Catching Up!

Whew! It has been a while since the last post, but I feel a catching up of sorts is needed. Warning-this will be a long one, hopefully with more details to come in later posts. These aren't what has been learned, moreso just what has been happening!! Here we go:

-We sold our home within a week of putting it on the market - for the amount that we needed

-Ben sold our business to the first company he spoke with, which gave him opportunity after opportunity to share the Gospel and how God has changed his life and why in the world he would sell everything and move to North Carolina which logically makes zero sense. It also gave him opportunity to show grace upon grace, details which I cannot give, but in moments of being taken advantage of he was able to show love and stand firm but not manipulate or control the situation. All glory be to the Lord!

-I told my employer I was leaving the week we also told them I was pregnant, they were sad for the loss but were so kind in handling my leaving and happy for our lives personally. They also allowed me to stay on for a couple of months and work as I could after we moved.

-We moved to North Carolina and started as part of the Eternal Truth Ministries team at the very beginning of May 2013

-Since Ben's brother David and his family are working with Cornerstone in Indiana (through ETM), they had space available in their home for us to live in until further notice, which has been a HUGE blessing!

-God quickly provided an opportunity for us to meet people and bond with a team that would go from First Baptist in Robbinsville to work on a project in Indiana at Cornerstone. (pictured left)

-An added blessing to my heart, I have gotten to see my mom more since we found out we were moving and actually moved than I had before that! Literally once a month, if not multiple times! 

-We have also had several teaching opportunities back in Indiana (Ben teaches, I just get to go :) ), so we have been reconnected with that local body which has been so sweet, as well as our team mates David & Dana & kiddos, and Rance & Jenni!

-We have also been blessed to be a part of the college Sunday school class at First Baptist and Ben has been teaching through what God's plan for His Church is in the book of Ephesians

-God has blessed me with energy and feeling good throughout my pregnancy, although I tire easily, I have been able to run and do things pretty normally - sometimes it just takes a bit longer!

-At the end of July, Ben was confronted by some loved ones that he needed to get his back checked in to. When we got home he had a CAT scan and MRI, showing that he had a bulging disc that was hitting his spinal column and rubbing his sciatic nerve, causing pain all the way down to his left foot. He had surgery in August and has recovered amazingly and is doing WELL! Another reason we were thankful for my health and ability to take care of him!! More on this later ;)

I'm not certain that this covers everything, but it is all I can think of at the moment! Probably enough, eh? God has been extremely faithful and His timing has been beyond amazing. He has taken care of us physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, financially - in seriously every single detail. How amazing that this is the God we have the honor of serving?!? That is all I can think of throughout these past 8 months!

Update Letter - August 2013

Written by Ben: 

One of my favorite things about my dogs is their silly expressions. One of my favorites is when he cocks his head to the side and has that look that says, "I Don't Understand!!"

Lately, God has been teaching me that the way He operates often leaves me with that very feeling. Have you ever stopped to think that in almost every story in the Bible God works in ways that to us don't seem "logical"? Take the story of Jericho. God's plan was for the men to march around the city blowing trumpets. Then the grand finale was to shout at the top of their lungs and the walls would fall down! Or the battle of Midian where God kept making the army smaller and smaller, until there were only 300 men left to fight 135,000 Midianites! God orchestrates His plans so there is no doubt where the credit belongs.

Being a follower of God often means trusting and obeying when our logic doesn't seem to understand what God is doing. Being a disciple means becoming more and more comfortable with trusting God even when you don't fully understand His plan. What is God doing in your life right now that He is asking you to trust Him for, even though His plan may seem a bit hard to understand? We would love to pray with you through this!

This has been our experience lately. My role here on the ETM team is Properties Administrator. However, over the last 2 weeks I have been almost entirely on bed rest due to a herniated disc in my lower back. From my logical perspective, I don't understand why God operates the way He does, yet I do know I can trust that there is a purpose and a reason! Please pray with us as we try to seek an alternative to surgery over the next week or so. While this didn't seem to fit into our idea of our ministry schedule (or our life schedule with Wyatt on the way!), we know God has a reason for changing our focus for the time being!