Rocks and trees and trees and rocks and... water.

We leave THIS Thursday for Canada!!!  Land of the maple leaf, poutine, Tim Horton's (!), and I can't forget to mention all the rocks and trees and water.  ;)  We can't wait to introduce our boys to not only their first "foreign" country, but also lots of family and friends that they have never met.
We will be there for about two weeks and are looking forward to seeing family and friends in Nova Scotia that we haven't seen for almost 8 years.  It's hard to believe it has been this long, and Peter is especially looking forward to being "home" again.
Will you pray for us again as we make this second big trip?  Here's how you can pray:

• health
• safe travels (yep, we're driving again! About 18 hours...)
• God's provision
• opportunities to tell people about what God is doing in our ministry
• a significant rise in our partners and finances

Another big prayer request we have right now is wisdom for the future.  If we have enough of our monthly support raised by June, we will be able to attend our training in Waxhaw, North Carolina, which means moving there in June.  As of right now, we don't have that level of support, but we're planning as if we are moving in June!  

More blogs to follow - it may not be until we get back, but I promise I'll break up the monotony and put some pictures on here!  

From Every Language

Every once in awhile, I find it helps me to regain perspective if I am reminded of why I'm passionate about what I'm passionate about.  For me, this happened this past Saturday night when our church hosted a worship concert and invited people from other cultures to join us and share their music.  We heard songs and Scripture in Spanish, French, Chin, Arabic, Nepali... it was amazing to hear people's hearts as they worshiped God in their "heart language."  There's that phrase that I've said countless times since we've joined Wycliffe Bible Translators, only it hit home for me that night.  As I listened to the verses in Revelation that say, "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb...Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever," I let them sink in and resonate, awed again by the written Word that God imparted to us.  Then, I heard the same verses read in several more languages, and I realized that for each language spoken, there were people there who felt the same thing that I did when I heard God's Word spoken in my language.
In the midst of a very intense time of trusting, questioning, planning, and looking ahead, it is easy for me to turn my eyes and thoughts inward and forget why we're doing all this in the first place.  On Saturday night, I was reminded that someday I will see before me "a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb..." (Rev. 7:9).  So I will continue to work out those details, but I pray that I will be constantly aware of God's incredible plan.

Godspeed

Probably the most common phrase heard in Christian circles is, "I'll be praying for you."  I want to tell you what that meant for us on our trip and throughout our many travels these past three weeks.  Yes - we are back home in Lancaster!  And although it's always hard to say goodbye to family and friends, there's nothing quite like waking up in my own home, clothes in an actual dresser instead of a suitcase, no travel shampoos, and my own comfy bed.  :)
Prayer and encouragement became a huge part of our trip.  A few days before we left, a friend brought me a devotional book for my journey, which has blessed me and will continue to bless me.  God used her to greatly encourage me.  The morning we left, we all woke up sick, but so many people emailed, texted, and called to say they were praying for us specifically.  I mentioned in my last post that we were spared from some close calls on the highway. Isaac and Joel, even though they were dealing with sickness, were calm and content (for the most part!) in the car.  Even though I had no voice for the first few days of our time in Wisconsin, God used that time to teach me. Each time we met with any group of people, Peter and I prayed for the time.  I noticed that it brought us closer and we worked well together as a team.
In one difficult experience during my time at home, I contacted a friend in my small group here in Lancaster and asked her and her husband to pray specifically for me during that time.  God made it so evident that He was working through that circumstance that I'm still marveling at the power of prayer.
If I go on (and I could), this post would be too long!  But I wanted to relate my experiences during the last three weeks to testify to what God can and will do when His people PRAY.  I hope I won't have to "learn" the lesson again.  I hope this encourages you to "pray continually."  And, as always, thank you for praying for us these last few weeks.