Moving Forward

It seems that the past couple weeks since we've been here, a theme has continued to pop up and it's simply to take things one day at a time and just move forward. This has been the case especially when dealing with the shipment of our things from the states to St. Kitts.  To begin with, the shipment cost way more than we anticipated, but we just trusted the Lord and moved forward, trusting that He would provide.  After the shipment arrived on the 13th, we went the next day to the shipping company's office where we received our documents to take to the port to receive our cargo.  We went as soon as the port opened the next day at 8 am and it was a good idea because it is crazy this time of year with the Christmas season.  We went to find out that our stuff had not been moved from the warehouse down by the water, up to the warehouse where it gets cleared.  We waited until the next day and they told us the same thing, "it still hasn't come up yet." So obviously this is getting frustrating and our patience is truly being tested because we wanted to be able to get our stuff so we could move into our apartment ASAP.  So normally the port isn't open on Saturdays but they had to open because they were so behind on everything. We went early again on Saturday morning and finally saw all 7 pallets of our stuff but had to wait for a customs officer to come and clear it.  We saw the woman who cleared all of the Grayson's things and asked her if she could help us.  She directed us to another woman named Keisha who began the process of going through each and every box along with 3 other co-workers.  After a long while of moving boxes off of pallets and letting them tear through everything, we saw the woman who cleared the Grayson's stuff talking with Keisha and we overheard her telling Keisha that we were missionaries and we're doing good work throughout the community in St. Kitts.  Shortly after that Keisha said, "Alright that's good, we're good here."  The amazing thing was that they stopped halfway through the pallet that had our TV (which would have been charged a ridiculous amount of duty tax).  It was literally right before you could begin to see the TV, PTL!  Keisha took our form, disappeared for awhile and then emerged with the form with a large figure on it, a very LARGE figure on it.  Brandon and I looked at it and our hearts stopped.  We asked her if that was what we had to pay and she replied "Oh no, it's all free, you don't have to pay anything."  PTL once again!  After going through the rest of the process, we finally got all of our stuff out of there and moved it into our new place.

We plan on making Keisha and some of the people at the port cookies or a cake to thank them.  God is amazing and gave us crazy awesome favor the entire day. Just keep moving forward and do the next thing, trusting the Lord the entire way, knowing that He is in control and He has the entire blueprint, we just have a snapshot of it.

The Last Two Weeks

Ah, where to begin, you all know the insane journey we had to get here, and things have only slowed down a little since we arrived. Once we got here, everyone but myself and Audri seemed to battle with some sort of illness; Luke and Keaton with colds, Brandon feeling completely run down and exhausted, and Wendi, poor Wendi, with strep throat which included a fever and rash that broke out over her entire body. Thankfully, the Lord has healed them and they're all back to good health.

The last week and a half, Luke and Brandon have been serving a woman in our bible study, by helping her paint and fix up her home. This has been no small undertaking. One of the days I went with the boys to help them out with the painting, and this "house" was like nothing I've ever been in before. I walked in and  immediately wanted to leave because the conditions were so terrible. It broke my heart to imagine that people, not just here, but all over the world live like this. As I was painting I was praising and thanking God for all the comforts he's blessed Luke and I with. Despite the working conditions, they've spent endless hours there making it more livable.

Last weekend we also celebrated Audri's 3rd birthday! It was such a great day for her. She had so much fun with her friends and all the CAKE!

We've been working on getting a weekly routine down, filling our days with service projects, Mommy group, bible study, grocery shopping, basketball games, beach/pool days, and the occasional trip to Rituals for breakfast.

Today we spend the afternoon at the pool and tonight while Luke and Brandon go to coach their basketball game, Wendi and I are going to try to have a movie night (that is if Audri and Keaton will let us). The exciting thing about today though is that we went to look at an apartment for us to live in! We found the listing for it online, and when Brandon contacted the woman who posted it, she knew who he was because she listens to him on Dominion Radio! So like I said, we went to check it out today, and we really liked it. The price is right in our budget, it's a safe area, and it's only a five minute drive from the Grayson's. We told her that we were going to pray about it and that we would let her know by the end of the week. So please be in prayer that we would have the wisdom to know if this is the place God has for us.

It's been a crazy two weeks, to say the least. Trying to adjust to a new lifestyle is no easy task. We've definitely had our moments of homesickness, and there's not a day the we don't think about all of our friends and family. We miss everyone so much, and please keep us, the Grayson's, and the people of St. Kitts in your thoughts and prayers.

