Mission Amore

Where we are...

2010-11-10T10:20:00.000-08:00

Sab·bat·i·cal [suh-bat-i-kuhl]–

adjective 1.of or pertaining or appropriate to the Sabbath. 2.(lowercase) of or pertaining to a sabbatical year. 3.(lowercase) bringing a period of rest.–

noun

4.(lowercase) sabbatical year. 5.(lowercase) any extended period of leave from one's customary work, esp. for rest, to acquire new skills ortraining, etc.

Why Italy?

2010-10-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

Why not Iraq, Iran, China, Africa, or hundreds of other countries??

Well, #1, because God told us to go to Italy. But, for those of you who like statistics to make a "rational" decisions, here are some facts that may interest you:

(from "Operation World" by Patrick Johnstone)

Here are the numbers of evangelical (protestant) Christians around the world. Please keep in mind that the term "unreached" refers to populations of less than 2-5%...

Solomon Islands 73%

Namibia 67.9%

United States 51.3%

Zaire 36%

Romania 8%

China 5.1%

Pakistan 1.06%

Saudi Arabia 1%

Italy 0.82%

Laos 0.72%

Iran and Iraq 0.6% (combined)

It is quite interesting/sad that there are almost as many Christians (evangelical-bible teaching) in Iran and Iraq than all of Italy! That was a statistic that floored me.

Our trip to Italy was eye opening. We traveled from Rome, to Verona by train (with stops at Ciampoino, Santa Maria Delle Mole, Ancona, Rovigio, Bologna, Lama, and Milano). We witnessed such a beautiful country with many dark secrets. Homelessness was evident, as was drug use, idolatry, and prostitution.

We heard God speaking to us very clearly, and will let you know where we will be serving in just a few weeks.

Please continue to hold our family in your prayers.

Nothing Insightful Here, move along...

2010-09-10T06:01:00.000-07:00

This blog is purely just a blog about personal feelings, fears, questions. You can read on to get a view inside my head at this exact moment in time, or just move on to some of the other, better written blogs. As always, thanks for checking in and keeping our family in your prayers.

A moment in time, inside my head, before we head to our first trip to Italy, and mine overseas. We leave in just 2 weeks

I have a thousand and three questions inside of me, just waiting to get answered.

Some are very trivial: "Can I get a week's worth of clothes into a backpack light enough to count as carry on?" "What happens if a plane is late and makes us miss our next flight?" "What if our luggage doesn't make it when we do?"

Some are personal: "Will the other teams like us?" "What will we be eating?" "I wonder if we will be disgusting (from dust/dirt) every day?" One word, "bathrooms" "What if we get lost?"

Some are Spiritual: "Will I be able to hear God's voice?" "Where does He want us?" "How will it feel to go to a church service where we don't understand a single word?"

All are just fearful! Many thoughts and fears, few answers, everything "foreign".

The next blog will be full of answers, we hope. We have no idea how this "missionary thing" works. We are going along, with God leading. Great place to be, but scary when all you can do is "feel" blindly what is being put in front of you.

We don't know what we are doing. We are not from a "missionary family". I've never even stepped off of American soil before. Why did God call US?? Well, it is simply because He knew we'd say "yes". We did! Now what??

I can't wait to write all of the answers to these questions, next month. Please pray with me (and for our family) during this time.

Until The Whole World Hears,

Michele

Matthew 15 De-Mystified

2010-08-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

Matthew 15:21-28

I've read, re-read, and read again this Chapter, and have disliked every single sentence, except for verse 28. I could never understand, how the loving Jesus I knew, was treating this poor lady as cruelly as was being portrayed.

Then I went to a class called KAIROS in Louisville, KY. And God opened my blind eyes to what was NOT written on the page. Now I LOVE THESE VERSES!!

I understand, now, that Jesus was using satire humor, something that I am quite familiar with.

What I didn't read, all of this time, was the "in-between" things that were going on between Jesus and the Canaanite woman. For instance: verse 23 Jesus didn't answer (how rude! I had thought), BECAUSE he was waiting on the disciples reaction (would they finally get the teachings Jesus had been teaching day after day...no). Unfortunately they were thinking, "FINALLY Jesus gets what we've been trying to tell him. God isn't for Canaanite dogs! God is for blessing Jews only, because WE are His chosen." (WRONG AGAIN!!)

Jesus tries again to prod the disciples to doing the right thing: Jesus answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread (God's blessings on the Jews) and toss it to their dogs (the slang for Canaanites/gentiles)." ((and what was NOT written, that I FINALLY GOT...)) as he winked at the Canaanite woman, when the disciples were not looking.

((again reading between the lines)) The Canaanite woman, catching Jesus's wink, plays along with a sly grin, "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."

((between the lines)) Seeing that he now has the full attention of the disciples, who are getting the jest of what is happening, Jesus looks at the disciples and says: "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted."

The Jews knew that they were a blessed nation from WAY back in Genesis, chapter 12, when God told Abram, "I will bless you". What the Jews chose to ignore was the rest of the verse that states "...and you WILL BE a blessing...and all peoples on earth will be blessed THROUGH YOU."

They put themselves above all non-Jews and treated them like "dogs". What Jesus was trying to teach them is that they weren't there to get and keep all of the blessings to themselves, but to share them with the "lesser" peoples of the earth. Look at your neighbor with LOVE, and not as a DOG! If you love your neighbor as yourself, then they cease being dogs, and become brothers/sisters.

