To See The Glory

Here we are in a hotel in Cape Girardeau, Missouri having jumped in the pool at 10 PM and ready for some rest. This was a short 7 hour drive (with stops) from our last stop with Shane and Kami who blessed us with their hospitality and the privilege of doing a presentation at their church and Jeremy did some music. As usual, the Lord moved and people were blessed and touched. It is so cool to witness God using the music to reach deep in the hearts of His people.

Back to the title of this post – Revival – I believe that God has us on this trip across the states to be part of an ushering in of a revival. The same themes are at each church so far, from Medford Oregon to Missouri. The Holy Spirit has been moving and just seeing what God is doing in the three young men with us has been inspiring. Jeremy, Sam and Matt have all been great to be with on this trip and I know God has great plans for them. Please keep them in your prayers. We are asking for safe travels and for God to continue to use them mightily.

If you haven’t been experiencing God in a deeper way lately, start asking for Him to draw you closer. God wants all of His children close to Him, asking Him for all things, and dependant on Him. Allow the Holy Spirit to enter in you fully and flow out of you, touching others and connecting His people together.

Also, keep my brother Garth in your prayers, I am not sure how He is at the moment, the last I heard was he fell about 15 feet off a ladder and was unconscious for a minute and may have some broken bones.

God bless!!!

We were a bit too busy to post some updates, but here is one from Parker, Colorado near Denver. We spent the last two days driving the new shuttle (used, but a perfect vehicle for the drive) to Colorado. There are two shows for Jeremy scheduled in Colorado and we will be presenting the ministry as well.

We are asking God to be the one to move in the hearts of His people as we make this journey across the U.S. and then off to the Dominican Republic. We are excited about all He is doing in us and through us.

I was encouraged again with the faith of the young men with us. Jeremy, Sam and Matt are all a blessing. The Lord is working through these young men, praying that the Lord will use Jessica and I to impart some of the Lord to them as they travel with us.

A show tomorrow in Grand Junction (if I am remembering the correct city for the night.) May the Lord be glorified!

Some families here in Medford have set up a benefit dinner this evening to help bring in support for Island Light Ministries. This will help raise money for the feeding program, scholarships for the trade school and more. If you are interested please give us a call or write on my FaceBook (email program is locked up for me.)

Please pray as we finish packing our bags into the shuttle today, try to sell my desk, move a few items to our storage, etc… we still have so much to do and so little time.

Also, I wanted to thank all of those who have been praying and encouraging us, this really has been hard but the Lord is seeing us through each step of the way.

I will try to post on the drive when I have the opportunity – God bless you all!

Returned home at 12:30 am this morning after driving round trip to Folsom California to aid in purchasing the shuttle van we will be using. Long day, but now we have a way to get to Florida!

It is a Ford Diesel van front shuttle with the wheelchair lift on the side. We will be able to have enough seats and then the room for the luggage and instruments. Thank you for all your prayers!

I will try to post some pictures later today.

Never did I dream that this drive would be like this! We were hoping for a few, but now it is a full schedule. I know the Lord has plans, I just hope we follow Him all the way through it.

Oh, did I mention that we still have no vehicle to do this in? One more thing for God to complete as we move close the date of departure.  We are still asking God to open the door to the right vehicle to safely get us there and Jeremy and Sam back.

Thank you for your prayers!

Hoping for a van like this:

Help find us the van?

The time to leave is approaching very quickly and we will need a van that holds 9+ passengers. Please pray with us as we ask God for the van that will safely get us to Florida and Jeremy, Sam and possibly Matt back. We will probably have to tow a small enclosed trailer if anyone has one we could borrow it would be greatly appreciated!!

The plan, Lord willing, is to go to Colorado to visit my brother and family and my old best friend from High school. While we are there we hope to be able to present the ministry to at least one church (another prayer request.)

Then we will be off to Kansas City for Jeremy to play music and for us to present Island Light Ministries and our family. This is the home church of a band member playing with Michael Robert.

From there we have a place in Tennessee and then to Florida where we hope to have a couple of opportunities. God has been going before us and I pray we follow His lead. We have been praying that God will be the one to put it on the hearts of His people to support this ministry.

God has been working on my faith lately, feeling like Peter when he denied Christ when the pressure was on. I know I am only man and that He is God. I praise Him for showing me how weak I am, without Him none of this can happen. I hope that through our struggle and victories in the Lord that you (my friends and brothers and sisters in Christ) will be encouraged and your faith will be increased as well as ours!