Spiritual Warfare

     The last three days have been the longest of both mine and Jamie's entire lives.  It has been nothing less than a journey and an adventure.  After saying so many bittersweet goodbyes on Sunday the 20th, Jamie and I set out on the open road Monday morning at 6:00 am with a truck full of everything we own and maps directing us to Miami. The first 4 hours or so started out rough because of torrential rain.  If anyone has been in a rental truck, you definitely understand how uncomfortable the ride is, and we endured almost 24 hours in that truck. We avoided Atlanta because we didn't want to get stuck in traffic, especially with a truck.  So we took some interstates through the mountains of N. Carolina and as soon as we got in the mountains we saw black clouds and sure enough the torrential downpour began again.  It rained for a solid 4 hours or so, to the point where visibility in the truck was very bad.  Through the ups and downs of the mountains and all of the curvy roads, it was definitely stressful.  Also we were trying to get on the phone with our rental truck company because they had double charged us for our rental.  With all of this chaos going on, Jamie and I began to rebuke the enemy in the name of Jesus and asked the Lord to take away the rain.  Lo and behold, as we rounded the very next mountainous turn, we saw an incredible contrast of black and white in the sky.  The road was headed directly towards sunlight breaking through the clouds and behind us was utter darkness.  PRAISE THE LORD.

     Thankfully we were able to stop at a hotel that night in Georgia and were able to get some rest despite some serious sanitary problems in our hotel room.   : /  Tuesday morning began at 6:00 am once again.  Tired and weary already, we made our way to the shipping warehouse to drop off our cargo.  We arrived at the warehouse around 1:00 pm and it was chaos at first, they waved us in to go park our truck and of course there was no where to park.  After a few minutes someone left and we were able to pull into their spot.  We then proceeded to wait in line for about 30 minutes or so to just see what we were supposed to do.  The guy was helpful but he said they were understaffed and could not help us unload our stuff and help us palletize it and wrap it.  So they gave us pallets, shrink-wrap, and some tape and then let us have at it!  Unfortunately for us, Jamie weighs about 100 pounds and could maybe lift 5% of all our boxes and furniture.  So after a long three hours of intense work we were able to unload the entire truck and palletize it all.  Seven pallets in all and we were finished.  Hopefully the shipment will take about two weeks to get here to St. Kitts.  

     Okay, so it's hard to keep track of everything that happened but after that we checked into our hotel, went to eat at a Cici's Pizza for our last meal in the states, and returned the rental truck.  Once again, Wednesday morning began early at 6:30 am.  We took the shuttle the hotel provided to the airport and got checked in just fine.  We made it to our gate very early and had plenty of time to wait.  About 30 minutes before we were supposed to board at 10:30, an announcement came on saying that their was on going maintenance on the plane and to expect a half hour delay.  After the half hour was up they apparently could not get the plane fixed so we had to change gates all the way at the other end of the American Airlines terminal.  When we got to the other gate they began boarding and finally we were on the plane and ready to take off, or so we thought... About 10 minutes after sitting down, the pilot came on and told us that a live bullet had been found outside of our plane by the baggage loader.  So they proceeded to unload all of our bags and they had to be re-screened as a precaution.  An hour and a half later and we finally were ready to take off.  We arrived in St. Kitts around 5:50 pm St. Kitts time.  Just when we thought we had finally made it, the enemy decided to make one last huge effort to keep us from getting here.  We were told that we would be able to get in to the country by telling them that were beginning to work with the Ministry of Homeland Security to get our visas and we are here to do missions work.  The woman who was our customs agent was really difficult to work with to say the least.  She was telling us that since we aren't legal residents yet, that we needed a return ticket to the states because we are only allowed to stay 30 days as a visitor.  We tried and Brandon also tried explaining to her that we are going to be hopefully getting our visas within those 30 days but she was not having it even one bit.  So Brandon was downstairs trying to get tickets for us when he saw a girl named Chantel who comes to Bible Study and also lives down the street from the Grayson's.  She works for American Airlines and helped him print out some random tickets that were supposed to return to the states in a month or so.  We gave these to the customs woman and she finally stamped our passports and let us go.  So after all that we finally got all of our bags and headed to the Grayson's house where Bible Study was just about to start.  It was a sweet time to just finally sit at the Lord's feet and worship Him and dig into the Word.  Even when our minds were restless and the whole trip had been utter chaos, God was there the whole time, challenging us with the question of "Do you still trust Me?" We understand that all of the trials we endured the past few days were all a ploy from the enemy because he doesn't want us to be here.  Usually when this happens it is because God wants to do an amazing work.  Pray that we would not get in the way of this plan but God would be able to use Jamie and I and the Grayson family to carry out this awesome work He has for St. Kitts.  Thank you all so much for your prayers, you have no idea how much we appreciate it! Happy Thanksgiving! 