What wonderful verses! Jesus using good humor, a willing accomplice, and some chastened disciples to explain a covenant that was given, by God, to the Jews at the beginning of time.

Now, how will we pass this message along? Until next time...

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We will be heading to Italy at the end of September for a couple of weeks. During this time, we will be meeting our (hopefully) future teammates and deciding where God will place us.

Please pray for safe travels, funds, health, and safety of those who will be care taking our animals while we are abroad.

Take up your mat

2010-07-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

Jesus asked him, "Do you want to get well?...Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." John 5:6-8

Why was this man laying on a mat? He was an invalid for 38 years (we find in previous verses). We don't know exactly what is wrong, or how it happened, but we know he's been in this lifestyle for 38 years. That is a long time to lay on a mat, begging for bits and pieces of food/coin/charity to come his way.

So Jesus asked him, "Do you want to get well?". Well, duh! Jesus, why would you ask that question?? Well, we know Jesus never asked a question to get an answer for himself, he already knows the answers. What was he trying to get the invalid to think about?

Oh how I love to lay on my mat! To be on the same mat, knowing how your day will go day after day for over thirty years is a comforting thing. Even if you are living a life of poverty, a life of sin, or a life of whatever, there is comfort in knowing what tomorrow will bring.

This man had many excuses as to why he could stay on that mat. If he got off of the mat, he didn't know how to gather food/work/live. Staying on the mat pretty much guaranteed a coin thrown here or there, or a sympathetic ear to your wailing. What would happen when he got up off of the mat?

Well the man found out. He got up, and after a while met up with Jesus again at the temple.

There Jesus told him, "...Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." (verse 14).

The poor invalid was now able to walk, and he headed to the temple (some time later). Now he was being asked to quit sinning. Why? I wonder what was going through his mind? Was he thinking, "poor pitiful me, I wish I had never met that Jesus"? Do you think he was trying to figure out a way to steal his next meal? Do you think he had thrown his mat down, lain on it, and was pretending to be an invalid again? Do you think that he was scared that all he had known for over 38 years had been turned up-side-down?

We will never know (this side of Heaven). All that we know is that Jesus said, "stop sinning" and "take up your mat and walk".

Don't lay there in your sin, feeling sorry for yourself. Don't look trouble in the face and give up. Don't rely on the charity of others to get you moving. Take up your own mat, grab Jesus' hand AND WALK.

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God is so good to us. We are preparing to get off of our "farm mat" and enter a world where we don't know what tomorrow will bring. We will be relying on the goodness of God to bring us financial partners who will walk with us on our journey.

We are so excited to be heading out into this journey, and scared. I will admit that openly!

We KNOW what God has asked us to do, we just don't know HOW He will enable us to do it.

Please pray for us over the next year as we start walking.

June/July Recap...

2010-07-07T05:25:00.000-07:00

Over 12 baptisms, dozens committing (or re-committing) their lives to Christ, and hundreds had the opportunity to hear about Christ's love for them and the entire world.

Here is a short recap of the first half of our summer:

Covered in sin?

2010-07-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

I love this photo. It was taken the first day of July, at an Elementary School Summer Camp that we spoke at. The theme of the week was "Sticky Situations". Can you tell why?

My favorite part of this photo isn't Tom, covered in all of this goo, but look around him (we'll get to Tom in just a moment). There are dozens of people just walking along, minding their own business. No one even seems to notice Tom, in all of his glory.

This photo reminds me of our sin. We are all covered in it! Every single one of us. When God sees us, he doesn't see the clean people walking around in the background.

We don't see our own grossness. We all think we are clean. We are wrapped up in our own lives, hugging and laughing, living "the life".

But what does God see?

He sees us, just as this photo shows Tom. All covered in lies, deceit, anger, pride, and grossness. God chooses to hug us anyway. He came out of His clean throne room to be spit upon, tortured, and die. He came here to wash us clean of our filth so that we could all be clean. God takes his big water hose of Holy Spirit and hoses off all of that gunk, and clothes us with white robes of righteousness. Praise HIM!!

As you can see from the above photo, we had a great time at our second (and final) camp of 2010. We raised over $1,000 toward our airfare for this fall's scouting trip to Italy.

We will be spending this month preparing our house to go on the market for sale. We will also be seeking more partners in prayer and finances.

Prayer Requests:

+Quick sale of our farm

+Safety for Larry, who will be traveling to his new home soon.

+ Serenity for our family as we enter a time of chaos and change

And the first shall be last...

2010-06-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

^{Michele teaching at a camp full of middle school age kids this June.}

^{Mark 9:35"}And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."

This month has been a month of firsts: Our first month as official "Missionary Recruits" with our sender, our first children's camp as missionaries, our first donation, our first missionary bank account, our first financial partnering, and our first newsletter mailing.

We are so excited to have come this far, and are looking forward to many more months of preparing before we actually head overseas.

I've talked to numerous middle-school age kids this month (over 200). In these talks, I've explained that EVERYONE can (and is called) to be a missionary. That doesn't mean that you need to pack up and move across the ocean, but it does mean that you need to move. God warns that you are not to remain idle, comfortable, lazy in your witness. It is good to rest when needed, but when you consistently remain idle, trouble finds you.

Did God call me to become a foreign missionary because I'm perfect? Sinless? I have the Bible memorized? NO, of course not.

