Son, who rose again, so that we may have Hope of His coming again! I hope you were blessed too in the reminder that one day He will return!

Ministry Update - Prayer Requests

"Issues"! I apologize for not posting sooner this week, but I suppose that Blogger has been having some issues since I haven't been able to get into our account.

Ministry Update: Sadly, we did not pick up any new supporters in February or March. Our March small-group presentation had to be postponed until April 28th. We still have three presentations to do up North, but are thinking about doing that when we have to go up for Global's Missions Conference in June. With all the traveling that we recently did for Renee's illness/funeral we find ourselves somewhat depleted physically to feel like we can turn around and go right up there again at this time. Time to write a new support letter to go out through Global, but I have to be honest, I don't quite know what else to say in these letters. So...please keep us in your prayers as we continue to wait and seek for answers and direction. God bless!

A little gift or reminder from God

I've been feeling like the weekend would never get here! It's been a long week. Heather has had strep throat. Kyle has had pink eye. I have some things in my mind that are kind of "hanging over my head" with regard to missions work. Just when I feel a little "weary", God sends some "energy" my way! 13th Floor came to the Grove last night! Probably no one knows this except Ken and the kids...my dream has always been to go to Africa! Now you know it too! I've always had a desire to visit the Sudan and minister to the children there. I feel like I at least went to Africa last night in worship and spirit. Just a little God gift! African music reminded me of the Costa Rican music, very upbeat! Someone said to me last night, "I know you were all into this tonight"! Actually though, I love old traditional hymns, contemporary worship, bluegrass, gospel. For me, it's not so much about the music or the style. It's about the words written. Last night they did have worship music. We sang the song, "Here I am to Worship". These words, "..and I'll never know how much it cost, to see my sins upon the cross"...moved me to tears. Can we ever really comprehend the cost that was paid for us? The love of a Father to give His only Son. The agony suffered by His child, as He watched. My mind can't grasp it.

Ministering to Costa Rica - US side

Mission: Ambulance to Costa Rica! We got a phone call from Global Outreach on Thursday with an unusual request for help. (It made us laugh that they would call us, considering we are always calling them needing answers to questions). Apparently our friend, Dr. G in Costa Rica, who is also a missionary with Global Outreach and on our team there, also a Costa Rican native, has been given an ambulance as a gift! The ambulance is located in North Carolina and we live in North Carolina! We were asked if we would be willing to get the ambulance to Port to be shipped down to Costa Rica. Our initial response was of course, whatever we could do to help we would be more than willing to do! But then, after just a few minutes of thought, the enormity of what we just agreed to do set in! So, we began to pray as we had many more questions than answers! Through the help of a friend at church we have been able to find out more information about which Port to ship the ambulance out of here in North Carolina. Someone else has offered to help us in a big way to transport the ambulance to the Port. What I forgot to mention about Dr. G is that not only does he oversee the medical clinics that the teams do in Costa Rica, but he is also a first-responder to disasters in Costa Rica. An ambulance will go a very long way in serving the people of Costa Rica! God is amazing!

Thank You - Prayer Requests

Thank You!!!
It's hard to know where to begin. Thank you to our Hickory Grove family & Pastor Bob, Sherri's family in New York for housing, food and laughter, friends, neighbors, our prayer support team and everyone else who has remembered us this past week. The love and support that you have shown to us has been overwhelming! Most importantly, we know that you prayed us through!

We arrived home safely on Sunday evening feeling like storm chasers, but not driving into the storm, fleeing the storm! The city where Renee's memorial service was received at least 12" of snow while we were there (it never fails) and we are glad to be home and praising God for green grass and dry pavement!

Prayer Requests
We have a small-group presentation this Saturday evening in the home of some dear friends in Princeton, N.C. The last week and a half has put us a little bit behind in our preparations. Please pray that we will be able to clearly communicate our ministry needs.

We have three more presentations to do up in New York State and are praying at this time about logistics (vacation time, Global's missions conference) are factors in our determining when we can return to do these. Please ask the Lord to show us His perfect timing.

May God continue to bless each of you!

Happy Trails

I'm posting from New York. We arrived safely last night and had an easy trip, not much traffic and no accidents/delays. Danielle was a big help with sharing the driving duties (she helped drive her grandparents vehicle). It is cold...brrr...and a significant snowfall is forecasted for Friday into Saturday. If the conditions get too bad we will head out right after Renee's memorial service on Saturday, getting three to four hours south of here and spending the night. It will make our Sunday ride home a little shorter and probably a little safer if we do get the bad weather since we have not driven on snow covered roads in almost ten years! Thank you to all of you who have been praying for our trip up here. It's good to be with family during this time.