May our Lord have mercy and Grace upon us always and may His glory be shown.

We were invited to present the ministry at the Neighborhood Church in Medford Oregon today and I was blessed. The people there were so encouraging. A few of them had been missionaries and had some great things to say. One lady who lived a similar life to some of the Dominican’s we will be working, coming from a very poor area of a country and having no hope, to having hope in Christ. She touched me by thanking me for being willing to go and she cried as she prayed for us.

I will have to say, I didn’t really think I would be the one doing presentations at churches. I really don’t see myself as the right person, but God has other plans. We have a few stops already in the works on our drive to Florida.

We are still in need of a large van to fit 9 people and luggage along with Jeremy’s guitar and keyboard. Please pray for the right van to be presented that will work for this trip and to be used by Jeremy in touring or one we can borrow for the round trip.

God is good. Praise Him in all things!

p.s. Thank you to those who prayed for today’s presentation.

We have finally purchased the plane tickets to the Dominican Republic, however, we did not get them to leave anywhere near home, but actually all the way on the other side of the USA.

Why in the world would we do this? We believe the Lord is directing our path across the U.S. with Jeremy and Sam to raise support. Jeremy will play shows at churches or wherever the Lord opens a door and we will present the ministry. We are having to do so much of this by faith, which I will tell you is like a roller coaster for me. I look to my self and see how I can’t make anything work, but when I look up to heaven and realize God has all things in His hands my worries fade. Oh how I need more faith!

God has already opened up some avenues without me even doing anything. I have yet to meet a man who set up Bethel Church in Medford for a benefit concert on the 12th of August. We have also been asked to present the ministry to the Neighborhood church in Medford this coming Sunday, again without my doing. Why do I fret? Why do I doubt? How gracious is my Lord and Savior for allowing me to serve Him or even call Him Lord. What a great God we serve!

I hope that over the next few weeks that I will continue to pass on and encourage others in the faith with many more examples of God’s loving care. Let us not be shaken. May the God of peace bless your home Today.

Seeing my wife getting antsy as I packed up books I realized how much this verse spoke of us from 1 Corinthians 1:26

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.

We must not be the wisest pair to want to move to a foreign country with 5 kids and no money, but God chose us anyways.

Today Jessica and I packed 4 bags with books, towels, sheets, some tools and a motorcycle helmet. This made not sound like much, but it was a step of faith for us. These 4 bags all weighing about 49 pounds, making sure not to go overweight for the airlines, are going with a short term missions team to the Dominican Republic. The bags will end up being stored with other missionaries who live in Santo Domingo, the capital of the D.R.

Luggage going

The reason this is a step of faith for us is that we are sending things ahead of us that at this time we don’t have the funding to go and be missionaries, but we are trusting our Lord for the provisions.  We believe He put it on our hearts and have seen confirmation of, for us to be missionaries in the Dominican Republic. We believe He is the one who has made the connections and sold our house. He is the one who will go before us and who prepares our path.

Luggage to the D.R.

Our biggest challenge of moving is knowing what to bring, what we can replace there and really what we need. Many things are not available or can be expensive there. Clothing would seem to be inexpensive, but we have learned otherwise. Shoes can be very expensive there and the quality of many things can be much lower quality than what you would want to spend money on. We have been told to bring sheets and towels as well as bringing shoes, sandals and other basics. Bringing five children and the amount of curriculum they will need for schooling is adding up to be quite the load, we are looking at shipping via the airlines, but that means getting a shipment to Sacramento or Portland and being set up with them as a business.

Please continue to pray for us as things move into place.

Jim and Debra Tunnicliffe – our friends and ministry partners with Island Light Ministries are flying out this Saturday to the Dominican Republic. We are asking for prayer that over the next two weeks God will open the right doors and close the ones where we as a team are not to be. I am also asking that you prayerfully consider supporting the work of the ministry, since there is still a great financial need.

While the Tunnicliffe’s are there they hope to confirm some aspects of where we will be serving. Some of those areas are in trade school teaching, food ministry, youth ministry along with many other ideas and visions. Each of us will have somewhat different roles to play with all one thing in common – glorifying God and leading others to Christ.

I am excited about the work God has before us and I believe there will be a large harvest. I believe that the spies sent out by Joshua had it right when they talked about the size of the grapes. God will go before us to conquer the enemy as we follow in the path He has for us.