God called me because He knew that I'd say "YES". Not because this will be fun. Not because I'm anxious to move to another country. Not because I want to uproot my family from their home church. I said yes because I love God (period). I said yes to becoming last.

He will equip me as I need it. I just need to go and open my mouth. He will fill it with HIS words.

Will you join me in my journey? We are looking for partners in finances and prayer! Email me at mradams333@yahoo.com to join our mission. We will be praying that God speaks to you, and that you say "YES" to whatever call He places on your heart.

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PRAYER REQUESTS:

+Safety in traveling this month to Washington, IN

+Motivation as we prepare to sell our farm

+Perfect neighbors in Italy

+New friends for our girls in Italy

+Financial Partnerships to come fast and without worry

We're on our way...

2010-06-15T19:34:00.001-07:00

You can print and mail the above card to: Adams Family Donations;

8868 Andrea Court; Newburgh, IN 47630

Photo of Aaron, who sacrificed

his hair and beard for our

fundraiser at camp!

It's happened!

We've been approved as "recruits" with our sending company. This means that we are a go to head overseas. Where exactly? That will be determined this fall, after our short trip. When do we start working in the field? Late next year (2011), God willing.

We are now seeking partners in prayer and finances so that we can head over for a short (2 week or so) trip to Italy and meet the other wonderful teammates already there. Then we will find out exactly where God is planting our family for the next decade (or longer).

We could sure use you on our team!!

In the book of 1Samuel, 30:9-25, there is an interesting story, that I will paraphrase for you:

David and his army went down to fight the Amalekites. On his way to fight them, 200 men in his army became too tired to go on. Leaving them at a base camp, the rest of the army went down, defeated the Amalekites, and plundered them. On their way back into base-camp with the loot, some of the "evil" (quoted) men and "troublemakers" said that they would not share the plunder with the 200 who did not go to the front lines. David replied, "The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to battle".

This is our partnership with you! Our family has been asked to physically go into the field, while you (perhaps) have been asked to stay back at base-camp, supporting us through prayer and finances. We will all share the eternal rewards equally!

Although our family will physically see the front-lines, we feel that your "jobs" are much more important: protecting our backs, supporting us spiritually, and sacrificing your finances all for God's work in Italy.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the prayers you have already given for us, on God's behalf, and are now ready to join you in financial support as well.

Please call us at 270-454-9666 or email mradams333@yahoo.com (or missionamore@gmail.com) to let us know how you would like to partner with us this next year. We will be sending out letters, as well as placing phone calls, so you may hear from us soon.

We have been blessed with our first fundraising of $826 (which will pay for 1 1/2 plane tickets), at a Middle School Camp in Washington, IN. We have another camp planned for elementary school kids in late June. We are praying that we reach the goal of gathering enough funds for the rest of the plane tickets then.

Please prayerfully consider how you might partner with us in this wonderful adventure. Let us know your prayer requests, as well, because this is a two way road!! We love praying for you!

God bless you!!

We keep on waiting (waiting) on the world to change...

2010-05-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

The world IS changing, every single minute, but not for the better.

Did you know that 50,000 people die, every single day, without knowing who Christ is? It's so hard to believe that in today's world of cell phones and satellite TV and internet, but it is true!

In Revelation, it talks about a final battle that will leave blood "up to a horse's bridle" from the dead. That is a LOT of dead. Not one of them will be in Heaven. They could be your brother, or mother, or neighbor. Now, I'm not trying to scare you, what would be the good in that? However, it is a cold hard fact that makes my heart heavy.

In Jesus' triumphal entry, he wept. Why? Because, even in the midst of all the celebration of God's kingdom come to earth, He remembered those who won't make it.

We take time to celebrate the precious few who DO make it every week at church. We will all get to spend our eternity worshiping and celebrating God. All the while, pushing to the back of our minds the sadness of those millions of people who will never get to celebrate with us. They will spend their ETERNITY someplace very different.

If this post makes you mad, or sad, or upset, then it has done it's job- to wake you up.

This is the burden we, as Christians, carry with us. We are not to be complacent in our jobs. We are not to be wrapped up in our kid's athletic programs. We are not to be secluding ourselves in our church. All of these things are good, and pleasant! They are not sinful, in itself.

However, would you continue to watch TV if you knew your neighbor's house was on fire? Would you continue on to that game if you saw a horrific wreck happen right in front of your eyes? Would you continue singing at church if a tornado was ripping through your town?

This past week, on our way home from church, there was a bus broke down on the side of the road. It was a large white bus that read "Church Bus" in big black letters. I pulled over and Tom went back to make sure someone had a phone to call for help. We couldn't offer more than that, as our car was full, and we have no mechanical knowledge to offer to fix the bus. When Tom went back to talk to the driver, we were shocked to learn that the bus had been sitting there for more than 40 minutes and we were the FIRST people to stop and offer help.

How sad for our area that not one single car, on a busy major interstate, stopped to offer help to a church bus!!

Wake up America! What are you waiting for?! It's coming, and may catch you napping. Be vigilant, because the time is near.

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We have a 2 week wait before we can offer any new updates on our quest to become foreign missionaries. Until then, we find that we have a ton of mission work right here in the US. Please join us in prayer over the next months as things get sorted out. I'll update as soon as we have any new information. Thanks for reading and keeping our family in your prayers!!

Another Sports Analogy

2010-05-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

By: Tom Adams

Even though we all like to think we’re complex beings, I guess I’m a pretty simple guy. Because last night God spoke to me about something I really thought I already understood, but he dumbed it down even more for me!

