Empty Hands and Full Hearts

We love and sincerely appreciate all of you whom the Lord has used to encourage, pray, and physically lend a hand, as well as those of you who have been able to partner with us through giving. The past year is a blur of decisions and transitions but God is faithful and many of you played a part. We thank you all for your love, friendship and support!  

The sale of our home is final. Our earthly goods have been whittled down to fit into 20 plastic luggage trunks and a few sentimental totes for U.S. storage.  We have experienced the Lord providing in so many ways.  We had so much to do the month of July as we worked to sell everything we could.  Then, on Saturday the 22^nd, we held a moving sale at our house. We'd already sold most of our big items: TV's, dining table and chairs, etc. but we still had a ton of items that needed a good home. Our neighborhood was out in the country about twenty minutes from town. In the past, when we've tried to have a yard sale on our own (without it being a community yard sale) we had only maybe one or two customers the entire morning. So this time, with a garage and driveway full of stuff, we prayed and asked the Lord to bring people.  Well, the entire morning, we had constant traffic!  There were more people than we’ve had during community events in the past. We sold tons of stuff and probably gave away just as much. Several of our friends came to help with customers and we know that we could not have done it without them. At the end of the moving sale, the remaining items fit in the back of one pickup truck! A team of volunteers from Faith came and helped by taking them off to goodwill. This whole event was undeniably God’s provision. 

We are also amazed at the way the Lord has been working through this process. We had many people in our home as they came to buy our stuff, and we were able to pray with them and share with them the good news of Jesus Christ.  It was such a joy to be able to pause in the middle of all this craziness and do what we were created to do!  Each encounter refreshed our soul as we were reminded of the greatness of our God and the mercy and grace we have through Jesus.  We pray that the seeds that were planted will have a ripple effect into eternity.

In a way, we feel like the Israelites in Joshua 3 as they stood on the banks of the Jordan River, about to cross over, following the presence of God into the great unknown.  With His strength and perfect provision along the way we have made the preparations necessary to cross over, and He has prepared and is preparing our hearts for what is to come. We go with our expectations, but we hold our plans loosely because we know He has His best in store for us. We go because we want to obey the Master. Please pray that we follow the presence of the Lord faithfully and diligently do the work he has called us to.  We have our plane tickets to fly out as a family on August 13^th, just a little over a week away.  Full-time language school is our first order of business, so we ask that you join us in praying that God will give us the ability to learn the language quickly.

We have emptied our hands but we have full hearts. We have exchanged building our kingdom for proclaiming His Kingdom. We are learning to value relationships more. We are bowing our heads lower, bending our knees more than ever, learning to obey each step of the way.  And even though the impending circumstances seem scary as they are full of unknowns, our joy is full. Our God is faithful and we are secure because He is with us.

“Who do I have in heaven but you? And I desire nothing on earth but you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever. Those far from you will certainly perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, God’s presence is my good. I have made the Lord God my refuge, so I can tell about all you do.”

Psalms 73:25-28 CSB

Almost Go Time!

Praise the Lord! He has provided a buyer for our house. Not only did He provide a buyer, but He gave us a buyer who loves the Lord. We have been praying as a family that whoever moves into our home will share the gospel right here in this neighborhood. We give thanks and praise to God because we believe He has brought a family who will proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to the neighbors that we have grown to love and care about deeply. He always gives more than we can ask or imagine!

Change of Career: Friday, June 30^th was Joseph's last day as an Industrial Sales Representative for Tnemec Coatings Company and today, Monday June 3^rd begins our new full-time ambition of taking the gospel to the nations.

“Go” time: We close on our house July 28^th which means we have some work to do. Each day from here on out will be filled with planning, packing, and shipping. Hmm…what to do with all this stuff?! This also moves our date of departure for Guatemala to August 15^th.

Brief Financial Update:   Currently we are at 83% of our monthly support goal and seeking more prayer and financial partners through churches and individuals. If you would like to partner with us, please see the partnership letter and support form to the right of your screen (on the desktop site).

Please understand that the ministry we will do does not cost very much so we do not expect to be regularly asking for additional financial support. However, we do have some immediate needs above our monthly living expenses.

