Changes

When we came to Honduras in July 2008, it was with the idea that our position at the mission house (aka "The Fishbowl") was only temporary. We intended to buy a small property, build a house, and spend our lives here however God chose to use us. We looked at various plots of land, prayed, asked counsel, and waited for God to make His way clear to us. Several months ago when the mission board was here they gave us the blessing to pursue a purchase, and we continued to pray in earnest. Land prices here in our town are high and at times we felt overwhelmed with the thought of building a house when there are so many more important things to be doing. One day in early November, a missionary acquaintance of ours came to our door. She and her husband had labored here in this area for a long time, until he was killed a few years ago during a highway robbery in a neighboring country. She and her daughters bravely carried on their work here, but recently because of various circumstances, they felt God calling them back to the USA. What to do with their beautiful property here was a difficult decision. True, it could be sold as a "country house" to some wealthy folks from the city, but this family had a vision to see their beloved home continue being used in ministry. So they came to our door with the most amazing proposition we have ever encountered in our lives. Would we be interested in this place- to lease it and take care of it, and possibly purchase it someday??? Tim and I were too shocked to respond properly, but eventually we stammered that we were indeed praying about moving. We had no idea this place was available, and even if we had, we would not have dreamed of asking for something of that magnitude. Meanwhile our friends had no idea we had any plans of leaving the Fishbowl, but after praying and asking God for direction, they felt specifically led to contact us. Isn't it amazing that the God who flung the Milky Way into space with a mere word, also thinks about an insignificant little family wanting to get out of a Fishbowl, and a widow who needs to make an international move and has no idea where to start? I still get thrills every time I rehearse this story! Although from a human perspective this looks like an impossible proposition, God gave Tim and I both a strong sense of peace and confidence that this has always been a part of His plans for us! To make a long story not-so-long, we plan to move sometime in the next two months, Lord willing. This is a huge leap of faith for us; we are simply taking God at His word and believing that where He guides us, He will provide for us. While we will continue to work with Christian Light Mission, we are "on our own" as far as making a living and raising support for this ministry. We believe that we are about to see fulfillments to dreams and visions God placed in our hearts years ago, and we are so excited to be co-laborers with Him! Please pray with us that we would hear from Him on how to use this gift in a way that will glorify Him and build up His kingdom. We are blessed with eight acres of land, a fishpond, plenty of room to garden, a beautiful house very well suited to our family, a guest apartment, dorm space for up to twenty-four people, and much more.

Here's a front view of the house. That porch has already become my favorite spot- with a million dollar view, besides!



Another angle from the front of the house.

Part of our front yard. If you're up to climbing that hill in the background, you get treated to a view of the lake and the town where we currently live.

Guest dorms. Not pictured is the apartment and guest kitchen/dining room.

We are dreaming big, people! ...Missionary retreats, pastor's conferences, youth discipleship training, and prayer teams, to name a few. God has already shown us that our own ideas and dreams are mere peanuts compared to what He wants to do, and we are just thrilled to share a small part in His eternal purposes. Join us in giving God praise!

The Missionary Man

Everyone knows that missionaries don't have to work for their living, right? Take my man, for example- he just studies to preach, and sells Bibles, and feeds his fish, and plants tomatoes, and teaches Sunday School, and fixes E's washer, and attends discipleship class, and opens up the clogged drain, and changes money for C, and unloads the latest shipment of meds, and sets up the sound system at church, and takes guests to the airport, and buys groceries, and talks to the beggar at our gate, and picks the green beans, and answers his phone, and collects school tuition, and visits the sick and anoints them with oil, and builds a playhouse for Derek, and sends in the financial report, and makes tea, and counsels L on how to be a better husband, and changes oil in the truck, and gives money to the family with medical needs, and mops the church house floor, and hangs a picture in our bedroom, and writes a newsletter, and checks to see why the dog is barking, and opens a bank account for A, and plans the missionary retreat, and changes the gas tank on the stove, and settles disputes among the teens, and collects the offering at church, and paints the office, and gives financial counsel to D, and replaces the broken door latch, and prays for the safety of our town, and washes dishes, and pays the VSers their allowances, and brings the mail from the post office, and leads worship, and takes the van to the mechanic, and comforts the grieving, and helps Josh with his Science, and buys a plane ticket for R, and pays the import expenses on the books, and takes the boys mountain climbing, and investigates the strange noise in B's car, and chops weeds, and socializes with the visitors, and gets up early on Saturday mornings to pray with the pastor, and builds a bookshelf, and stands in line at the bank, and removes the toad from the washer, and listens patiently to complaints, and takes me on dates, and spends hours reading the Bible.

And I guess that's why people wonder what he does all the time.