PREACH~TEACH~REACH
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
A new year and new opportunities!
Happy New Year!
Reflecting back on this past year, there were ups and downs like always. So many challenges, hardships, and failures. On the flip side, so many answered prayers, blessings and victories! It was a big year for our family. We finished deputation and said goodbye to family and friends. God blessed us new friendships! We moved to a different country. God provided a comfortable home and an amazing church family! We began to struggle to learn a new language. God gave us an amazing tutor, is helping us through each lesson, and each day we grasp more and more. A big change for our family, this past year, is that we brought our oldest son, Seth, to the states so that he can begin the next chapter of his life in college. God did more than we could ask or think and gave Seth a place to stay, a job, and Godly friends pouring into him daily.
The thing that has been constant throughout is that my God is faithful! His mercies are new every morning! I am praising the Lord! Looking ahead toward this new year stretched before me, I am excited to see what God has for me and my family!
We started school back this week and are so glad to be catching back up. It will be quite different this year with only 3 to homeschool! Nathan is a Junior in high school this year, Elijah is a Freshman, and Jared is in 8th grade.
Joshua and I will continue on with our Spanish studies. I started taking 4 hours of class a week back in September, and will continue that schedule this year. Joshua started with the same amount of hours when I did, but now that we have settled in a little more, he has increased his hours of classes this year.
We also may have our first visitors from the states coming to our home this year, and we are looking forward to a couple groups (that we know of) from the states visiting our church.
It's a fresh, brand new year, full of new opportunities to serve the Lord, to be faithful in our prayer life and reading the Word, to tell someone about Jesus, to forgive, and to love. I want to be about my Father's business, and I pray that you do too!
Reflecting back on this past year, there were ups and downs like always. So many challenges, hardships, and failures. On the flip side, so many answered prayers, blessings and victories! It was a big year for our family. We finished deputation and said goodbye to family and friends. God blessed us new friendships! We moved to a different country. God provided a comfortable home and an amazing church family! We began to struggle to learn a new language. God gave us an amazing tutor, is helping us through each lesson, and each day we grasp more and more. A big change for our family, this past year, is that we brought our oldest son, Seth, to the states so that he can begin the next chapter of his life in college. God did more than we could ask or think and gave Seth a place to stay, a job, and Godly friends pouring into him daily.
The thing that has been constant throughout is that my God is faithful! His mercies are new every morning! I am praising the Lord! Looking ahead toward this new year stretched before me, I am excited to see what God has for me and my family!
We started school back this week and are so glad to be catching back up. It will be quite different this year with only 3 to homeschool! Nathan is a Junior in high school this year, Elijah is a Freshman, and Jared is in 8th grade.
Joshua and I will continue on with our Spanish studies. I started taking 4 hours of class a week back in September, and will continue that schedule this year. Joshua started with the same amount of hours when I did, but now that we have settled in a little more, he has increased his hours of classes this year.
We also may have our first visitors from the states coming to our home this year, and we are looking forward to a couple groups (that we know of) from the states visiting our church.
It's a fresh, brand new year, full of new opportunities to serve the Lord, to be faithful in our prayer life and reading the Word, to tell someone about Jesus, to forgive, and to love. I want to be about my Father's business, and I pray that you do too!
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Tests and Travel
Hello family and friends!
It is already a whole week since Thanksgiving! I just can't believe it is December already and Christmas and a brand new year is right around the corner.
Last month I had written that we were waiting on test results for Seth's ACT test and we received the news shortly after that he got great scores! He was hoping to start an early admissions program fall of 2020, but we had a change of plans. We felt the Lord was leading in a different direction and Seth and I are in the states now. He took his GED test earlier this week and is now a high school graduate! He will be starting college at Pensacola Christian College January 21! He is very excited and ready to start. We will miss him so very much but we know this is the right thing for him.
I have just 6 days left here in the states before I travel back home to Dominican Republic. I am trying to soak in as much time as I can with my family here, and especially my son. But I sure can't wait to get back home!
Please pray for our family during this time of transition...this momma's heart is feeling unprepared and sad. And please, please pray for Seth as he begins his college life.
It is already a whole week since Thanksgiving! I just can't believe it is December already and Christmas and a brand new year is right around the corner.
Last month I had written that we were waiting on test results for Seth's ACT test and we received the news shortly after that he got great scores! He was hoping to start an early admissions program fall of 2020, but we had a change of plans. We felt the Lord was leading in a different direction and Seth and I are in the states now. He took his GED test earlier this week and is now a high school graduate! He will be starting college at Pensacola Christian College January 21! He is very excited and ready to start. We will miss him so very much but we know this is the right thing for him.
I have just 6 days left here in the states before I travel back home to Dominican Republic. I am trying to soak in as much time as I can with my family here, and especially my son. But I sure can't wait to get back home!