I love to watch sports. Live or on television it doesn’t matter (well, ok, some are better live!), and although I am very un-athletic, I appreciate the way these team sports work. Anyway, God spoke to me last night about the missions journey my family is on in terms of a simple sports analogy.

Let’s just say that I have played baseball throughout my elementary, Jr. High and High School years. Maybe I even played in college. But I will never be successful in Major League Baseball if I am not called up in the draft. End of story. No matter how much I want it, no matter how skilled I am, if I’m not picked in the draft, I better find something else that makes me happy, because I haven’t been chosen!

Okay, so for the sake of argument, let’s just say that Steinbrenner saw me play, and he wants to give me a shot. If I plan on accepting an offer to play with (Ugh!) the Yankees, I had better have done my homework and made sure that I can play within the system of the coaching staff. If they have a totally different coaching style than I have been under, or if their style of play doesn’t use my athletic strengths, I might want to look for another team who will be happier with my fit, and who will allow me to be happier and contribute in a more beneficial way, or no amount of ability or confidence from Mr. Steinbrenner will make this a good fit.

Now, I have been called up, I fit into the coaching system and style of play, but I have never met any of my teammates, and I really don’t know them personally. Sure I’ve read their stats and seen their baseball cards, but I haven’t had the opportunity to hang out and really get to know them. I had better go to New York (or better yet St. Louis!) and meet the guys I will be playing, and practicing, and traveling, and doing life with.

This is where my family is right now. We are grateful to have been called by God (what an overwhelming sentence to type!). We have strong conviction that we should serve the people of Italy (although we have no idea where in Italy). We have met with (and love!) Team Expansion, and if we are accepted as Recruits, our next step is to take a visit to Italy to meet the teams there and see if we are a fit in the work, the place and to just meet the people personally that we have been “cyber-stalking” for all of these months. I feel I am a part of this work and that I know these workers simply because I have spent so much time reading their “baseball cards” and praying for them and the work, but honestly, we don’t know each other very well. Also, God has placed a love for the Italian people in our hearts, but we have never visited their country or met them personally either! So when the process of support raising begins, we will be asking for your partnership to go and “scout” out the major leagues. I can’t wait to meet the awesome people God is using to do his work there, and to travel to the place I have fallen in love with without ever visiting (weird!?!).

Thank you all for the past and continued prayers. We really feel them, and will need them in the future as we go on the road.

Great Expectations...

2010-04-28T18:48:00.001-07:00

In just a few days we will find out what God has in store for the rest of our lives!!

We leave for LAUNCH with Team Expansion at the end of the week.

We will spend our first day visiting with a church that partners with Team Expansion for the Italian missionaries. The first night we will spend in a hotel, letting the kids have a fun evening of swimming and "vacation".

Then we start, full throttle with Team Expansion's training on Monday...

We hope that by the end of the two weeks: we are accepted, we will find out a time-line, and a plan for our family for the next couple of years...

We could sure use your prayers over the next couple of weeks.

If you are "into" facebook, you can look up "Mission Amore Team" and request to join that group. It will be updated as often as I can over the next couple of weeks to keep people informed of prayer requests and such.

I will update this blog when we return, mid-May.

Prayer Requests for the next couple of weeks:

Safety in traveling, including car behaving

No sickness during this time

Hospitality to our host family (who are generously allowing us to stay with them next week)

Partnering with Team Expansion

Open doors to Italy

Perfect will (God's)

Kids having fun

That our old brains can handle the "schooling" and information

Perfect peace

Safety and health of our animals at home...and for their caretakers

A Glimpse at the Adams Family

2010-04-15T14:16:00.001-07:00

Just had to share some family photos taken at our farm on 4/14/10...

April Showers...

2010-04-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

are supposed to bring May flowers. At least, that's how the saying goes.

So far, April has been pretty dry here in Kentucky...except for my eyes.

We've watched our horses leave our farm in trailers. We've lost almost all of our dogs/cats, due to old age.

Lots and lots to cry about...

God's promises us that he will dry our tears, not that we won't shed them!

However, there are the flowers popping up everywhere. All of the horses have great new families who will love them. Larry and Mr. P have been donated to Team Expansion, where they will become friends with missionary kids across the world...including my own (someday).

We are down to the one cat and dog that will be traveling with us, when we enter the mission's field.

We will be heading to Team Expansion in three weeks to find out what our future holds (hopefully service in Italy).

Until then, we wait. While we are waiting, we are taking lots of time to smell the flowers.

Prayer Requests:

+God's will and placement in our mission field

+Quick sale of our farm in Kentucky

+Schooling completion for Tom and Brooke in 2011

+Homeschooling for Clara (she has been in public school to this point)

+Peace

+Partnering with the right team, abroad and here in America

He gives and takes away...

2010-03-03T16:26:00.000-08:00

How many times have I sang that? This month, the true meeting set in.

This month God has taken away a lot of what he so graciously gave us 20 years ago. Three weeks ago, He took back our 23 year old dog, Rascal. This past week, He took back our 20 year old dog, Crickett. Today he took back our 10 year old parakeet, Baby Bird.

These were wonderful family members that He gave us to cherish, love, and look after. We enjoyed a full 19+ years with both of our dogs. Before we were married, before we had our children, we had our two dogs. We taught them much, and they loved us more. We did our best to look after them and treat them like kings/queens. We hope that God was happy with the life they had here, and we hope that they are waiting at the pearly gates for us to "come home".

