Destination: Southeast Asia

You all know by now that Patrick and I plan to move to southeast Asia within the next 3 years or so to do full time missions among Muslims.  As part of our preparation for this we'll be taking several short term trips to the country to be involved in ministry and to meet other missionaries.

Our first such trip is coming up soon.  We'll be in southeast for two weeks, and our purpose is twofold:  

1. Meet up with another missionary, who has been in country for several years, and learn how he does ministry and if he is someone we'd like to partner with down the road
2. Stay among Muslim villagers and share our love for Christ with them

I know that we still have much to learn about full time ministry among another people group, and that's why I'm looking forward to this trip.  Our team (three friends still in Okinawa, and us) has been preparing for many months now, praying together, studying God's Word together, and planning for what kind of ministry we will have someday.  We've spent a long time preparing for this short term trip, and it's exciting to see it all come together!  We know that above all this will be a learning experience for all of us, and we excited to see what God has to show us.

Patrick and I have been so blessed by the financial and prayer support of friends and family, and we are so grateful for everyone who has caught the vision of what God has called us to do!  We really want this trip to have a foundation in prayer, and there are several things you can pray for:

• Pray that God would give everyone on our team a humble, teachable heart
• Pray for the people we will encounter with whom we will share the gospel
• Pray that God would give us a love for the people in this country
• Pray that we would constantly be reminded that our work is not about us but about the love of Christ and how the Holy Spirit is working through us.

Recently I was telling someone about our call to missions, and she said she too would love to be a missionary but had no idea where to start.  That's the beauty of what we're doing, at first we had no idea either!  This whole process has been Spirit led, and I think that's what will make it a successful ministry.  It's easy to think that people who go into missions always have everything figured out, but the more I learn, the more I realize that's not true.  Missionaries are normal people like me and you who are willing to be obedient to God's call in their lives.  They aren't spiritual superheroes, they are just people who love Jesus and want to make his name great among the nations.  All we have to do is be willing to let God use us, and the Lord will guide our steps through the process.  After all, after giving the Great Commission Jesus said, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20).  Amen!

It's doubtful that we'll have internet access while we're overseas, but I'm looking forward to posting more updates about our trip when we return so stay tuned!