Almost there!

Great news! We are ALMOST there ... almost where you ask? We're almost at 100% of our MAF ministry support! We are at 87% of our ongoing support! If this were school, that would be an "A"!!! But unlike school, we HAVE to reach 100% ... or an A+. The good news is ... this isn't an individual project, or an essay, or *gulp* dare I say ... an EXAM ...

... It's an open-book, group project! 

So will you join us and help us get our A+?

Will you crack a book (the Bible) and pray for us?

Will you join our group of already amazing supporters, and help us complete this project?

"And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father." Colossians 3:17

Scripture through this past year ...

Just a few weeks ago, we celebrated our one year anniversary of working with MAF. Last November, after running my first ever half-marathon, we packed up our bags for a week of training in Guelph, that culminated with an offer of employment to officially begin our work as "pre-field missionaries" with MAF. At the time, if you would have told me that one year later, we'd still be here in Canada, still be seeking and waiting on 15% more of our ongoing MAF ministry support, and we'd still be "pre-field" ... well I don't know what I would have thought. But through this year, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that God's timing is perfect, and He is totally faithful. But He doesn't always work according to "Kelly's Schedule."

Therefore, I'd like to take this blog post to share a few verses that have meant a lot over the past year(ish) in our journey towards Angola.

Proverbs 16:9--"People may make plans in their minds, but the Lord decides what they will do."
Over and over, this verse has rang true in my life. Not only is it a reminder that God is ultimately in charge, but it is an encouragement--when life is not working out my way, it doesn't not mean it is out of God's control. In fact, we can totally trust Him with the timing and steps of our lives! God knows when we'll move overseas, when our visas will arrive, when we will meet people and circumstances that will radically influence our lives!

Ephesians 2:10--"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
Written on the back of our prayer cards, this verse is a constant source of encouragement. We are made by God ... for good works ... which God has already planned for us! He knows our future, and it's an exciting place!

Micah 6:8--"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
A verse that continues to convict me when my priorities get out of line--life is simple: act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.

James 1:27--"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
The verse that led up to MAF in the first place. A verse that we couldn't get out of our minds ... and convicted us to ask, "How can we love and serve orphans and widows (and others in need) with our skills and abilities?"

Colossians 1:15-20
Though it has very little to do with our MAF journey, in some ways, these verses have everything to do with our journey--because they are all about Christ. Reflecting on the past year of morning quiet times and Sundays at church, I can think of no single passage of scripture that I treasure more in all the Bible than these verses about the supremacy of Christ. Christ is the reason for everything we do--with MAF, but also life in general.

The one thing we wanted to read before we leave ... and how it is ruining us.

In August, our life group (small group Bible study) leaders asked us if we had any specific studies we wanted to do before we leave the country. Marcel and I kind of looked at each other and shrugged ... we said, "We'll think about it."

Truthfully, we didn't do a ton of research. But at our church, certain names and books get used a lot, and we thought, "Hey, neither of us has studied 'Desiring God' by John Piper ... and we've heard good things. Let's do that."

So here we are ... studying John Piper's classic series, "Desiring God". And by God's grace, it was definitely the right study we needed.

It is NOT easy to digest. I wouldn't call it a book for the faint-hearted. It is taking everything I've ever known about what it means to be a Christian, what it means to love others and love God, what it means to have joy ... and cranks it up a notch.

But the study two weeks ago... that was the kicker. John Piper, who is already SUCH a COMPELLING speaker, broke down this verse: Philippians 1:21, "For to live is Christ and to die is gain."

I've never had an easy time with this verse. I was highly motivated to come to Christ when I was younger because I was scared to die. And if I'm honest, I'm still a little scared. Yet, Paul says, to die is far better ...

So I prayed about it, talked to God about it, thought about it. And of course, I know it is true. What could be better than eternal rest from our toils and a life of pure, fulfilled joy in Christ's presence? Those brief moments before death are nothing compared to what comes after. And nothing compared to the glory God will get out of a life lived with overflowing joy in Him, that comes to an end with an excitement to meet Him and fullfill that joy. Oh man ... this is the prayer for my life as we move in to long-term missions ... "God, may I always find my joy in you. And may it overflow in such abundance to the people around me."

So ... if you want a good book, it's not about missions per se, but it's definitely a must-read. Be warned: it might (it SHOULD) ruin you ... in a good way. It should ruin your apathy, it should ruin your lukewarm relationship with God.  In the meantime, I recommend reading some of John Piper's stuff on the Desiring God website: www.desiringgod.org.

--Kelly

One year!

Wow! Today marks the one year anniversary of working for Mission Aviation Fellowship! So what are we doing to celebrate?

1. Thanking God... for every opportunity He's brought our way, for every stranger who has become a friend, for every friend that has become a partner in finances and prayer, and for every word of encouragement that's been spoken into our lives!

One year ago we got our MAF employee badges. Nov. 11 was our first, employed day of work!

