Us... On a Mission

Holy cats, Batman! It's not even been quite a month since we mailed out our first letters, and we've already got commitments for 16% of our monthly budget, and 17% of our emergency/sending fund.

You guys rock, and our God is an AWESOME God! I can't wait to see how the next 9 months or so play out, and what opportunities to minister God has waiting for us in Guatemala after that.

It's funny how much this calling has changed our lives in some ways, and how little it has changed our lives in others. I'm still home schooling the girls. Mark is still going to work everyday as the Superintendent of the Wastewater Treatment Plant here in Atlantic. You'll still find us in church almost every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening, and we still love to watch a good movie or show together occasionally while eating a bowl of ice cream.

But, now we've also got a website. We've got flyers, a sending agency, and a display board (see above). We're working on setting up opportunities to speak to small groups and churches. We even have a YouTube video. Our home schooling includes Praying for the World (a great way to make geography meaningful!) using The Joshua Project. Mark now ponders ways to use the skills he's learned in the water and wastewater industry to help people in Guatemala once we get there. And, we're enjoying as much ice cream and movie time as possible, since we know we probably won't get much of either in a year.

In short, we're still us. We're just us with a new and different calling. It sometimes feels strange to live straddling two worlds like this. There are days when I want nothing more than to cancel the whole thing and keep enjoying the immense goodness of our life here in Iowa. But, all it takes is a memory, a moment of reflection, or a whisper from the Holy Spirit, and I know that Guatemala is where we're meant to be.

Thanks again to all of you for your friendship, faith, and support.  It's an amazing journey, and we're so glad to be able to share it with you!

No Longer Waiting

I've kind of always been under the belief that I'd eventually get to the place where I started to feel like a grownup. Like a responsible wife and mother. Like a professional. Like a mature Christian. Like a, whatever. But, so far I just still feel like me. Like me, doing all those all other things.

It's totally that way with mission work. I keep waiting for a dove to descend, or a booming voice from heaven, or to be given a life-changing vision. (Don't laugh. That stuff happens, you know. It's in the Bible!) But, like usual, those aren't the ways that God spoke to us about mission work. He's much more subtle than that.

Our confirmation came through well-timed phone calls and emails, open doors that we expected to find shut. Encouragement spoken lovingly by those around us. Answers to prayers. Bible verses that spoke directly to our hearts, needs, and fears.

You know - the usual ways.

It's funny that we expect (wait for? hope to have? want?) that giant voice from the sky kind of experience. I mean, being a Christian is all about a relationship with Christ. There's no other relationship where I want someone from on high to burst into my life and blurt instructions, and then leave again. That's not a relationship. That's the punchline to a joke.

No, Jesus wants to have our ears (and our hearts) every moment of every day. I guess I've finally figured out that by choosing to listen to His still, small voice and leading (and not waiting for the clouds to open every time I am looking for direction) means I no longer have to wait to start walking in His commands, and being His hands and feet to those around me, either.

I'd say that works out better for everyone.

akf

Humbled...

Everytime I think I've got this humility thing figured out, God manages to help me go deeper.

He's like that, though. You know - infinite.

Today I'm mailing out 75 more letters. We're up to a grand total of 225 now. That, combined with the display we set up one week at church, and the chance we had to speak to our small group, means that we've now informed approximately 300 to 325 people about the work we're called to do in Guatemala.

That's a little staggering to me in and of itself.

Even more so, though, is the response that we've gotten.

It's a wee bit nerve wracking to send letters to a bunch people out of the blue. Especially if those letters include a request for prayer and donations.  I've imagined all sorts of terrible possible scenarios, including irritated phone calls, snarky email replies, and even the dreaded 'unfriending' on Facebook.

So far, all we've gotten back in response has been love.

Love. Support. Prayers. Donations. Encouragement. Confirmation.

Wow. God really is that big. He really does work through the hearts and hands of His people. He really has called us (including little ol' me) to share his Gospel in a tiny country in Central America. He really does know how to provide for us, and raise up partners to join us in our work.

Again - wow.

So, for all of you who've supported us with your prayers, faith, and/or finances, I want to say thank you. It means the world (and eternity) to the people we will minister to in Guatemala. But, you're also being an instrument for God's glory and in teaching this gal more about the endlessness of humility.

Thank you for that.

Lasts...

A few days ago I bought what (I think) will end up being my last bottle of laundry detergent before we leave for Guatemala. (I buy in bulk.) At the time, it didn't really sink in. But, as I placed it on the shelf in my laundry room next to the other, half-empty bottle, the realization crept into my heart:

This will probably be the last bottle of detergent I will ever use in this house.

