A Few Thanks and Surely Some Left Out

As always no list of thanks is ever complete and no omission great or small is intentional. I want to list some of the people who are not traveling but who have been a help to us on this trip. In no particular order...

• Bobbi Nelson helped organize one garage sale and hosted another to help with raising funds.
• Bryan Hammons for agreeing to take two adrenalin buzzing travelers and luggage to the airport.
• Dennis and Pam Cheek for sharing luggage and their love for Thai food. Yes, Stephanie found Thai food she liked.
• Manny Toledo for making and selling salsa.
• Our entire small group for praying, supporting and allowing us to participate in this missions opportunity.
• All of our friends who had to endure our excitement about this trip.

There are plenty of others who have helped us and the others in the group and this is by no means a comprehensive list.

A Word of Explanation

Most everyone reading this blog knows that we are going to Thailand in a couple of days. For those who are not up to speed on why we are going or what we will be doing there, I'd like to share some details.

We are traveling to Thailand to participate in a ministry that offers Bibles to tourists on vacation from China. They will be able to take the materials they receive back home. There are 10 of us going on this trip as a part of our small group from Fielder Road Baptist Church. We hope to be able to share details of our activities and some pictures each day.

Stephanie has had a heart for global missions since before I met her. I was much slower to come around. This is my first experience and I am thankful for the example of my parents, John and Madeline for showing that regular people could go and serve the Lord in faraway places. I am taking this journey wide eyed and ready to see what the Lord has in store for us. We appreciate and need your prayers for us as we leap off into this exciting and sometimes overwhelming endeavor.

Thanks to Linda and Laylan for watching the boys for us during these 2 weeks. Thats one less worry for us and lots less rest for them.

We depart July 31st and look forward to sharing our journey with you.

Time with the Boys

I spent some time with the boys hiking around the Fort Worth Nature Center today. The wildlife was scarce. I think that they were forewarned of our presence by stomping boys excitedly yelling their way through the woods. We are now in the waiting period to see if any of those green plants hanging over onto the trail were poison ivy. That would be an exciting footnote to the trip. Josh loves hiking and can't wait to return without his little brother so we can go all day. Stephanie spent the day washing and packing the boys for their trek to Nana and Pops' house.

1 Week Away

9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power
is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about
my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for
Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in
persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 9&10

One week away and I am mindful that we do not go in our own strength, but in the strength of the Lord. For all the moving parts of this endeavor to come together, the Lord must be at work. As the excitement builds, the reality of the task looms. One week to get everything together and wrap up all the loose ends. Make all the arrangements for work to go on as if I were there, get the boys to their grandparents, pack those bags and be ready for a life changing journey of faith. At least I've got it into a list that sounds pretty simple. I expect that many times during the next three weeks I will see God's power made perfect through my weakness.

Countdown. . . .

We are eight days away from departing for Thailand. Bags aren't packed, but hearts are ready as we prepare to travel around the world to deliver the Word of God. We've been studying missionaries since elementary school. Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong were icons and to imagine that we will step onto a mission field far away is an amazing thought. It is difficult to imagine that God could use us to spread His Word to such an unreached land.

We are praying for the tourists we will encouter that God will plant a willingness to recieve the Bible and seek God. We are as eager for their vacation as they are.