Excited for the New Year!

I am blown away that it is already 2013. These past few years have flown by. In May of this year it will be 4 years since we said "YES" to this journey. We are getting a lot closer now. Throughout these past few years we have definitely had our fair share of challenges, but we have learned and grown so much more. God continues to reassure us of his plan for our family. Our current series at church is called Fearless. It stresses how much fear can keep us from growing closer and maturing in our walk with Christ. This has been an excellent lesson/reminder to me. Over these past few years I have experienced many fears(fear of failure, fear of loss, fear of the future, fear of leaving my family, and many more), but I always find comfort in knowing God is in control and he is always faithful. His time and plan are perfect. We may not always understand right at the moment something is happening, but usually down the road it will make perfect sense. One of my prayers over the past couple of years has been for boldness. I naturally want to duck under a table or hide in a corner when something pushes me outside of my comfort zone. No one likes to be uncomfortable. I am learning the only way to truly get over your fear is to push through it and pray for God to give you the courage and strength you need. I admit I do struggle with this. In my quiet time this morning I read "We are not cowards because we feel fear. We are cowards only if we let fear rule our decisions."(Joyce Meyer) I am so thankful for the growth I feel in my personal walk with Christ over these past few years. Many times I have been pushed beyond my comfort zone. I have felt inadequate in many ways and have feared that I am too much of a spiritual baby for God to use me, but HE has shown me otherwise. I have found myself in some very uncomfortable situations praying and helping those in need in areas that I have zero experience and little knowledge, but God provides what we need when we need it. In those moments I feel closest to God and I know I am learning and growing. Even though I have had many weak moments over these past few years, I know I have gained so much from these years in the States. While we thought we were just waiting to go we now realize it has been so much more. A few years ago we put our "YES" on the table to move to a foreign country and to sell everything we own. We would have to leave our families and leave the comfort zone of living the American dream. We could not do this without having the peace of God all over us. We know we are heading in the right direction. We know God has had us training for these past few years. He is equipping us with the knowledge and skill we will need once we are in the field. Through some recent developments we are now closer to moving than ever. We know this way of getting a visa has been successful and we should qualify. We have enough funds to move and sustain us for several months. If you are our prayer partner or financial partner thank you so very much. We would not be to this point had you not continued to walk this road with us. We still need more financial partners before we actually depart, but we are trusting God to provide. He has brought us this far and we have complete faith that he will finish what he has begun. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. II Timothy 1:7 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. II Corinthians 5:20 2 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. II Timothy 2:1