Road Trip Update!

We are making lots of progress on our road trip preparations.  It’s amazing to see people going out of their way for our visit.  We are so excited to see what the Lord is going to do on this journey!  We, of course, hope He blows us away with encouragement!

I was on the phone with a friend (and road trip hostee) this morning and she was excited to hear more details to know how to pray better for us.  So, I thought perhaps some of you might want to know the same thing…here are some prayer points that we think might be useful:

• For good health: I have a slight cold right now, but otherwise we are healthy.  Taking two young children on an 8000 mile car ride is one thing, doing it when one or more of us are sick would be a whole different adventure.  Let’s hope not!
• For a safe journey: Our little car is in excellent condition, but it is winter and cars do break regardless of age or condition.  A broken car would really put a damper on the trip…and probably mess with our fragile timetable!
• For the Lord to open doors: we want to spread the message about what we’ll be doing in the DR Congo, not get your money and run, but really to build relationships with people that want to help!  The term “ministry partnership” really sums it up quite nicely.  We want to meet people and get to know the friends we’re seeing better!
• For encouragement: This process of ministry partnership is hard.  It’s hard to ask people to put their hard-pressed time, energy, and money half a world away toward what we’re doing in the DRC.  It’s hard to be “that friend” and it’s hard to get rejected, no matter how good the reason and how soft the let down.  It’s not that we expect more from people, but in many ways we feel badly for even asking.  It may sound silly, because we know it’s our job to be doing this – it’s what we believe the Lord has for us – but Matthew and I don’t like asking things of others without directly repaying them.  A relationship with our partners is about all we can offer, and hopefully the blessing of our ministry is repayment enough.  I can tell you, though, that this process, as hard as it is, is rewarding.  What an uplifting moment when we see someone write that they are praying for us!  What a blessing to open our email account and see a note of a new donation!  What encouragement on this process of planning our road trip when someone says “Stay at our place!  We’ll have dinner ready for you!”  We know that not everyone can offer that, but when someone does, it is a great joy.  However, our greatest joy is in the Lord and His provision.  Please pray that we will remember this simple truth and focus on the encouragement He gives us through others.
• For success: Is this obvious?  Yep!  We want this road trip to be the final touch on our months of deputation!  Is that too much to ask?  Not of our great God!