Christianity

"The only thing Christianity can not be...is moderately important." C.S. Lewis

Ministry Needs for serving in Costa Rica

Ministry Update
Right now we have two very specific needs and each is equally as important. We need people to come alongside of us and commit to praying for us, regularly! You see, it's not like we feel we are necessarily fully equipped to be missionaries, but we know we feel called, and so we believe that God will do the equipping! We will update you through this blog and a newsletter that we hope to soon launch on things to pray for. We'd also like to pray for you too, so if you have a need that we can join you in praying over, please let us know.

Those who would commit to supporting the ministry financially with monthly support. In December we were at 28% of our monthly support. We are happy to report that we are at a solid 33% now, but we still have a long way to go. In September we launched our "131 x 30" campaign asking people to join our "team" by committing to support us in the amount of $30/month. Some have been able to give more, but with a lot of people doing a little, we are now in a "97 x 30" campaign, to God be the Glory! We still need to raise $2,935 a month in support. We believe that God wants others to be involved in this ministry by sending us to Costa Rica with an entire "team" of supporters!

Would you consider "joining us" on the mission field, becoming our teammates in Costa Rica by supporting us each month? You can join the El Jardin Team by informing Global Outreach Mission that you would like to support us. The address is Global Outreach Mission, PO Box 2010, Buffalo, NY 14231-2010. Please specify on your check or an attached piece of paper that the funds are for "Ken & Sherri Dundon". Global's web site is: www.missiongo.org

God is "at work" in Costa Rica!

Waiting on God

Waiting...it can be painful, frustrating and discouraging. They say that this is the hardest time for a missionary doing this support raising thing. It is during this time of waiting that many give up. I wish I could say I haven't thought about it (Sherri typing). The amazing thing, the very few times the thought has even entered my mind, we receive word that someone else has decided to support us! Even more encouraging than that has been the way that God has met with me, just right where I am at! Last week in particular there was one really ugly day. Let me spell it out for you, I do mean, U-G-L-Y. Ever have one of those days? Please, someone tell me I am not alone! You're like a two-year-old, hands on hips and you want an answer...NOW (and you throw in a little stomp of the foot)! God met me right where I was that day, as pitiful as it was. After He did some gentle disciplining, the next day He sent two friends to encourage me! Looking back over this past year, I wouldn't change the waiting. It has been during this time that I have been forced to trust God more, pray harder and dig deeper into His word! When things go well, I tend to depend on God less, I've realized. Sometimes God allows us to wait so He can spend time preparing. James 1:2, 4 says, "is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete". I'm willing to wait, Lord!

Missionary Ministry Links in Costa Rica

FYI: If you look at the "Links" on this page, right hand corner, the one labeled Mission: Costa Rica is Nathan & Amber Babcock's blog. They came up from Charleston, S.C. on the Sunday that we did our first presentation at the "Grove". Their blog is now written from Costa Rica! They were able to leave in September having raised their full support. You can read all about what's been going on down there in the past few months since they've arrived...it will bless you!

Seeking Support

This past week has been a week of "contacts". As we've gone through our days, God has used friends and some of our supporters to let us know of some local churches where they specifically have contacts with the Pastor, and would like for us to send a letter about our ministry. Some have even gone before us and spoken to their Pastor directly on our behalf. Yesterday afternoon I pulled out the two sheets of "notes" that I had taken all week in conversations with these friends and supporters. I sat at our kitchen table and stuffed envelopes with a letter, the Global Outreach brochure and our prayer card. As I sealed the first envelope and placed on the postage stamp, I felt a sense of urgency to pray for the "church". And so I continued in that fashion, as soon as the postage stamp was placed, praying for that individual church until each envelope was complete. What started off as a seemingly mundane task, evolved into a time of asking God to work in the churches that were receiving the letters, not just on our behalf and for our ministry, but in His behalf; begging God to bless, to heal, to grow these churches. Again, I am reminded of my short comings. I pray for our church, but I cannot remember the last time I prayed for Garner ACC. Well, you get the picture and the point that God made. Would you join me in praying for these local churches where the Gospel is spoken? God knows their names. 14 letters are going out in the mail this morning. These churches, Gospel preaching churches, need our prayers to have an impact within their congregations and on our county!

Preparing for Service

John 3:30 - "He must increase, but I must decrease". This is the verse that inspired the title of our blog. It is an intimate prayer of ours. That we would daily "die" to ourselves so that more can be seen of Him in us!

Why a blog? This blog was created with the hope of keeping our family, friends and supporters informed as we endeavor to reach the mission field of Costa Rica. It is here that we hope to share with you our missionary journey and I can promise you this, it will come with typo's! :)