• Language School Tuition: $4,300

• Family Vehicle in Guatemala: $15,000

• Shipping Household Items: $6,000 (Kitchen, homeschool, personal items...)

We believe the Lord will accomplish His great work of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ throughout Guatemala and the world. We believe He is being gracious in allowing us to be a part of this work, and not only that, but that this is who He created us to be and what He created us to do.

Isaiah 9:7 tells us that it is God who is advancing His Kingdom:

      "The dominion will be vast,

      and its prosperity will never end.

      He will reign on the throne of David

      and over his kingdom,

      to establish and sustain it

      with justice and righteousness from now on and forever.

      The zeal of the LORD of Armies will accomplish this."

Please join with us in prayer as we strive for the advancement of the King’s Dominion.  Please also consider giving as we go. We are laying our needs before the Lord and trusting Him to provide through those who are led to do so. Please use the information on the right side of your screen, on your desktop, if you plan to make a contribution.  Words cannot express just how thankful we are for all of you!! 

Specific Prayer requests:

• For all the details and moving parts involved with preparing to move.

• For the Lord to continue preparing our hearts and the hearts of men and women in Guatemala to be ready and willing to share the gospel.

• For people of peace who will receive the minister and the message of the gospel as well as training to go and do the same.

• For our family to learn the language.

• That we will be wise in each step and decision we make along the way. We want to be faithful to follow the Lord’s direction one step at a time.

• That we would handle and budget wisely all the financial support we receive.

Striving to be Faithful to the Call

June 16, 2017

Can you imagine being in one of Paul’s many tough situations? I am reading the book of Acts to capture the stories of the spread of the gospel and the early church planting movement. I am amazed at how many times Paul, during some extremely rough conditions, is afforded the opportunity to proclaim the gospel. Many times, he has a plan that he cannot follow through with or things don’t quite work out the way he wants them to. I encourage you to read Acts and imagine how frustrating it must have been for him. Despite things not going his way, Paul remains determined to obey the great commission by proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and making disciples. He never claims that he’s too busy to obey. It’s who he is and what he does. He scatters gospel seed and trains new believers to do the same anywhere and everywhere.

So, our prayer as a family is that we will be obedient and persevere to be faithful to the call wherever we are and in whatever circumstance we are in.  We pray the same for you all too.  As we are in this transition we do not want to miss opportunities to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. We don’t know how the many details are going to work out, but we know the Lord is faithful and He is our reward. We know our joy is found in Christ and glorifying Him above all else.

Speaking of details, here is a neat story you may want to hear. We had an issue with our garage door opener and were faced with the decision between the cheap short-cut fix or the long-term fix which was much more expensive. Christy and I agreed that we couldn’t cheat the new home owner and honor the Lord at the same time. So, we selected the more expensive option. A few days later, Sunday June 11^th, we visited Malachi Chapel in Columbia, NC. We had a great time of fellowship with them and we were encouraged by them. They were so kind to take a love offering for us at the end of the service.  The amount of the offering was the exact amount we spent on the garage door repair!  The Lord used this to remind us that He's going to provide for our every need and He is able to handle every detail! As a family, we praise the Lord for showing Himself to be faithful as always!

An update on our financial support: Currently we are at 83% of our monthly support goal for two year financial commitments.  We are still seeking more prayer and financial partners through churches and individuals. If you would like to partner with us please see the partnership letter and support form to the right of your screen. We are also still raising support through one time gifts for our moving costs, purchase of a vehicle in Guatemala, and language school tuition.

Please join us in praying:

• For the sale of our home. We are praying for a departure date of July 17^th or that week which is only 4 weeks away!

• For all the details and moving parts involved with preparing to move.

• For the Lord to continue preparing our hearts and the hearts of men and women at VNG to be ready and willing to share the gospel.

• For fruit as we seek to faithfully point others to King Jesus.

• For our family to learn the language.

• That we will be wise in each step and decision we make along the way. We want to be faithful to follow the Lord’s direction one step at a time.

• That we would handle and budget wisely all the financial support we receive.