Vision Coming to Fruition

To say the last couple of weeks has been a whirlwind would be the understatement of the century.  Two weeks ago, Jamie and I felt like the Lord wanted us to leave sometime in November but there have been a few set backs such as a place to live and getting her passport.  In a flurry, God has answered our prayers and Jamie's passport is here, and we are going to step out in faith and live with the Grayson family until a home opens up for us.  In what seems like a blur, the rental truck is booked, the shipping company is booked, and our flights are now finally booked. Wow.  The reality of us leaving home is finally hitting us like a ton of bricks.  While our overwhelming excitement to leave and begin this journey God has set out for us, we cannot leave without sadness of leaving family, friends and all that we have ever known.  Our departure date is the day before Thanksgiving so definitely keep our travels in your prayers as it is one of the craziest times to travel in the entire year.  Thank you all for your continued prayer support which has aided us in getting to this point. More and more updates are surely to come as we embark on God's adventure for our lives!

Updates

This Sunday, October 23, we're having a chili lunch and bake sale for anyone who would like to come fellowship with us and talk about St. Kitts and the work the Lord is doing. It will be at Horizon Christian Fellowship after second service, which usually ends around 12:30 pm.

In other news, my passport still hasn't come back yet, so please be in prayer for that! Also, we need prayer for this new situation the Lord has brought about.
Yesterday, Luke called the man we are going to be renting our apartment from in St. Kitts to smooth out some of the final arrangements. However, he told us about a man in their church who has recently lost his job and was in need of a place to live, so he is now living in the apartment that we were going to rent. There's a chance that he won't be living there once we arrive but it's all very up in the air. Now we're faced with the problem of needing to look for another place to live in case this man is still in that apartment when we arrive. Needless to say, it's been discouraging.
Luke and I prayed last night that God would show us what He wants to do in this circumstance and how He wants to use this situation for His glory, and we prayed for the man who lost his job, that he would find strength and provision through the Lord, and we ask that you would be in prayer with us! God is faithful and the ultimate provider. He knows all things and the plans for those who love Him are good.

On Mission

Lately, as Jamie and I have been progressing towards leaving eventually, I've been asking God what it means to be a missionary. What does it look like?  I've discovered that our entire lives are lives on mission. We are all missionaries.  We are journeying from this place to heaven and our mission is to bring glory and honor to the name of Jesus Christ, while bringing as many souls as we can with us to heaven.  Jamie and I are super excited as the time draws closer to our departure.  Some things you could be in prayer for is for Jamie's passport renewal to go smoothly and come back in a timely manner.  Also be in prayer for the hearts of the Kittitian people, that they would be softened to the truth that is in Christ.  Pray for us and for the Grayson family, that God would bless the ministries that He has for each of us there.  Pray that we would trust in God completely and solely for His provision to fulfill this calling He has placed on our lives. We appreciate all your love, prayers and support! Keep on fighting the good fight...

Forward Motion

This past Sunday, Luke and I were blessed to be able to share our vision and heart for St. Kitts with our church family at Horizon Christian Fellowship. The people there truly are family to us, Luke and his family have been going there since he was 5 years old, and I've been calling Horizon my home church for the last 9 years. It was so great to talk to everyone about how the Lord has moved in our hearts over the last year and brought us to where we are now, and we were SO blessed by all the people who came and spoke with us and encouraged us. Praise the Lord for fellowship!

On a totally different note, today marked the start of our moving! I packed for a solid six and a half hours today and it still feels like I haven't even made a dent in all the things that still need to be packed away.

In case you don't know, our lease for the apartment Luke and I have lived in for the last 2 years is up on Saturday, and seeing as we are hoping to move to St. Kitts in November it wouldn't exactly make sense to sign on for another year. So for that reason we are putting all of our belongings into storage because we are going to be living with Luke's parents until we ship out to the Caribbean. It's a real blessing that his parents have opened up their home to us, it's been a serious answer to prayers.