That thought has been growing ever since, like a tiny little seed.

This is a last. My first last, in a way. At least, the first one to pop onto my radar. There have been others, of course, but we didn't recognize them as such at the time, so there was no nibbling little pain involved. Then, we were just living life, you see. Now, we've started a countdown. We're on the clock, so to speak.

It's funny how it's only the awareness of the next thing looming that makes the everyday more significant, and the mundane more momentous.

This new awareness of the 'lasts' ahead makes me think of things differently. I snuggle my girls a little closer on our comfy couch during movie night. I savor the weekly date my husband and I have during his lunch hour a little bit more. I hug a little harder when my family and friends leave my house after an impromptu visit. I will not always have these types of things to enjoy.

It's hard not to let a sense of desperation sneak in, to be honest.

I want to savor the good stuff so much. It is so transient. So fragile. Yet, so life sustaining. I want to breathe it in, and breathe it in, and breathe it in again.

But, at some point, I must also exhale.

Biologically, I show that I have 100% faith in the air around me every time I take a breath in, let it out, and breathe in again. There is no sense of desperation. There is no need to hold on to the breath I have for fear of what the next one will hold. I know, that I know, that I know that the air will be there for me, and it will have what I need to sustain my life.

How much more so is that true of God and our spiritual breath of life?

So, I'm determining not to let these 'lasts' freak me out. (Remind me later that I said this. Will you?) God never takes us out of somewhere, except to lead us in to somewhere else. I am eternally grateful (so much so that it hurts) to my eternal father for all the good He has placed in my life to treasure and enjoy right now. But, I'm also grateful that it is because of the exciting new chance we've been given to serve our God, whose love is everlasting, that we will so many 'lasts' in the days to come.

Makes it all worth it, doesn't it?

Rich?

The annual median household income in Guatemala is just over $2700.

Our goal is to raise $2500 per month in support.

Wait... Doesn't that mean that we'll be living on as much per month as what many families do per YEAR!?

(We've gotten that question several times already, so I thought this would be a good place to clarify.)

The answer is yes. And no.

Yes - we will have more financial security than most of the people around us. But, that's kind of one of the things that is bringing us to Guatemala - to try to help those who are so desperately impoverished. It's difficult to explain just how different the standard of living is for an 'average' poor Guatemalan than it is for an 'average' poor American. Like, no-comparison-at-all different. Sure, we could probably figure out how to live on $2700 a year, like they do, but that also means we'd be subject to water and food borne illness, lack of medical care, malnutrition, limited education for our children, etc, etc, etc. Plus, we don't know two other families with whom we can share a three bedroom house, so I think we'd be at a severe disadvantage in that arena.

Also, we're going to have a lot of expenses that Guatemalans do not. For example - American car insurance, American life insurance. American car tags. American classes to maintain our professional licenses. American health insurance. American storage unit fees. American passport fees. And, let's not forget - American taxes. We dearly love the blessings that come from being a citizen of the good ol'  U.S. of A. But, we'll have to pay for those blessings, just like everyone else.

Perhaps the most important difference, however, the requires us to have 12 times the income of a Guatemalan family (which does sound staggering, I admit...) is that we're not going just to survive, or to live, or even to thrive. We're going there in order to give. We want to give people the good news about Jesus. We want to give hope. We want to give love. And, in order to do that, we'll need money. (Strangely enough, it turns out that giving isn't usually free.)

The support that we get from friends, family, small groups, and churches (which we are OH-SO grateful for!) is what will ensure that people in Guatemala will get to feed their souls, along with their bellies.

It means receiving eternal salvation, as well as receiving safe drinking water.

It means a family getting to have a Bible to study, and getting school supplies so their children can study at the local school.

So, I guess you can say that the support we'll receive of $2,500 per month will make us rich - but mostly in our ability to enrich the lives and eternities of others. And for that, we can't thank you enough!

Dreams

(Platanos are like bananas, but starchier, and not as sweet. They are also delicious for breakfast when pan fried in butter, sprinkled with a little bit of suger, and then covered in heavy cream.)

I dreamed about Guatemala last night.

It was nice.

I don't usually remember my dreams, so it was an especially meaningful gift to get to wake up still smelling the fried platanos, and with the laughter of the people we met there ringing in my ears.

It makes me hungry spiritually for the experiences I know we have waiting there.

God is so good to us.