10 years ago, God gave us a horse farm to start building our dreams on. We taught many students, and they became our extended family (we even had the privilege of watching one family give their lives to Christ). We birthed three foals on these grounds, and buried many of our pets. We've laughed, we've cried, we've almost given up, we've started anew...and now we prepare to give it all back to God.

It's so nice to receive, but sometimes it's so hard to give it all back. But, as soon as God takes away, He gives us back so much more.

Today, after such a hard month of losses, we received word that our sender has approved us for our next phase in our journey. The committee has approved our application, and we now move to LAUNCH training! This is such a relief and a joy...mingled with our sadness.

We are now ready for the sale of "our gifts", and giving up of all of our possessions. We are taking only some clothing, our chihuahua (Chiquita), and our cat (Holly) with us when we leave. Everything else will be re-housed or sold (with the exception of a couple of family heirlooms-which will go into a storage facility).

My heart will choose to say "Blessed be Your Name"!

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Prayer Requests:
Brooke to finish her schooling (on track for Spring 11)
Tom to finish his schooling (same)
Clara as she transitions from public to homeschooling this fall
Strength and wisdom in preparing our house for the market
Quick sale and good price on our farm
Good/loving neighbors in Italy
Housing in Italy
Finding good/faithful partners in our journey both in finances and spiritual
Getting through the grief over loss of our beloved pets
Praises:
Starting the next phase with our sender
A great FIRST mission's presentation
Tom's Kairos training

"The Mighty Angel and the little Scroll"

2010-02-16T08:43:00.000-08:00

In Revelation 10 it talks about a MIGHTY ANGEL and a LITTLE SCROLL. When I read that, for some reason, my mind always reads "the little angel". I have no idea why, but it always gets turned around at that same place.

Maybe it's because I'm short, so my mind wants to find similarity?? I have not idea, but as soon as I start to read the chapter, it goes into detail over the look of the mighty angel. He gave a shout "like the roar of a lion". But he held out a little scroll.

The little scroll told a BIG STORY. It told of two witnesses, who would come and prophesy for 1,260 days and eventually be raised from the dead in 3 1/2 days.

Big things come in small packages!!

This week has been full of little messages from God.

Our "LAUNCH", originally scheduled for March, was pushed back to May.

At first we were sad, because we really want to "get started" and find out what the next couple of years look like. But then we understood the postponement was a gift from God.

Our water heater went out, and the cost for repairs was almost (to the penny) the exact amount of what we had saved back for the sitter (who will stay here for the two weeks we'll be gone for launch).

God had our backs again :) Actually He continues to hold us in His hands, which is better than guarding our backs! When those attacks come, I'm not sure we can handle them, even face to face. But God knows, and He holds us. He strengthens us. He protects us, while allowing us to grow.

So, in the meantime, while we are waiting for our LAUNCH, we continue to grow even when we feel so very little.

Prayer Requests:
Pray for partners in our mission (on the home front and abroad)
Pray for our future homestead in Italy (perfect neighbors, perfect apartment, perfect will)
Pray for our children as they prepare for a new lifestyle
Pray for the quick and perfect sale of our home/animals
Pray for the moving of other animals
Pray for continued finances
Pray for Spiritual Protection overall

That's what friends are for...

2010-01-09T08:42:00.000-08:00

"Keep smiling, keep shining, knowing you can always count on me" Dionne Warwick made this song popular, but it could be the theme song of Jesus. Corny but true.

This is what we, as Christians, try to live up to every day. We don't always succeed, but we know that there is always a new start tomorrow.

We've taken our psych evaluations, and prohibiting something awful, we will be go to a "LAUNCH" process which will be a schooling/planning of sorts and start our launching process into missions.

Until then, we wait. We will also be getting the farm ready to put on the market. After it sells (hopefully quickly), we will get an apartment in town...closer to everything, while allowing the kiddos to continue in their schools, and allowing us the freedom to travel (no horses/farm/obligations).

While we wait, we continue to grow spiritually and keep being the friends we are supposed to be...smiling, shining, and accountable.

We continue to meet many new foreign friends almost on a weekly basis now. God is just putting them in our path...almost like a gathering. We have also had several people come to us, unsolicited (except by God) to let us know that they want to be contacted when we start raising support...yeah!

Think the end is drawing near? Open your eyes and see for yourself. God is working overtime to open eyes...and satan is working just as hard to blind them.

We love you, and appreciate all of your prayers. Starting this month, I will have specific prayer needs posted below my entries.

Thanks for reading, and we'll update as soon we hear anything new...or the Lord prompts.

Prayer Requests, specific to our family:
+Positive outcome from psych evals
+Protection over our family
+Home placement for horses (specifically Theo, Arab, Larry, and Mr.P)
+Sale of house (to sell quickly and for what we ask, and to horse people that will love our facilities)
+Dealing with the loss of our pets (some to death, some to new homes)
+Kids schooling - Brooke's early graduation
+Pray that we find the perfect team to partner with, and for our neighborhood in Italy (good neighbors, friends for us/the kids)

Raising Missionaries :)

2009-11-22T17:03:00.000-08:00

Our next hurdle with our sending team is our psych evaluations. Although this is a "shoe in" (tongue in cheek) it isn't what it seems. It is basically, looking/finding stress points, to get them- before they get us, in the field :)

So, while waiting on these tests and results, which will take about a month, I'm getting ready for the next phase in our training...fundraising.

