Ezra likes climbing on the bins

We are moving out of the apartment we have been staying in for the last four months.  The plan is to live with family and enjoy some quality time with them for the next month before we leave for Senegal.  As we move out of our apartment we are trying to fit our life into seven bags.  We ask for you to pray with us during this time of transition for our little family.  Let us know how we can be in prayer for you too!  We know life is not easy and we all have ways God is teaching us to trust and grow in Him.

The view from our apartment

The Family: Del, Arielle, Ezra, and Silas

Do you ever wake up in the morning and wonder, what on earth am I here for?  Recently, I woke up in the morning and wonder what am I doing taking my family to West Africa?    Why would God want to pull me away from my family?  Why would God want to take my kids away from their grandparents?  Why would God want me to take my family into the unknown?  This last week, I was reminded of a passage that realigned my thinking.

Arielle and the boys

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:8-9

I can rest with confidence in the fact that we are accomplishing the purposes of God by taking the gospel to West Africa.  Are these my thoughts?  No way!  If deciding what I want is better for me than what God wants, then I’m saying that my thoughts are higher than Gods thoughts,

Arielle reading a book to Ezra

making God subject to me.  My friends this is NOT right!  Even when God does things that make no sense to my worldly mind, I am still called to humble myself before God.  Each day we must wrestle with this question:  Are you going to humble yourself to God’s thoughts and what he wants for your life today?

Silas is looking cute these days!

Here we go, taking our little guys with us to Africa!

WE PURCHASED TICKETS TO AFRICA!!!  The feelings that are rushing through our minds as we look at our ONE WAY tickets to Africa are excitement, feeling overwhelmed, and long term plans finally coming to fruition.  Over the last year of raising a team of partners to reach the unreached with the gospel we have been hit by the fact that we are only playing a small part in God’s master plan to reach the world for Christ.  We praise God that we have reached 80% pledged support and are trusting God to raise the rest before we leave.  Thank you to all who have been supporting, praying and encouraging us on our journey.

Our little family!

Silas at 8 weeks. We were trying to take a passport picture : )

After the holidays, we made a few contacts in Senegal and confirmed that we can proceed with a March departure date.  Wow, that is only about two months away!  We promptly realized that there is a COLOSSAL mountain of tasks to accomplish before we leave.  Monday rolled around and we hit the ground running, looking into plane tickets, picked up Silas’ birth certificate, applied for our boys’ passports, and crossed off a slew of other things on our “to do list.”  Every day our pages of “to do list” seems to grow, but we are making head way.  There are days of feeling overwhelmed (to say the least) and days of progress and extreme excitement to what lies ahead.  Right now we cannot do all of this on our own strength or time (especially with two little boys keeping us very busy).  God sure has a way of reminding us of our continual need for him in every stage of life!

Ezra and Silas

Ezra helping Del put the lights on the Christmas tree

for next year?”  Sounds pretty ridiculous!  It would be even more ridiculous if the perfect, most magnificent, biggest, and anticipated gift was left under the tree.  However, it happens every Christmas season, without fail.  You may be thinking, “That would never happen.”  But every year, the perfect, most magnificent, largest, and anticipated gift in the history of the world is left under the tree, the Promised Redeemer, Jesus the gift of salvation.  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9  Jesus is God’s gift to us this Christmas and is available to all who would receive him—all through the year.  We are all separated from God, we are all messed up, no one but God is perfect, and it is only through faith in His perfect son Jesus that we receive this gift of salvation from God.  What are you going to do with God’s gift as you celebrate

Family picture!

Christmas?

Brothers!

Ezra rolling out pizza dough

Silas and his proud mother

Silas is already a month old!  How crazy is that?  As we contemplate Ezra and Silas growing up so fast, there is one thing in life we can be sure of–time marches on, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, month by month, and year by year.  This begs the question, what are you doing with the time God has given you?  Are you using the time God has given you wisely?  Each one of us are created to be in a relationship with God through his son Jesus Christ and it is only in a relationship with Him that we can truly

Silas is a month old

redeem the time.  God created us to know him and make him known to those around us.  It is easy to get lost in the decorations, gifts, and even family events during our holidays.  May we keep our eyes on what truly matters as we enter the Christmas Season–Jesus!  And yes, Jesus came as a baby like Silas.

Ezra loves bath time especially with bubbles

Del and Silas sleeping

Del with our good friends, Craig, Mary, and their daughter Clara who live in Maryland

Over the weekend I, (Del) visited a church in Maryland, to explore with the elders and pastor, the possibility of being supported by their church.  After a couple meetings with the pastor and a few elders, they decided to support us!  It is awesome to be a small part of what God is doing to reach the unreached with the gospel.  My wife and I have the privilege of seeing God work in amazing ways as He raises up a team of people to support and pray for us in our venture to West Africa.  I’m reminded of Proverbs 16:9, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

Eating dinner at Craig and Mary's house

Being supported by a church in Maryland was certainly not on my radar.  But God knew and had greater plans. I love the illustration of how, as believers, we are all tools intended for use in the spread of the gospel.  It is not the tool who receives the praise, but the person using the tool.  Same with us as we and others allow God to use us, as his tools, for the furtherance of the gospel, God receives the praise because He is doing it.  As God’s tool, are you allowing him to use you as He intended?

Arielle, Del, Ezra, Sara, Mikayla, Zach, and Ellie

Yesterday we said farewell to Zach and Sara who are dear friends of ours.  We have known Zach and Sara for a long time, and we went through missionary training with them!  It was a little sad to see them go, but we are thrilled to know why they are going.  We know that God will be using them in amazing ways as they trust him.  As Arielle, Ezra, and I walked from our car to say good bye it was crazy to think we will be doing the same thing when we leave for Senegal in about 5 months!

Highlights:

-TJ’s visit from Florida (He left today)

-Lily is staying for Arielle’s birth

-Enjoying our new apartment

-Del has one more Sunday of teaching Ephesians for Sunday School at our home church

After 5000 feet of elevation climb, we decided to do a little rock climbing for a good photo...TJ and Del

5,000 feet of elevation climb, 11+ miles of hiking, and all in 7 ½ hours made for two tired men.  TJ (my brother in law) and I (Del) took one adventurous hike through Yosemite National Park.  As we hiked a wide variety of trails we saw incredible views of mountain tops, valleys, and beautiful water falls.  It was absolutely incredible and

TJ on a trail with switch backs that led us 3,200 feet to the valley floor!

breathe taking.  Although exhausted by the end of the day, we came away amazed at God and his creation.  It was refreshing to be reminded that the God who made all of this is the same God guiding and leading us on our venture to reach the people of West Africa.

“Your love, O Lord, reaches to the

TJ looking over a 1,500-2,000 foot cliff. Incredible!!!

heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.  Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep.  O Lord you preserved both man and beast.  How priceless is your unfailing love!  Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.” –Psalms 36:5-7

beautiful view!

View as we hiked down to the valley floor

Our African outfits

This last Sunday was the first time we spoke at a church in the last 8 months.  We are thankful for this opportunity and encouraged to see God continue to raise our support.  It is also exciting to see God opening up new opportunities to speak at churches in our community.

On a side note:

-Ezra received his first hair cut from “mom” this week

-Arielle is now 35 weeks!

-Ezra tried out his new suit for Bobby’s wedding.  He looks good!!!

Ezra's outfit for Bobby's wedding

Arielle giving Ezra his first hair cut

Ezra all finished with his first hair cut!