Let go and know I am God.

I have talked a lot about the verse in the Bible that says "Be still and Know that I am God".

I read this week about the meaning of the word "Be still" it could more accurately be translated "let go"...  what a beautiful though. That we can let go of whatever is troubling us, scaring us, freezing us, and weighing us down... we can let that go and let God... 

That's the important part there, we aren't just letting go and not caring about it, by letting go we aren't saying its not important, meaningful, or that it won't influence our lives in some way. We aren't called to just let it go and float around the universe hoping that magically it is taken care of. 

We are letting it go and asking God to step in and handle it. We are giving God permission to rule in that situation. We are admitting that He can and will handle it better than we can. We are not opening our hands to an empty void we are releasing our fears, wants, needs, and injustices to the hands of  a mighty God who wants to fight for us. 

Just recently we were given a beautiful example of what letting go and knowing God looks like.
We have a broken dishwasher and the landlord said that it never worked and the estate agents were supposed to tell us that it was being rented that way and since it wasn't fixable and it was to much to remove, he was leaving it (they can do that here).

The agents never told us this, but they said we just didn't hear them say it (even though it is not on our lease). It became a he said she said situation. We decided we didn't want to push it, though legally we probably could have taken it to courts. But we stopped, because we didn't want to start our ministry or reputation that way (small towns talk). The ministry and what God wanted to do had to be more important than this.. but it still stunk and was still a hard disappointment. 

Instead of staying angry and fighting it, we prayed and gave it to God. We let go of our right to figure out the problem and have a dishwasher, instead we asked God  that if this was an injustice to us that He would take care of it.

 Out of the blue - a few days later - the real estate agent called us and said they were going to follow up and see if the could convince the landlord to just remove it to give us more space. Something they should never offer and be willing to do. That is currently in the works.

Letting go is scary because we are giving up the right to have the control and have things our way. We are trusting that God is able to and will complete what we so badly want to. I encourage you to find small areas that you can let go of and give God - then watch as he shows you that He is God. 

Oh the places we will go

Hello,

So we are off on our first real road trip, this side of the pond.  A short 3 hour drive north to Oswestry (Northern Wales).

We are here attending our very first GEM UK Field Retreat. We have gathered together with all the other GEM missionaries who are stationed in the England/Scotland/Ireland for a time of renewal.

This is an annual conference where we get together to share prayer requests, encourage each other, fellowship, get some training, and go back to our ministries recharged from this break.

For us - it's not really a break, since we are just starting, but a time to meet people, get questions answered, ask for advice, and not feel alone.

On our way here we got the chance to stop for a quick lunch..where did we stop, you ask. Well I'll give you a hint... in the states we haven't stepped foot under these golden arches in like a year... but here those burgers, nuggets, and fries tasted just like home.

Here's me and Stephen right outside McDonald's in the beautiful February weather.

Please pray that we find encouraging encounters and gain wisdom from those who have gone before us. 

Exploring the new

    This has been a busy week. We got to share a testimony on Tuesday, at community lunch. On Wednesday we set up for mom and tot group which Megan attended on Thursday. We got to spend some family time Friday afternoon exploring Wells Cathedral and today (Sunday) we were blessed by our dear friend coming to share the message at church. After which him, his wife along with pastor Kelton and Sharon all joined together for a meal and fellowship at our house.

    It was nice to be able to share our home and welcome friends in. Something that I dearly missed the last year was being able to host for those I care for. I am so thankful that the passion I feel for hospitality is being used right now.

   God gives us all passions and talents.. some seasons we don't see them being used as much and we can begin to doubt them or feel their wasted. But never believe your God given passions are useless and your talents wasted. God has a plan and a purpose for all he has put in your... the key is in HIS timing. 

God bless

Got to share our heart and vision at church breakfast this morning. What a blessing.

Now to hang shelfs and watch rugby :)

A small gray radio and an old blue table

Moving from one house to another is a lot of work.
Moving into a home and starting from scratch is difficult.
Moving to a different culture and starting from scratch can be scary...

Thank God we are blessed with a church family here in the UK who have welcomed us with open arms. Not to mention we have a God that knows us and wants good for us, even in the chaos and scary times he gives us little moments of His love.

As Eric and I have been learning the roads and visiting the surrounding areas one difference we noticed was that our car was silent - there was no music in the background slowly lulling Stephen to sleep. That is because they don't have a Christian radio station on the FM dial. So we drove to the big mall (actually named 'the Mall') a few towns over and found a music store... they don't stick Christian music anymore. We tried pandora online but that doesn't work over here. How discouraging.

We shared this with our pastor here and the next day he stopped by with a small gray DAB radio that could pick up some Christian stations.

The blessing of having praise music flow through the house is unbelievable.  What a gift from God - it felt like home.

As we've been furnishing our home we've tried to stick to local shops and mainly charity shops (goodwill). As we have been shopping I've been secretly (only because it feels shelfish) praying for a wow piece. A piece of furniture that makes me say wow, that is beyond typical, that will .Akers me love home when I see it.

Last week we walked into the one charity shop we haven't visited and there it was. A Robin blue wood table with chairs and polka dot cushions.... it was the perfect piece for our conservatory.  The wow piece I was looking for. The blessing I was asking God for.

God loves his children,  he wants good for us. He let's us know in little ways. While I was trying to feel at home he brought it to me through a small gray radio a d a wooden blue table.

Reaching the outskirts

As Eric and I prayed and dreamed about the ministry in England we always said we wanted to find a way to give support and education to the outlining countys.
We got to see God use that dream today. Spent an amazing morning with pastors in Bishop-Sutton planning for a USA mission team coming in summer. As well as laying foundation for community events to reach the youth and young families in the area.

So excited for summer to come!