This is the thing that I've been dreading since we told God yes. Why? I have no idea! Other than maybe the humbling part?? I hate to "beg for money", as I've always thought it was...but I've been reading a book, that is (once again) changing my attitudes and thoughts.

The book is called "People Raising" by William P. Dillon. Although I've just started the book, the following passage has kicked me in the butt: "
'Oh, so you're a missionary. I see. That's nice. Uh...very interesting. Well, best of luck. See you later."
I could almost see the wall of nonunderstanding develop in some cases.
'A missionary? Wow, I'd better be careful what I say. This guy must have a hotline to God. Why would anyone want to throw his life away like that? I feel sorry for him--all that suffering and persecution he will go through in some out-of-the-way corner of the world.'
Oh, the monologue was never spoken, but I could read it between the lines. And it made me uncomfortable. I didn't want to be different; I wanted to be a plain old ordinary sinner, just like everybody else. I didn't want to be a hotline to God. Sometimes I wasn't even sure I knew His number. And most of all, I didn't want to be pitied. That turned my stomach.
Maybe it was that word--"missionary". Maybe it should be thrown out...Too many barnacles clinging to it... Anyway, it's not my fault that people don't understand what a missionary really is--or is it?"

I'm only on page 51 of almost 300, but I've learned (so far) that we are not to be bothered with "raising funds", but raising stronger Christians. God will provide our every need, and He will use us to touch hearts, so that our every need is provided for...THROUGH HIM.

Let me try to explain a little. As Christians, we are to worship God...period. Part of that worship experience is to give back to God and to share His love with others. We do both with mission work.

We share our faith/love of God to the world, and we allow our friends in Christ to partner with us and share the rewards through the fundraising experience.

Not everyone is called to go to the actual field, but we are all called to share our faith. When someone supports financially in a missionary, they share the rewards given to that missionary (through God). They are taking part in the mission field, just as if they were out there themselves, physically.

This verse just came to me, as I type this out: 1Samuel 30 David and his men were at war with the Amalekites. Some of his men became wore out and were left behind, while the rest of the army went on to attack and plunder the Amalekites. As the army returned, they were greeted by the ones that stayed behind. "As David and his men approached, he greeted them. But the evil men and troublemakers among David's followers said, 'Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder.'...David replied, 'No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us...The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.'"

Wow, take a minute and breathe that in...words straight from God to your eyes :)

I'm now getting excited to share our ministry needs, when the time comes, with others. It's not "begging for money", it's joining forces and allowing EVERYONE to partner with us. It's getting our rewards in Heaven while we build HIS KINGDOM in worship :)

Loving God, Loving Each Other, Serving God, Reaching the Lost, Growing and Maturing

Today is a growth and mature segment...and I thank you for sharing it and partnering with us!

Please continue prayers for us as we prepare our house to go on the market in the next several months, place our horses in good homes, and continue in the testing process (spiritually and physically).

Judge Not...

2009-10-23T05:46:00.000-07:00

Another meeting with our home church! An "adjustable" timeline has been set with them. We won't know more definite dates until after March, but it looks like departing late summer of 2011 is on paper! Over the next 20 months, we have some online theology classes, some traveling with other classes (Louisville, KY and Colorado); and at least three different short term "out of country trips" (two to Italy; and one, elsewhere).

I started the LONG process of apartment hunting. We are in a catch 22...if we put our farm on the market, and it sells fast, we are homeless. However, if we wait to put the farm on the market, and it takes a while to sell, we will have to remain here (in the US) until it is sold. UGH!! So, we are making a tough decision of WHEN! It looks like, right now, we may put the farm on the market in the Spring. If it sells slow then we will have over a year to contend with the realtor. However, if it sells right away (and it just might with the deal we're giving) we will need to move to an apartment.

Another perk in apartments, is that when we have to do all of this traveling, then there are no "at home" obligations (animals/mowing/house watching). Although I can move all of the horses/animals and place them in homes, so that there won't be feeding during this time, there are still all of the other obligations above. I can also place Clara in a better middle school, because the one Brooke attended was AWFUL. Of course, we have to find an apartment with 3 bedrooms and pet friendly, which seems to be a chore. And the prices! Whew!! Oh well, it's preparing me for the high costs we will experience, should we go to Italy (the Euro is 1 1/2 X of the US Dollar currently).

On another note: I had a good friend (who just returned from the mission field) ask me "Are you prepared to be homeless and illiterate?" WOW, I hadn't thought of that. I am going to be homeless AND illiterate in Italy!

How many times have I stood in a line at WalMart behind a foreigner and thought "If you are in our country, shouldn't you know our language?"! I've even gotten aggravated standing there, as the cashier politely explains something very slowly to the foreign customer. How many times have we said, "If you don't like America, then go back home (to your own country)."

"Judge not, lest ye be judged likewise" OOPS!! A lesson is about to be learned! I will be the foreigner trying to figure out how much money (converting Euros in my head) that shirt will cost, and if I can get it in blue (azzurro), and what about the sizing (who measures in centimeters anyway??). EGADS!

Please pray for us over the next 6 months: timing is the key to everything in your prayers for us. God's timing, of course. And patience....lots and lots of patience :)

Equipping

2009-09-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

I had a good friend remind me this week that, "God does not call the equipped, but equips the called."

I had heard that saying before, but it really helped me this week.

