Where God Guides…

“Where God Guides, He Provides…So Trust God” was the theme of a VBS at one of our special stops this summer spending time and serving with our friends in Crossroads, TN. It has continued as the theme of our summer as God continues to guide us all over the place! We have enjoyed our time with everyone we have been able to see in eleven states and three countries so far! We are so thankful for these relationships and the time so many you of have invested to share your lives with us. God has created us for relationships. He uses relationships at all levels to draw us closer to Him and through that relationship draw us closer to one another. Oh how we wish we’d been able to blog about all the places God has guided and provided for us during our travels in detail. Everyone has been so wonderful. We truly have the best friends and family in the world…all over the world. My grandma who is now with Jesus used to say everything was the best. “He is the best baby! This the best cake! That was the best sermon! Oh honey, it is just the best!” She said that about every baby and every thing she experienced everywhere she went! Everywhere we have been we have felt that it was just the very best. And then we enter another home and that was the best too! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all of you who have loved and served us the past few months! You’re the best!

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” Philippians 1:3-5

Through you God has provided the following answered prayers:

• One family decided that they could do without their suburban for two months and graciously allowed us to use it to travel from Illinois to Canada and back.
• Another family added phones on their family phone plan and mailed the phones where we first landed so we could use them for the summer. These phones also served as our GPS to get us everywhere we needed to go.
• Another family used their job benefits to help us get cheap flights on standby that got all of us and our many bags back to Texas after we returned the borrowed vehicle.
• Several friends and supporting churches have provided homes and hotels, food, fun, fellowship, and many additional treats (Disney World, zoo, beach, the gift of new family photos, Braves game, Gatlinburg/Smoky Mountains, drive in theatre double features, Summer camp for kids in Canada, Six Flags) along the way. Anything our children may have felt they missed the past three years spent in Haiti was made up for all in one summer and our girls got to relive a great deal of the childhood they never had. These special times have meant so much to us!

Because of your amazing hospitality we have been able to save a good portion of what we thought we would need to spend on the road and regular monthly expenses. We have saved nearly enough to pay the yearly rent on our Haiti house. We are very thankful for this and that our landlord has been gracious in granting us extra time.

Right now we have raised 1/3 of our fully funded monthly budget to be able to serve in Haiti well for the long haul. We are praising God for His provision and trusting Him to continue to provide for where He guides our family and yours in His perfect plan.

Other praises:

• There is a strong possibility we have a family of four and another young man coming to serve alongside us this upcoming semester in Haiti! We are excited about what God has in the works!
• Kofael continues to progress and the loans needed for the rest of the summer are fully funded from donations and as the women have been faithful in paying back their loans. A team led by our mission organization assisted with the Kofael meeting in Haiti this past month. We are thrilled they were able to be there to encourage the women and be encouraged by this ministry.

Prayer requests:

• Eric will be traveling to Israel July 22nd-August 5th. This trip has been planned for a long time. If you have been watching the news you know this is not the best time to go. However, Eric, Scott (who is traveling with Eric and leaving for Africa straight from Israel), and the HGIM leadership team believe they will be able to accomplish the goals of the trip. We have many contacts in Israel that will be able to help them do so as safely as possible. Please pray for their travels and safe return as you pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
• A terrible new mosquito virus called “chikungunya”, “chickV”, and also “the bone crushing disease” has been plaguing the entire island of Haiti since around the time we left. Nearly every person we know in Haiti has suffered from this virus and most everyone who has suffered continues to have severe on-going pain from relapses weeks and months later. Please pray for their full recoveries and for this epidemic to end. Pray also for wisdom as we plan to return to Haiti soon with our family and do all we can to stay healthy so that we can continue to serve well.
• Pray for the funds to be able to purchase a large generator and batteries (WE GOT IT!!!!!) to come in the next month so that we can get this set up as soon as we return to meet the needs of our family and the five others coming to live and serve with us in Haiti. We do not see how it will be possible to function well and stay healthy (mosquitos stay away from fans but fans need electricity) to provide for such a large household without any electricity or running water. We have set up a separate fundraiser page for the generator. Please check it out HERE and pray with us for this big expensive need!
• Please pray for continued traveling mercies for us, for healing and direction for some of our family members going through difficult times, for the new partnerships God is bringing us in Haiti and financial provision for them as well, for us to trust God with all of these. Remembering, “Where God Guides, He Provides…SO TRUST GOD!”