This week, we have all been consumed with tracking Hurricane Matthew. Initially, our city, Jacksonville was supposed to get hit severely, and evacuation orders were given for much of the city. By God's provision, we had a service that Sunday (we had a rescheduling, they had a cancellation), in Tampa. So on Thursday, the day before the the hurricane was to hit, we left.
We were blessed beyond measure, we were safe, we had water, food, and the means and ability to leave town. It is with humility that we acknowledge, that not all were so fortunate. We are very grieved by the lives that were lost, especially in Haiti.
Through all of this though, God has been reminding us to trust him in the storm. We read over the story about how Jesus calms the storm, in Matthew 8.
There are physical storms, like the one that swept through the east coast. But there are also spiritual and emotional ones.
It can be a financial struggle, a health scare, an uncomfortable or new phase in life, or a loss. Storms come in all shapes and sizes.
In our lives, we are told that we WILL have storms, not that we MAY have storms. But we are also promised that the Lord will not forsake us.
Personally this year, we have had some personal losses, there has been a lot of new, and a lot of change. But through it all, we have been encouraged to put our faith and trust in the Lord.
So, today we would just like to encourage you, if you are in the middle of a storm, don't be discouraged. Take heart in the Lord.
Now, for a quick update:
We are all doing well, and on the itineration trail. Last month we were mostly in the Ocala area, and this month we are in and around Orlando. We are currently at 44% of our budget, and would like to be at 50% by the end of the month.
We have had such a pleasure sharing in churches this month!
At one of the churches we visited, we had the honor of sharing in their children's church. After we spoke, a little girl we're going to call Miss M came up to us, and told us that she feels like God wants her to come to Slovenia and help us, when she grows up! That was such a moving and exciting moment! If you can, take a moment to pray for her, that if that is God's will, that He would guide her steps. Oh, to have the faith of a child!
Finally, to wrap up, here are a couple sweet moments, brought to you by Aidan.:
As always, thank you for staying in touch with us! It means so much to us that you have partnered with us, whether it is through prayer or giving. Without you, none of what we do would be possible!
We were blessed beyond measure, we were safe, we had water, food, and the means and ability to leave town. It is with humility that we acknowledge, that not all were so fortunate. We are very grieved by the lives that were lost, especially in Haiti.
Through all of this though, God has been reminding us to trust him in the storm. We read over the story about how Jesus calms the storm, in Matthew 8.
23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
There are physical storms, like the one that swept through the east coast. But there are also spiritual and emotional ones.
It can be a financial struggle, a health scare, an uncomfortable or new phase in life, or a loss. Storms come in all shapes and sizes.
In our lives, we are told that we WILL have storms, not that we MAY have storms. But we are also promised that the Lord will not forsake us.
Personally this year, we have had some personal losses, there has been a lot of new, and a lot of change. But through it all, we have been encouraged to put our faith and trust in the Lord.
So, today we would just like to encourage you, if you are in the middle of a storm, don't be discouraged. Take heart in the Lord.
Now, for a quick update:
We are all doing well, and on the itineration trail. Last month we were mostly in the Ocala area, and this month we are in and around Orlando. We are currently at 44% of our budget, and would like to be at 50% by the end of the month.
We have had such a pleasure sharing in churches this month!
At one of the churches we visited, we had the honor of sharing in their children's church. After we spoke, a little girl we're going to call Miss M came up to us, and told us that she feels like God wants her to come to Slovenia and help us, when she grows up! That was such a moving and exciting moment! If you can, take a moment to pray for her, that if that is God's will, that He would guide her steps. Oh, to have the faith of a child!
Finally, to wrap up, here are a couple sweet moments, brought to you by Aidan.:
1. As soon as we get out of the car at churches, Aidan gets busy trying to find the nursery. He will pull on my arm, and tell everyone he meets in the halls that he wants to play, until we finally make it to the nursery. Where he ALWAYS has a blast!
2. Aidan has named the three mountain peaks on our logo: the tall one is daddy, the one on the left is mommy, and the one on the right is Aidan. Whenever he sees the logo, he says, "Slovenia! Daddy, mommy, Aidan, Slovenia!"
3. We took Aidan to eat at IKEA for the first time. It's a Swedish store, that also has a restaurant. When we lived in Belgium for college, it was a treat to eat there. So, we were very excited to introduce him to it. Well, we are very proud to announce, that there is now a new Swedish meatball aficionado in our house!