Satan has been on the attack. We have been fighting emotional, spiritual, and even physical battles this month. Reference forms have been lost in the mail...TWICE, some friends with good intentions have allowed Satan to use them to hit us where it hurts, and this month two different missionaries have had horrible accidents. One was a brother to a missionary in Italy*, in a horrible car accident; and the other was a missionary** (in Taipei) himself hit by a car. Both remain in a coma and both have been bathed in prayer by me (and our family). (*Update: the brother is still in a coma - over 30 days after the accident, please continue prayers) ((**UPDATE: the missionary from Taipei is currently recovering at a private home in that country...praise God.))

In the midst of all of this heartache, I have had God poking me to keep my eyes on him.

One friend told me that when interviewed by our sending party, as part of our reference requests, she told them, "If I were smart, I would say such bad things about Michele. But I have nothing bad to say." This warmed my heart to know that we will be missed so much. Another friend gave me the opening quote, while we were in a deep discussion about the Spiritual battle being waged over our departure.

I really needed that because another friend, wanting to be helpful, told us that we weren't ready to go to the mission field. We weren't smart enough, educated enough, diligent enough, relational enough, determined enough...well I could go on and on, but you get the picture. We weren't "enough" in his eyes. Boy did that sting!

So, we did some self-evaluating. And in OUR human eyes he may have been right. But when you get to praying, you evaluate in GOD'S EYES. Is God wrong to ask us to go?? Is God making a mistake?? That sure is a "dumb" question, because GOD IS NEVER WRONG, or confused!!

"Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God...and all of these things shall be added unto you." That is exactly what we are doing....and exactly what God is and will be doing.

We are privileged to be so ignorant. BECAUSE when God shines through us, it will shine that much brighter!!

Amen

Dying to self...

2009-09-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not normally a procrastinator. When I start things, I like to get it done quick. There are exceptions, Tom can tell you some, but for the most part, I want it done now.

However, this month has been my procrastination month. We have an entire garage full of totes. Totes of toys, clothes, crafts, Christmas decorations, and some that I don't even know what is in them, line the entire floor - stacked to the ceiling of our garage. They all need to be sorted and disposed of. Not thrown away, just given away, or packed for storage. After WEEKS of reving myself up, I've went through two lonely totes. And only threw 5 shirts into the "get rid of" box.

I'm not a fashion diva. None of my clothes are name brand, with the exception of those that were given to me by friends. BUT, I have dozens of T-shirts that I can't seem to part with. Each shirt was a "freebie", but priceless to me.

I have half a dozen "Flying Pig Marathon" shirts from prior choir trips. Dozens of Middle School Camp shirts. I have a "I'm a Prayer Walker" shirt. Each one tells a story. Each one holds a memory of some big GOD ADVENTURE! I just can't make myself go through and dispose of them.

And that is just the two lonely totes...What will I find in the other dozens of totes? School papers? First Christmas toys for the girls? A wedding memento from 18 years ago?

But Jesus is calling us to another God Adventure! One in which we have to put off our old self. One in which we have to die to our longing to keep all of this STUFF. One in which we will carry with us in three 40 pound suitcases, and head across the ocean.

Hmmmm, remind you of the Israelites?? It does me!

We are FREE. We once were lost, slaves, hopeless, and dead. But now we are alive again in Christ.

Please pray for our family over the next several months as we die a bit each day, getting rid of all of our mementos. We are planning on keeping NOTHING (maybe just a tote or two). We need to shed this extra weight, so we can have a light spring in our step and prepare to cross that sea to our new homeland...

God is...

2009-08-20T08:01:00.001-07:00

A song keeps ringing through my head this week, and it goes something like this: "God is... the strength of my heart, and my portion forever."

This week has been a busy one as far as our "official" application process with our sender. Email addresses and/or phone numbers haven't worked, and we've had to track down Tom's old supervisor. The devil is trying, unsuccessfully, to get us distracted.

As most know, Tom was laid off in February (which, of course, was part of God's plan), along with all but a handful of workers. He had no contact with any of his supervisors, his employer, etc. His former company is going bankrupt financially, while they've been bankrupt spiritually for a LONG time.

Our missionary sending "company" needed a reference from either a former supervisor, or a teacher. Well, he doesn't start school for another week, so teacher would be out. So, he tried to get ahold of his supervisor. Calls to the company went un-returned. Calls to the sup.s house were unsuccessful, as all of the numbers had been disconnected. So, we were stuck not knowing what to do next.

BUT GOD IS IN CONTROL ALWAYS, and my portion forever.

Tom went to pick Brooke up from school. Who was in the parking lot? Tom's supervisor, whom he had not seen since his last day at work, over 6 months ago!! So, after a nice conversation, we now have all of the information, and he is excited to give Tom his reference.

So, why in the world were we stressing, even just a little bit?? Why in the world are WE trying to get all of this fixed ourselves? Because, the key is in the first part of the question! We are still trying to live IN THE WORLD, not in God!! Even as far as we've come in our faith, WE are still trying...and not relying on GOD'S DOING!! How many times do we need to get this straight? 7X? or 7 X 7X?? or even 777X777X???

We keep running through the list of things to do, before we leave. I know that it is a while in the future still, but I have a LOT of stuff to get done. House to sell, horses to find homes, 30 years of STUFF to go through, and this is just the physical stuff. We still have a ton of legal work to do (and spiritual). We have an entire garage full of STUFF to find a place for. Most will go to the Goodwill, but I still have to go through it. We even have some boxes that we've never even unpacked from when we first moved here, over 10 years ago. Goes to show you how important it all is...lol.