When Luke came home from work today and saw all the boxes that had been packed we sat there and wondered when we had acquired all this stuff?! I mean we're just two people after all! But, it made me realize how much we can take for granted the things that make us comfortable. The Lord has blessed us so much with material things that have made our apartment a home and I am very thankful for that. It humbled me because if the Lord would care enough to provide us with these worldly creature comforts, He also cares enough to provide all the things we need as we prepare for St. Kitts. If you have a minute, read through Matthew 6:19-34 and be encouraged!

Matthew 6:30-

Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

I Will Worship While I'm Waiting

So, we haven't blogged for a while. That's basically just because there hasn't been much to report on. We've sort of been at a stand still with things. Not that the Lord hasn't been speaking, He has, it's just things aren't progressing quite as quickly as we expected them to. It happens a lot I think, once you start walking in the Lord's calling, there tends to be a point in that walk that God puts you on pause and you're not always sure why.

Right now we're waiting to meet with our missions coordinator again, we're scheduled to get together on the 30th and after that we'll begin to build support. So please pray for that! Luke and I have also been getting all the missions homework/paperwork done which has been a good way for us to get our hearts down on paper, we've finished our first newsletter, and I've been making lots of lists of things that we need to get or get done before we go to St. Kitts.

All in all, we're waiting on the Lord to tell us what to do next because we haven't got any idea, but He does! It's really exciting to be a part of this plan the Lord has to stir up the hearts of the Kittitians, and to see the ways that He's teaching us to be bold in the gospel. Ah, the preparation time, so tedious, but oh so important!

What God Originates, He Orchestrates

By now I think most people have heard about the stirring the Lord has been doing in mine and Luke's hearts, and from the title of this blog I think it's kind of obvious too. But, in case you haven't caught on yet, I'll spell it out for you...WE ARE MOVING TO ST. KITTS TO BE MISSIONARIES! Wow, I've said it out loud before, but reading the actual words makes it that much more real to me. There are so many things that we are still walking through and I guess that is going to be the point of this blog. To journal what is going on from this point in our calling and onward.

The one word I can use to describe the way Luke and I have been feeling for the last few months would have to be; excited! Because we are! We are so incredibly excited that God is moving us on to live our Christian lives in beautiful, warm St. Kitts. Plus, there is a HUGE bonus for our suffering, my sister, brother  in law, niece, and soon to be be born nephew all live there! ;) They after all are how the Lord began this stirring I referred to.

My sister Wendi and her husband Brandon have been down there since February ministering to and building relationships with the people there. Let me tell you, God has been so good to them in the last few months. He's provided in so many ways, given them favor, and set up divine appointments for them to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was such a blessing to us when they would share all the things the Lord has been up to, and to hear their hearts about the island. It moved us in a way that we began to be burdened for the Kittitians as well. So, reluctantly we started to pray. I say "reluctantly" not because we didn't want to pray, but because we wanted to be comfortable. We were more than fine living in the same state we've lived in all our lives. More than fine to work our way through life. More than fine to have a Target store five minutes away from our home. We were comfortable with the plans WE had made for our life. But like I said, we prayed for this burden, prayed that the Lord would have His way, and make clear HIS plans for our life. He did. God very quickly gave us a heart and vision for St. Kitts, which was something that we weren't expecting. I can even be quoted to have said several times in my life that; "the Lord will not call me to be a missionary." God definitely changed my heart and Luke's because he wasn't thinking he'd ever be preparing to do long term missions either.

Now, when I think about our life, I think about St. Kitts. I'm prepared to make that little island our new home. I look forward to the ways the Lord is going to use us, the ways the Lord is going to use all four of us together. Because when God gave us this vision for St. Kitts, we knew that it would be huge confirmation if we shared it with Brandon and Wendi and that it would align with the vision God had given them. Thankfully it did and our heart's have been knitted together that much more as we are able to stand together with the goal of seeing Christ glorified in St. Kitts! Jared Stayton, who is moving with his family to be missionaries in Spain, said that he desires to share a pure Jesus with the people in Spain, not an americanized Jesus. I loved that! That's what we desire to do as well. Share a pure Jesus, the real Jesus, the Jesus scripture tells us about, not the one our warped culture made up.

There's so much that God is doing as we prepare, so pray with us as we continue to walk in this! There's also a lot we want to share about this journey God's taking us on, so we'll keep posting!

I heard the voice of the Lord, saying; "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." -Isaiah 6:8