Thank you all for your prayers and support!

God's Provision in a Life-Shaking Season - from Joseph

April 24, 2017

As we approach our departure date for Guatemala, we are hit with the reality that time is moving fast and it seems that the things to do are more than time will allow. This Monday, May 1^st, we are putting our home on the market. We have let go of so many things that at one time had some value to us. However, now they just don’t seem important. Letting things go for the call to follow Jesus is getting easier and easier each step of the way. It is freeing.  We can’t believe how much stuff we have stored up over the years!  But now, we are no longer storing up things for this world and it actually feels like a relief to let it go!

We are overwhelmed at the way the Lord has continued to pour out His blessings in so many ways.  I don’t just mean the way He is providing for us financially.  We are also seeing Him work in the hearts of people around us and in our own hearts. For example, this past Monday, in one day the Lord provided three things we needed. Number one: I’ve been praying for months that the Lord would give us someone as a person of peace that would have a heart for the gospel in our neighborhood. I now have a man who is interested in learning more about the NoPlaceLeft vision and being a part of seeing the gospel spread in our neighborhood. Number 2: Through a friend in our Faith group, God gave us a lot of packing paper. When we recently met with the moving companies, they told us that we could save significant money by packing our own stuff for shipping. Number 3: I really wanted to get more NoPlaceLeft training before leaving, but all the level 3 opportunities are so far away. Well, The Lord provided plane tickets to a training in New Mexico through another Faith family. So, Jehova Jireh provides yet again.

People, paper and plane tickets. Our God has got this!  Down to the smallest detail!  And that is the secret to our rest during this incredibly busy, life-shaking season.  We have to keep working diligently to do all the things that need to be done, but we can rest knowing that it is God that will accomplish whatever He wants to accomplish with us.  He’s the One who will do it!    1 Thess. 5:24 “He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.”  And just like David said to Solomon when he was talking about the way God had called Solomon to the specific work of building the temple, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work.  Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you.  He will not fail you or forsake you.” (1 Chron. 28:20) Our God is faithful!! 

May 1, 2017 Update: So this happened today!

This past Sunday we had the opportunity to be a part of the message in our home church, Faith Baptist.  Our missions pastor, Ben McRoy, preached a short message and then called us up for an interview. We thought we would post this link to share with you what the Lord has been doing in our hearts as we prepare for Guatemala.  We were so blessed as we worked through the answers to these questions. We pray the Lord will also bless you through our journey in some way!

The March 19^th sermon is titled “Following the Exalted Savior”.  Our first interview begins at around the 11 minute mark and then we come on again around the 26 minute mark to answer a few more questions. Here is the link: http://faithnc.org/sermons/following-exalted-savior/?player=audio

We've also updated our Invitation to Partnership letter and our Support Form (in the column to the right).  Please check those out if you are interested in seeing where we are with our support.  Our God is faithful!!

January 21, 2017

I, Joseph, am en route back home to the US. These two weeks spent in Guatemala have been very beneficial. I spent the first week with a team of 19 North Americans and at least 15 translators from Central America doing campaigns with Good News In Action.  I was blessed to be able to share this experience with my brother, Scott, and another member of his church (New Covenant in Myrtle Beach) John Gallman, as they were able to join our team. We went into several different zones proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ where 260 people confessed Him as Lord for the first time. Please pray for wisdom and strength as the local church, Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva, now has the task of following up with these new believers. This particular week was full of surprises and exciting encounters. 

The super trooper team from Faith Baptist Church.  It took them 2 1/2 days of travel to get there and their luggage took another 3 days, but they worked hard and kept a great attitude through it all.

I will share briefly about two encounters...

One was Alex: He's 31 and a nurse. He was in the park hanging out with his buddies and blew me off the first time I approached to invite him to the festival. He came just a few minutes later as the gospel was being presented. He and his friends listened for a moment and then they left. I asked the Lord to move and then approached them. I asked them for just a moment of time and shared my story of how Jesus changed my life and gave me hope. The Spirit of God moved in their hearts and all four of those young men asked Jesus to be their king. Alex is wearing the white sweater in the picture below.

