After finishing up a spirit-filled night of ministry, prayer and worship at our small group. Andrew and I are gathering our things for a twenty hour drive to Oklahoma. This is a faith trip in many ways. We have a good friend who recently moved to OK City to work for a ministry known as Burn 24/7. She's invited us to come and meet their director, meet people who are interested in hearing about our vision and speak at a few home groups and maybe even a few churches. Ultimately, this wonderful servant friend of ours planned nearly all of it. Andrew and I are getting in our car and driving tonight. We have no idea what will happen on this trip, but we are believing in faith that people will be ministered to and new laborers will be recruited for the kingdom of God. We are believing for more financial partners and strategic divine appointments.

We've brought our tent and sleeping bags, just in case we have to sleep in a local camp ground (hotels are overrated.) We're ready for the best and ready for the worst. Please pray this trip is a success as we are investing quite a bit into it. We know it won't be in vain.

There isn't anything "PRETTY" about missions. You often hear stories of how millions came to Christ and revival broke out in nations as the glory of the Gospel was received. Just remember, that's only a fraction of the missionary's story. Much pain, toil, loneliness and tears came before that. Overland Missions often puts it this way, "It's 90% travel and 10% glory." But the bible says, "those who sow in tears, will reap in joy."

People think we're nuts sometimes, but sometimes you have to do what you can and then take a few steps in blind faith and don't be afraid to fail. Failure is a friend to success; it teaches us. Quitting is the opposite. Love is the root of missions, sacrifice is the fruit of missions. Remember that!

Pray for us and pray for our time. You are a blessing to us, those of you who read our journals. We hope these journals are an encouragement to you and that you are blessed.

 

**New video has been posted under "DR Congo"
The days are moving quickly... It's very easy to be spread thin. An errand here and there, by the time you know it, you have run out of day. We have been praying for God to open the right doors in every arena of life: finances, relationships, paperwork for the Congo, personal revelation.  The bible says in Mark 11:23, "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him." That very verse, gives us more than enough faith for the tasks ahead.

Everyday we get a plethora of responses to our Congo vision. "I'm Jealous," "you're crazy," "why don't you try getting a job," "you inspire me" and everything in between. Everyone has their two cents to give. I remember a lesson someone taught me years and years ago. "You have to be tenderhearted and tough skinned," he told me. That was wisdom. Andrew and I have been walking in that, embracing the "substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen."  Speaking life into the DR Congo, life into Overland Missions and life into our personal lives. On the same token, we've really been in a spiritual battle; some days are blue skies, others gray clouds, other days we are too busy to even look up and see the sky. What we do see is the path set before us: it's frontier missions. We were born to worship God in the places that people curse God in. (People may not always curse God with there words, but there actions surely do.)

God is developing us to push forward as frontline soldiers so that many others with evangelistic gifts, medical skills, teaching techniques, etc. can visit places that would have otherwise been forgotten. We are pushing against lawlessness, fear, apathy-- against deception, hatred and pride. The power of Jesus empowers people. It does not matter if you live in the third world or the first world, people need to be empowered. While in America, we're taking steps to empower the first world, challenging them to go to the third world. Andrew spoke last weekend at Perspectives, a world missions course, for three hours. In that meeting we challenged people to see beyond their own cultural barriers and begin waging war for the kingdom of God. After that we led a concert of prayer. We prayed over people and commissioned them. Tears streamed down peoples faces as God worked in their hearts. We saw the Holy Spirit move. It was wonderfully deep.

We are beginning a home group called "Overflow," where adults between ages 18-30 can come and be taught about the spiritual disciplines, the purpose of Pentecost and God's heartbeat for missions. Jesus didn't just teach, he demonstrated and after that he involved his disciples in His work. This is what we are doing. We believe that this group will produce deep spirit filled disciples who understand love worship and love missions.

There's an excuse for everything. No time, no money, "caution," you name it. But we refuse to live in a place of excuses. The word says, "Though the vision tarry, wait for it, for it will sure come to pass." We know exactly what we were put on the earth to do and we are pursuing with reckless abandonment.

Only two more months until Congo!


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