Please pray for our family during this time of transition...this momma's heart is feeling unprepared and sad. And please, please pray for Seth as he begins his college life.
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Too early to decorate for Christmas?
There is debate going on social media about when the "correct" time is to put away all of the fall decor and decorate for Christmas. Without going into everyone's opinions on either side....I tried to wait. I usually put our Christmas things out the day of or the day after Thanksgiving. And this year, I was going to try to wait another couple of weeks. But, the boys and I helped put up decorations at church on Saturday. And all of the stores here have decorations out and Christmas music is playing. And, I just couldn't wait. Haha! Last night, the boys and I put away all our fall things and brought out the Christmas stuff.
This doesn't mean that we have become ungrateful and are skipping over Thanksgiving! I am thankful and grateful all year long, and so look forward to being extra thankful on a special day with friends in a couple of weeks.
In October, our church here celebrated 22 years! We had 3 Sundays of special services. It was a busy time, but many new visitors came and many were saved and baptized!
Praise the Lord!
Our three youngest boys participated in the drama and had a lot of fun! I was able to be down there to watch and record it. Such a blessing!
Thank you to all who prayed for Joshua and Seth as they took a quick trip to the states for Seth to take his ACT. Everything went smoothly. Now we wait to get the results.
Friday, October 11, 2019
An answered prayer and mail in the DR!
Ps 146:5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose help is in the LORD his God:
"Thank you for praying with us specifically for the added delay expense. We are so glad that the God of Jacob sent help our way through his people. Today, we officially report that we have received $16,800 from God's people. Halellujah." ~Joshua
We are praising the Lord for answering our prayer and He gets ALL the glory! We have to stand back amazed at how He works. Thank you, Lord!
I want to address our mailing situation. Many people have been asking about our mailing address and how to get mail to us. So I thought I would share how we do mail...or really, hope to do mail soon.
DR does not have mail services. We cannot receive or send mail with any postal service. We have an address (my parents' home)in the states that we have some things go to, and some people send mail to our mission ministry in Georgia. Our mission ministry takes photos of cards and letters and sends those to us, in addition to taking care of support that is sent in. Likewise, my mom sends photos of our mail as well. So far, that is all that we've been able to get.
We are working on getting an account with a courier service so that we can receive packages. And we have started the process to apply for an account with Agape Flights, a ministry that helps missionaries. Any way that we will eventually get mail or packages here in the country, we will be paying customs fees along with all the shipping costs. Customs fees are anywhere from $2-$4 a pound. The same goes for sending mail from here to the states...we don't have anything set up yet, and it will cost money to do that.
If/when we get an account set up with Agape, I will post a link with the information for sending mail to us. And if anyone wants our address in the states, so that we can at least get photos of the mail, please email us, or private message us on FB, and we can get you that address.
All of the cards and letters that we have gotten over the last few years have been a huge blessing and encouragement to us! We read each one on the photos that are sent to us and it always brings a smile to our faces. Thank you for your ministry of love to us!
"Thank you for praying with us specifically for the added delay expense. We are so glad that the God of Jacob sent help our way through his people. Today, we officially report that we have received $16,800 from God's people. Halellujah." ~Joshua
We are praising the Lord for answering our prayer and He gets ALL the glory! We have to stand back amazed at how He works. Thank you, Lord!
I want to address our mailing situation. Many people have been asking about our mailing address and how to get mail to us. So I thought I would share how we do mail...or really, hope to do mail soon.
DR does not have mail services. We cannot receive or send mail with any postal service. We have an address (my parents' home)in the states that we have some things go to, and some people send mail to our mission ministry in Georgia. Our mission ministry takes photos of cards and letters and sends those to us, in addition to taking care of support that is sent in. Likewise, my mom sends photos of our mail as well. So far, that is all that we've been able to get.
We are working on getting an account with a courier service so that we can receive packages. And we have started the process to apply for an account with Agape Flights, a ministry that helps missionaries. Any way that we will eventually get mail or packages here in the country, we will be paying customs fees along with all the shipping costs. Customs fees are anywhere from $2-$4 a pound. The same goes for sending mail from here to the states...we don't have anything set up yet, and it will cost money to do that.
If/when we get an account set up with Agape, I will post a link with the information for sending mail to us. And if anyone wants our address in the states, so that we can at least get photos of the mail, please email us, or private message us on FB, and we can get you that address.
All of the cards and letters that we have gotten over the last few years have been a huge blessing and encouragement to us! We read each one on the photos that are sent to us and it always brings a smile to our faces. Thank you for your ministry of love to us!
Monday, September 30, 2019
July-August 2019 Newsletter
Ps 146:5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:
The latest newsletter is below. Thank you for praying, giving, and sharing.
Thanks,
Joshua  |
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