The second guy's name was also Alex. Alex is 32 years old. He was playing soccer with younger guys in the neighborhood. When I asked him for a moment of his time, he was more than happy to chat for a while. We talked for about 30 minutes or so. He said he already had a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ but he didn't always feel like he was right with God. We encouraged him, prayed with him and challenged him to spend time in the word and get plugged into the church. He asked for Javier from Vida Nueva to reach out to him for sound teaching and further encouragement.  Alex is the guy in the middle in the picture below.

On Sunday, I was able to worship with Vida Nueva, which will be our future home church.  There was a good crowd and I enjoyed having lunch with a few of the leaders after service. Nelson, Rosemarie and Camila were gracious hosts and a pleasure to spend time with. Thank you also to our dear friends, the Tello family, for the ride to Antigua and the coffee talk. 

Wendy and Vinicio Tello, and their daughters, Laura and Camila.

I spent my second week in Antigua attending language school everyday.  I had four hours of classes every morning and two hours of homework to do each afternoon.  While in Antigua, I also met a few different missionaries from different sending agencies. Some were new faces from the Christian Spanish Academy and others I had planned to meet with ahead of time. These folks gave of their time freely and were able to help answer questions and provide valuable insight. Chad Bader, David Donatto and his son Josiah, Dan and Dodi Ward, Adrian and Maurisa Hernandez - Thank you for your information, encouragement, transportation, meals and prayers. 

 

Me and Adrian Hernandez

Last, but not least, language school was amazing. I think Christian Spanish Academy will definitely be a good place for us to learn Spanish. As we study the language, I also believe that there will be many opportunities to share the Gospel along the way.  This week, I had opportunities to talk with English-speaking people from other countries - Japan, Germany, and other countries - just sitting in the coffee shop doing my homework. Some were hearing the gospel for the first time.  There are so many ministry opportunities in Antigua, Guatemala City, and in the towns and villages all around. Please pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out more workers and please pray that He will strengthen and encourage the workers already in the fields. 

My kindergarten Spanish graduation LOL

This time spent in Guatemala was definitely valuable. I am truly thankful for your prayers and financial support.

January 8, 2017

As I (Joseph) write this I am on a plane heading to Guatemala and listening to the Mercy Me album "Undone".  The song "Keep Singing" speaks to how I feel during this season of our life. As our hearts are torn between two places, we do not know what else to do but to keep looking up. To keep aiming and praising His name. As a family we are drawing closer to our Heavenly Father for comfort and peace. Our home is not on this earth. Our home is truly where the Lord is. In a sense I feel that moving to Guatemala will be climbing into His lap, completely trusting that He alone is our safe place, our shield. (Gen 15:1)

“After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: 

'Do not be afraid, Abram.  I am your shield, your very great reward.'"

Genesis 15:1 NIV84

This trip has started out with many obstacles. Due to extreme winter weather conditions our team of 10 from Faith Baptist Church is stuck in a hotel near the Raleigh airport. We have a saying throughout Good News In Action Ministries, "¡Bienvenido a misiones!" It means, "welcome to missions!" where nothing goes as you intend it but God is in control. I was able to fly out because I was booked separately as I plan to stay an additional week to try out a language school and network with area missionaries.

I am reading through the book of Romans and I stumbled on this passage:

“The Scripture says, “Anyone who asks the Lord for help will be saved.”

But before people can trust in the Lord for help, they must believe in Him.

And before they can believe in the Lord, they must hear about Him.

And for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them.

And before someone can go and tell them, he must be sent.

It is written, “How beautiful is the person who comes to bring good news.”

So faith comes from hearing the Good News.

And people hear the Good News when someone tells them about Christ.”

Romans 10:13-15, 17 ICB

What a great reminder of why we tell people about Jesus. If we are not obedient to make disciples by proclaiming it, then how will people hear? If we are not obedient goers then, how will they ever be persuaded to follow Jesus? For me and my house, our current mission is Spencer's Gate (our neighborhood), my work place and Guatemala. What is your "assignment"? Where has God called you to proclaim the gospel? The question is not, "has He called you?" The real question is, "where?"