I'm just going to keep singing, and keep praying, and keep on keeping on...because "God IS"!

It's official!

2009-08-14T05:54:00.000-07:00

You know, when we first said "hoping to depart in about 2 years", we thought that was a long time in the future. After all, other than some daydreaming, most of us don't plan what we will be actually doing in two years. Then before you know it, BAM, we are now at a 6 month anniversary of God's calling to our family!!

This week we are filling out our official application for our sending party, having filled out a similar one for our home church two weeks ago.

When you read statements like "I understand that (sender) has a policy that they will NOT pay ransom for any person who may be kidnapped or held hostage while serving with them", it really wakes you up. This IS real. WOW, we are REALLY going to do this.

It's so wonderful, and scary, and thrilling, and sad, all on one awesome package. God is in control!

But you know what?? As I re-read that last quote, I realized that although our earthly sender won't pay a ransom for me, our Heavenly Sender already has!!

He gave all He had for me!! Now, He's asking that I do the same for Him. How can I refuse that??! I love my God. He is awesome! He is my true LOVE! He is my life!

I can't wait to share that!

Horses & Abraham

2009-07-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

So, the more people I tell what we are planning on doing in two years, the more blank stares I get...especially from other Christians.

God has given us so much!! Over 20 acres of land, 10 horses (11 now), a dozen other various animals, health, kids, a good marriage...just to name a very few.

All that He is wanting, now, is us to give it all up for him! We will, gladly and sadly.

I can't help but be grateful that He isn't asking me to give up one of my children!!

It's what He asked of Abraham, and Abraham did it...gladly and sadly.

I had just told God this earlier last year. "Thank You for all that You've given me! I WILL give it all up if You ask me to..." And He did. And I am.

And most people think I'm crazy (thus the blank stares), but you know, God isn't asking me to give up EVERYTHING, He's just making sure that I will give up anything that would divide my attention from HIM.

I love my horses! I love my farm! I love my country (most of the time)! But I love MY GOD more!!!!

He isn't asking me to give up my kids (although I would if I HAD to). He's asking me to put Him first. He's asking me to bring HIS people to Him, because they can't hear/see Him anymore. I CAN hear/see Him, and I need to share that blessing with others.

He is testing me to make sure that I have an open/willing heart, like Abraham. There won't be a last minute sacrificial lamb, because HE has already come. But I go to the mountain, singing and rejoicing, although a tear in my eye. MY GOD is first and foremost in my life, and I NEED to share Him with others!

I am NOT a saint. I am not a prophet/priest. I am, however, willing...and that is all He needs!

Dead Flowers

2009-07-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

This week has been hard so far, and it's only Monday. Today I buried a good friend, and helped a different friend mourn another death.

My friend was in his late 50s (or so), and lost a hard battle with cancer. He knew the end was coming and he went peacfully to his new home in Heaven.

My other friend's loss was much harder, as she was a teen, full of life and died in a sudden car accident.

Both were believers...

This got me thinking about flowers again...as they go hand in hand with death. Coffins covered with flowers, stairs/chairs/tables all strewn with roses/carnations/lillies.

I have a ton of flowers that my girls got me for Mother's Day, this year. I planted them all with tender loving care in various pots all over my front porch. I've faithfully watered, weeded, and fertilized them all the same. But, you know, some of them just aren't doing so well. Some are flourishing. Brilliant colors, fragrant smells greet you at my front door. In the same exact pot are some wilted and even dead flowers. I'm going to pick them out and toss them in the trash...What a waste.

People are so much like flowers...

It is so hard to pour so much time/energy/water into them, to only have them wilt and waste away.

But that is life, and my job is to just keep watering. God will pull the spiritually dead ones out someday...I hope it's not someone I know...

Watering Flowers

2009-07-03T06:04:00.000-07:00

OK, so I was reading a blog posted by a friend who just arrived in Italy this past month, and I was hit with a strong sad but good feeling, and God revealed His purpose to me.

I have been thinking/praying: "God I don't know HOW to be a missionary. I wasn't born into a missionary family, and although I know how to 'evangelize', I don't know how to do it in a foreign field."

Well, then I read the blog, and saw my friends photos of her new apartment with flowers along her balcony, and God spoke to me.

I am to go and water flowers in Italy. I am to go an nurture, weed, feed, and give TLC to God's people (flowers). That's all. When the time comes, He will pluck them up, and put them in His vase on display in His home.

When I got that revelation, then it all just seems so simple. I can do that!!!!

I can give up all that He has blessed me with here, and go and do the same in another country! I CAN nurture/water/weed. I don't need to scream that Christ is coming on every street corner (although I will if I have to), I just need to water.

It doesn't matter if the flowers are daisies or dandelions, just give each some of the water God has provided, and they will flourish, each according to HIS will.

Moving Forward...

2009-07-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

So we have now met with our "future sender", Team Expansion. Although I believe the meeting went great, we won't have official word for two weeks, then we move forward with formal applications, and a "missionary bootcamp" in October or January.

After that, we are hoping to be official foreign missionaries. Our field will, hoping again, be in Italy.

We are so excited!! I would never had thought that someday a foreign city, esp. Rome, might be my home...NEVER! But, what a God we serve!!

If he can take a Kentucky horse trainer, and turn them into a Roman, then he can do anything ha/ha!

I'll blog more later, when we find something new out...