So, Um..... About the Money Thing...

We're getting ready to walk away from careers. A home. Friends. Family. Normalcy. We're getting ready to walk away from pretty much everything we've ever known, in order move to Guatemala to share the gospel and the love of Christ. Want to know what the hardest part of that is for us?

The money part.

Sounds silly, maybe, but it's true. You see, we've always been the 'go to work, pay your bills on time, live within your means' kind of people. We've had some lean years. We've had some less lean years. But, through it all, we always had the underlying sense of satisfaction that comes from working hard and reaping the reward of that hard work.

We won't have that in Guatemala.

It is humbling beyond what words can tell to think about living a life depending on other people's financial support. Humbling, and (quite frankly) scary. It is very easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of doubt and worry - obsessing over whether or not there will be enough money for us to do what we need to do.

Which is silly.

Our God is a big, big God. He's so big He even sees and takes care of sparrows. And grass. And the lilies of the field. I know He will take care of us when we seek His kingdom first. I mean, the original missionaries (disciples) were told to go out into the world without even an extra pair of sandals or any money at all. God knew that there would be people along the way to provide them with every necessity and blessing they would need, just like there will be people to do the same for us.

But, we've got to ask those people, and that's where it gets tough for me.

I feel pulled - between the call of God to ask everyone we know to partner with us in this mission,  and my own fears that we will alienate our friends, family, and acquaintances by asking for their financial support.

I don't want to lose friends. I don't want people to be annoyed by me, or think less of me, or to never want to have anything to do with me again. But, even more than that, I don't want to lose out on what God wants/needs me to do. I don't want God to be annoyed by me, or think less of me, or to never want to have anything to do with me again. <gulp>

So, that's why I'm asking everyone I've ever met to support us and our mission. Even though it's humbling. Even though it's hard.

Sometimes, when I think about doing speaking engagements and asking people for their financial partnership ('cause we really haven't had to do that much, yet), I practice speeches in my head that I'd like to say.

Things like:

"Oh, dear friend/family member/co-worker/acquaintance/person I just met a few seconds ago -

I want you to know that I promise not to be offended if you choose not to give us money. Really! Honest!!

I'm only asking you to partner with us financially because I know, that I know, that I know, that I know that this is what God is asking me to do, and that out of my obedience, He will be greatly glorified and magnified in my life, and in your life, and in the lives of others we have not yet even met or imagined.

And, dear friend/family member/co-worker/ etc... -

I hope that you choose to partner in our mission for exactly the same reason - because you are also excited to know, that you know, that you know that you're being called to give because it will glorify and magnify God, and that's what you long to do in life."

We do not want pity money. Or feeling-sorry-for-you money. Or given-out-of-guilt money. (Ok, so we'd *take* that money if you felt like giving it, of course, but we would hope your reasons would change once you followed the impulse to give, so we could all be blessed by the experience.)

Most of all, though, we don't necessary want money at all, per se. What we want are people who will catch our vision of sharing the gospel. What we want are people who want to give their whole lives (finances included) to furthering Christ's kingdom. What we want are partners, not just givers, who will be with us for the long haul, and lend their faith and their prayers for this mission.

That's what we're looking for. And, even though it sounds reallyreallyreally big and impossible to me, nothing is impossible or too hard for God, and that's something I can truly bank on.

So - do you feel called to partner with us? We are looking for people who will commit to monthly contributions in order to meet our $2,500 monthly need. We're also looking for people who want to contribute occasionally, as they are able or feel led to do so, in order to build our $10,000 sending/emergency fund.

All donations are tax-deductible! Payments can be made by check through the mail to

World Outreach Ministries

PO Box B

Marietta, GA 30061

(Write 'Farrier - 251' in the memo section)

Or, donations can be made online (including setup of monthly donations using credit or debit cards) at this address:

www.worldoutreach.org/donate

(Select 'Farrier' from the pulldown menu)

There really is no wrong way or amount to contribute, as long as you're led by God in your giving! (Seriously. If that means you feel led not to give, we won't have any hard feelings about. I promise. I hope that you won't have hard feelings about the fact that we're asking.)

And, if the sacrifice of faithful of prayer is what you have to give to our mission, we'd love that as well! We want this whole experience to be positively bathed in prayers!

Remember - God's promise is that everyone (you, us, those in Guatemala, and God himself) will be blessed by giving to missionaries. (2 Cor. 9:10-11, Phil. 4:17, Phil. 4:19) Thank you for your faithfulness and generosity on His behalf!