2. Working hard. On what? Well, a typical MAF-focused day might involve practicing Portuguese for our weekly lessons with Maura, updating our activity tracker and spreadsheets, answering emails, writing and delivering thank you cards, taking a walk to get fresh air and pray, modifying PowerPoint slides for upcoming presentations, calling churches or individuals, writing a blog post, or preparing our upcoming newsletter. Sometimes, it might involve serving some of our dear friends and partners in a practical way--like helping them drywall their basement, meeting up for lunch and a chat, or helping them move. And sometimes, it might just involve getting our own life in order for the big move in May(ish) and the upcoming new addition to our family!

Sometimes, work isn't too hard. Like this amazing church potluck after one of our Sunday morning presentations!

3. Looking forward to the future. Seriously ... it is so exciting! And too easily, we get focused on the here and now, which quite frankly, is not exactly how I pictured my life one year ago. Honestly, I thought we'd be almost on our way by now! But God persistently reminds me to persistent, to be expectant, and to trust Him. To be happy with now, and be excited for the future. He is bringing us on the adventure of a lifetime, and He is faithful! We can't wait to meet our future MAF Angola coworkers in the flesh, and develop life long friendships. We can't wait to meet the people we are going to serve, and see how God will use our skills and abilities to love on our community! We can't wait to raise little baby Boersie to love God, love people, and speak both English and Portuguese! We can't wait to see the sights and hear the sounds of Angola! The future is always good in God's hands.

My heart longs to see what "good works" God has prepared for us in Angola, and what amazing people we will meet.

"Undiscovered beauty" (to the average world tourist/traveller)!

Yes, we will drive this road ...

Near Lubango, where we will be living, you better believe it will be one of the first places we visit!

4. Counting our blessings! We are almost done this journey of support-raising. In fact, we are 83% finished! That could mean as little as 20 more monthly or annual supporters ... how wonderful. And then we begin full-time language study! Muito bem!

Life!

New Life

"You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed."
--Psalm 139:16

What incredible words! This truth has taken on a whole new meaning over the last few months--especially in light of all God has planned for our future!

Late August, we found out we are expecting a child! This was such exciting news ... but also, kind of confusing. We couldn't believe God's timing ... it seemed so off! We were supposed to leave in January for Portugal to study full-time language studies in preparation to leave for Angola in May. And when was little baby Boersie due? April, of all times!

But when you look to God's word, there is no shadow of a doubt that God knows what He is doing. He is sovereign over every moment in time, and nothing in life is out of His divine control. Already, every day of my life, Marcel's life, and little baby Boersie's life is known by God. And this continues to be a great source of encouragement to us!

So although we are no longer going to study Portuguese in Portugal, we have been overwhelmed by the ways God has provided for us to stay in Canada until little Boersie is born. He has provided us with an amazing tutor, Maura, to teach us Portuguese only five minutes from our house. He has provided us amazing free health care in our own language ... and the comfort of living for a few more months in our own home, close to family and friends. He has given me (Kelly) good health and strength through the past several months. He has given us extra time to finish up our support-raising (because we just might need it!), and He has given us a great deal of excitement and joy as we wait upon this new life to come in to the world!!

So ... friends, we hope you will all join us in anticipating the birth of our first child ... gender to be a surprise (known only to God, and maybe the docs), due April 3! We can't wait to meet you little baby Boersie ... you are loved already, most importantly by the Creator himself!

Our first sight of little baby Boersie!

Get it? There's a bun in the oven!

Brief Update on Support-Raising

Thank you to everyone who came out for our Dessert & Silent Auction on October 24! It was a great success, a fun night for us, and a wonderful opportunity for us to gather together, celebrate, and raise some more funds towards our ongoing ministry support! Through the live dessert auction and the silent auction, we raised approximately $4800 dollars! Thank you God for your mercy on this event! This made a nice dent in our long-term ministry support--the portion of our support that is normally covered in monthly or annual donations. This is the money that keeps us going--covering our salaries, living needs, and emergencies--while we are in the field. We are happy to say that we are now over 80% in our ongoing support ... but still in desperate need of prayer and funds to complete our fundraising by the end of 2015!

Great turnout, and lots of love and dessert!

The Next Few Months ...

This month, we have a few speaking engagements lined up, including an informal "Co-pilot Coffee" at our house Thurs. Nov. 20 or Wed. Nov. 26, where we are welcoming anyone who has not heard what we will be doing with MAF to join us.

We hope to be finished our support-raising by the end of 2014 so that we can focus on full-time Portuguese language studies from January until April, when our little baby is due!

We are still looking for opportunities to travel, meet new people, and share our ministry. Please pray for more opportunities and get in contact if you know of any!

Please continue to pray for Marcel's visa process, as this is another thing we are waiting for. Lord-willing, it will come at an ideal time for Marcel to head over to Angola and receive some training before baby Boersie is due, and that there will be no complications!