Prayer Update Mostly

I mentioned that I've sent for my visa and have my passport (actually, it's in the mail to apply for a visa). So I am shifting gears a bit - as far as I don't need prayer for getting shots and passport stuff.

So some top prayer request.

1) Possibly most importantly - for a bunch of people who will commit to pray for us each day we are gone - F e b r u a r y second through the sixteenth.

2) That God would do great things in, through, and in spite of Benjamin and me

3) For guidance on preparing for speaking (I am still waiting on a topic)

4) For travel mercies

5) For money. God has already moved in people's hearts to give $1200. I think the trip will be around $5000. Again, we are expecting to pay for part of this trip ourselves.

6) For the Visa to get done in time for us to go

7) For wisdom in preparing and grace for my family

Dougisms

Doug is a good friend of mine and he says amazing things all the time. Usually they make me laugh, but so often there is deep truth mixed in there. So here is one I just heard. I am going to keep posting them as I get them.

"Lord, let me shovel dung in heaven, just don't give up on me."

Tickets Purchased - Visa App on the way - Money in and out

We just got back from a wonderful Christmas weekend (and vacation) with my family (parents, siblings and spouses and kid). Going into the weekend I didn't have my Visa stuff already - I was mostly waiting on ticketing info which you need to get a visa.

Last night I purchased that (thanks David L at Best Mission Travel) so now I am sending in my Visa application. The total costs for both of our tickets was around $3250 - I didn't see the two ticket prices added together, but that should be within $50).

So that is money out... but money in - God provided another $400 over Christmas break - so we have somehow received a total of $1200 so far. Note the line at the very bottom of this note.

I would love to get a group of people who would commit to pray for me (and my family) for the 14 days I'm gone. February 2-16. (FYI - I am a bit fearful to post too much info on here - thankfully my in-laws will be hanging with the Fam - and of course, God is sovereign).

UPDATED PRAYER REQUESTS

Pray that the Visas would get processed quickly

Pray for the leadership at RFIS that they would select the topic for me soon and that it would be perfect

Pray for me as I prep for speaking - whenever I get the info.Pray for people to commit to praying for me (25 would be great)

Pray for money to come in - I'm humbled by all that has come in already - and we expect to spend some of our own money - but I won't lie - we are praying that God provides in big ways.

Pray for Benjamin - that God would be shaping his heart and life through this trip

Pray that this trip would also be great for our whole family

Make Joachim's quote a prod to pray big too (be prodded to pray for me and for yourself)

"Ponder anew what the Almighty can do, if with His love He befriend thee." - Joachim Neander.

Document Headaches

Please pray for us as we try to get all our documents in order. In the past when I've traveled, it's always been my parents doing this dirty work. Now it's me.

The short version.

Both Benjamin and I needed a new passport. To get mine, I had to have a birth certificate with my parents names on it (which I didn't have). The complicated part there was that I was born abroad and so had to figure out where to apply for it and what was needed. When I received that, then I sent away for our passports. Now I am in the Visa application process - which is not easy or fun. I am waiting to purchase my plane tickets - then I can send for the Visa.

Please, please pray that tickets and Visa would get taken care of quickly.

Money for the Missions Trip

I thought I'd put up our most recent extended family pic.

How much will the trip cost? I don't know for sure. Shots, pills, passports, and visas are at about $1500. I believe the tickets will be $1500 + each. That gets us up to $4500. Other costs should be minimal... I hope.

Do you expect to raise it all? While that would be amazing, I believe we will be spending some of our own money on this trip.

If you want to give: Make a check out to "Grace E. Free Church" and designate it to "Cameroon Missions Trip". You can send it to me or to the Church. Both addresses are - Eagle Grove, IA 50533. Mine is 1101 W Broadway. The Church's is 1220 S. Commercial Avenue St.

To date, we've been given $800 towards the trip - which seems enormous.

It's easy to worry about the money, but I have yet to see God make a mistake.

Missions Trip To Cameroon, Africa

I have been invited to speak at the Rain Forest International School in Cameroon, Africa. It's a school run by Christians that primarily serves missionaries, but does have quite a few students who are not MKs. The High School students go on a Spiritual Retreat each February where they spend 4 days away from the School being taught, discussing spiritual things, and also having a lot of fun together.

All my Aunts and Uncles are serving in Cameroon as missionaries and one of them is on the committee that works on this retreat. When I was first asked to speak at the retreat I told my Aunt that there was no way I could spend the kind of money it would cost on the retreat. She responded by asking if I was unwilling to ask for support. So we prayed about it and believe God is calling me to do this.

We also began to ponder the opportunity to take Benjamin along with me. He is incredibly well behaved, gets along well with people of all ages, and can easily entertain himself. This seems like a once in a life time opportunity for him - and so we are planning to bring him along.

One of the huge challenges is to raise the money for the trip. We also want to find some people to commit to praying for us each day while we are there.