I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane

Late January 2008 was the last time we saw many of our friends and family. September 1, 2009 we will board a plane for our mid term trip home to visit those we left behind some eighteen months ago. It seems like a lifetime ago in some ways and yet it has passed rather quickly in other ways. The old saying I've heard all my life "you don't miss the water till the well runs dry" certainly has made itself brilliantly clear to me. I didn't realize how much I loved and cherished my family until I was in the position where I couldn't hop in the van and go visit them anytime I had the urge. Oh, but our God is so gracious, loving and compassionate. Morning by morning His mercy was there for Randy and me to carry us through each day.

We have started throwing things into suitcases, preparing for our voyage. It's amazing the quantity of stuff we have bought for Emma! Needless to say our adrenalin is reaching a higher mark each day. We are anxiously awaiting the moment of arrival at the airport in Kansas City, MO. Among those waiting to greet us will be Emma, our first grandchild. Emma was born in January. She is 7 months old, we have seen her numerous occasions on skype, talked and laughed with her and have enjoyed her so very much. However, we haven't had the joy of holding that precious bundle in our arms. I have warned our children who will be there that I will try not to be an embarrassment to them.....but whether I will be able to contain myself is another story. I just wonder who will reach Emma first......me or Randy? It is wonderful to be Grandparents, even though it has been from a long distance. Our little blue-eyed gift from God has captured our hearts without a doubt.

Of course, we are very excited to see our children too! We have missed them terribly. We are looking forward to a blessed visit with all of them. We are praying that God will have used this time apart as a tool to strengthen our relationship with our children, cause our love to have grown deeper (if that was possible)and to be a bold witness to each one of them.

Pray for us as we make this very happily anticipated trip home. We want to have a wonderful time of rest, fun and reunion with our family and friends. Most importantly we want everything we say and do to bring glory to God.

Preparing To Go Home

Over the next 6 weeks Teresa and I will travel over 13,000 miles (21000 kilometers) to be with our family and friends. Some of these we have been blessed to have gotten mail from, to have talked to on the phone, seen and talked to on the computer, and even been visited by here in Galati. We are very thankful for the technology that allows us these opportunities to communicate with all of them. But there are many which we have not been in direct contact with, these include some of the most important people in our lives, those who are praying to our Father and asking on our behalves for things like understanding, wisdom, courage, boldness, safety, strength, health, and only God knows what else. Of course many of the people we have had contact with have also prayed a great many times for us as well, but they know how much they mean to us, I want to thank those who only take time to pray for us right now for they too are near to our hearts.
We are here to be ambassadors for Christ, which we were at home as well, but here we really are in front of people representing the Kingdom of God. Not only is this a humbling position to find yourself in, it is also a spot where you have to regularly think, am I able to do this?
What comes to my mind is that the best way to be an ambassador is to represent in the same likeness of the person or Kingdom that you were sent from. Ours is the Kingdom of God, and God is love.
That brings me back to those who show God’s love by praying for us, we would not be able to show God’s love through all the pressures of being here if people were not praying for us! Thank you forever, those who take time to ask our Father to watch over us, it is by His power we are able to carry on!
So I ask you to continue to pray for us as we travel that we can encourage others to serve God and lead others to Him and His saving power.
I thank my God for you every time I think of you; and every time I pray for you all, I pray with joy because of the way in which you have helped me in the work of the gospel from the very first day until now. Phi 3-5

2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

Joh 13:34-35 And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples."

1Jo 4:16 We have known and believed that God loves us. God is love. Those who live in God's love live in God, and God lives in them.

2Th 3:1 Finally, our friends, pray for us that the Lord's message may continue to spread rapidly and be received with honor, just as it was among you.
2Th 3:2 Pray also that God will rescue us from wicked and evil people; for not everyone believes the message.