I am enjoying one of my last quiet mornings here in America. In less than a week we leave to serve in Guinea Bissau, West Africa. It seems like it has just been a thought, but now it is reality. We have been talking about this and visiting churches sharing about this, and now, the moment is coming upon us. We are taking our kids, and moving to a third world country where we know God wants us to serve. I am thankful for how God has provided. It is only by Him that we are able to leave. However, in the midst of my thankfulness, there's a wee bit of timidity. I am reminded with the word timidity of Paul telling Timothy not to have a spirit of timidity. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline 1 Timothy 1:7.
Our prayer is that God will go before us, behind us, all around us, above us and below us. That is a prayer from our time at Oasis that has stuck with me. There are so many people we want to express our love and thankfulness to. We are praying that God helps us to communicate that to everyone. We are so thankful that 5 years ago, God introduced us to this community that we have lived in, and this church family that is so dear to our hearts. We are so thankful for the relationships that have been built here and all the people that have been such a blessing to all of us.
Saying goodbye is hard. Not a single person in this Baker Beans family wants to say goodbye. No goodbyes are allowed, we want to say "see you later" instead. So, if you read this and you are one of the persons that we will be seeing in the next week, please don't say goodbye, lets say "see you later".
~Karen
I personally am so grateful for your willingness to say "see you later" to loved ones here in the states in order to be obedient to the calling God has placed in your hearts. Soon you will be saying lots of "hellos" in a place that has become very dear to my heart for a number of reasons. Please give a big hug and hello to my son Andrew when you get there and hugs to all the precious ones in Catel village. I am praying for you that God will be your courage and strength as you go and that soon your new home will truly feel like home. Know that many here are keeping you in their prayers daily. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteMike and Karen, you guys are awesome! We are praying for your safe arrival. As you experience prayer needs, please be sure to let us know and our entire prayer team at Edgerton will take your requests to the Throne! Blessings.
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