A Year at a Glance
We were reading over our last post regarding our plans over a year ago and wow...what the Lord does in a years time is just crazy. In our previous post announcing we were starting our fundraising towards the Philippines, we talked about feeling as if God had been molding us for our role at KIDS and not even a few weeks after we posted that, we were hired on at a wonderful organization that allowed God to continue that growth that we didn't even know we needed. Over the past year, Mark and I have been working at Thornwell in Clinton, SC. We had the privilege of serving over 20 kids whom we lived with and cared for. Through this ministry, God taught us to communicate with one another, how to build a home, how to share the gospel through lifestyle evangelism, and most of all how to constantly find him in both the chaos and the mundane.
We were blessed. And in all honestly, we could have done that job for the rest of our lives. But we found that we lost sight of what our ultimate goal is and the plan that God has for our lives, which is ministering to Filipinos and Teams that come in through KIDSIM. When we started feeling God stirring us, we called the Director at KIDS and he felt that our call was an answer to prayer. If that wasn't confirmation enough, the thing we were most worried about--leaving our partners and boys at work--God made simple and encouraging. While we are still heartbroken and struggling to adjust to our "new normal", we know that this is the path God is leading us on and we have taken rest in Ecclesiastes 3:1, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens..."
During this transition period between working at Thornwell and leaving to serve at KIDS, we need the help of our friends, family, and our church family. We would like to have between $10-$15,000 in our General Fund to be able to purchase plane tickets, a car, furniture, and other necessities of life when we get to the Philippines. We also need committed supporters to commit to support prayerfully and financially. On a monthly basis, we need $3,000. Broken down what does this look like? 30 people who give $100 a month. Or 10 people who give $100, 20 people who give $50, and 40 people who give $25. We have found that a lot of people don't want to give until our ministry starts in the Philippines but our ministry has started now! We are preparing, growing, and serving State side in order to be the best versions of ourselves to serve at KIDS.
Even if you don't feel led to support financially, we would appreciate your thoughts and prayers in this new season of our lives. The fundraising season for missionaries is not an easy one but we are confident that the Lord is leading us and is going before us to prepare the way.