Fall Update

Adam’s Fall Family Update

Time continues to fly by and though it seems like the school year just started, we are only seven weeks away from Christmas break. As we are in a constant state of motion and doing life, it is so easy to forget what is important. Why does it seem like when one is busy the first thing to go out the window is quiet time with the Lord? The very thing that gives us life and keeps us balanced is what we often feel is optional. We encourage each one of you to make sure you are getting daily quiet time with the Lord as we head into this busy holiday season. 

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit- Galatians 5:25

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Cole just turned 7 months and she is on the move. She is very active and wants to do everything her older siblings can do. She is so full of joy and spends most of her days making us laugh. Please pray that she keeps growing and that she will come to know the Lord. Please join us in praying protection over her.

                                     
Josh turned 3 on October 31st. This year he started attending a preschool in the morning. He loves going to school and playing with his friends. His Spanish has grown very quickly. Though he is enjoying school and generally a happy little guy, he is going through a rough patch emotionally. Please pray over his mind, heart and emotions. Please pray that he will continue to grow to love the Lord. 

Indi has had a great start to the school year. She has shown determination and has grown in her responsibility. It is hard being 17 and starting to navigate life. Please pray that she will place her identity in the Lord and see herself how He sees her. Please pray that God leads her as she is starting to narrow down college choices.  

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Dave and I ask for prayer on how to be better parents. Parenting is hard-work! We know that the Lord has entrusted our kids to us for a season. We so desire to do it well and in a way that points our children to Christ. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to lead our words and actions, and give us a sense of each child’s unspoken needs.

Summer Update

 Hey guys,

I (Dave) just wanted to give an update on what's been happening this summer.  As many of you know we have teams non-stop from mid-May until the end of July, so it is a very busy time for all the staff at Students International.  The summer groups are about to end and yet again the summer seems to have flown by.  We really enjoy having the teams come to the baseball site.  The boys really get excited when the groups come down, and of course the summer would not be complete without a few Dominican vs American scrimmages complete with trash talking from both teams that the other team cant understand.  We have also had a few opportunities to take our boys to different areas to play some games.  About 3 weeks ago we were able to take 5 teams to Santiago to play against another ministry and just this past week we took our 13-14 year old team to play in La Vega.  The summer months also allow us to do some extra events away from the baseball field that we don't always have the time for during the school year, such as trips to the pool, taking the boys to the SI base to hang out, construction projects at another ministry, etc.

The devotional times we have with our boys are also especially impactful during the summers.  This summer especially we had a lot of group members who were the same age as our boys.  It is cool to see the reactions on the kids faces when someone their own age is willing to come down to share Christ with them.  Sometimes they treat Christianity as "something to do when your older", instead of being willing to completely sell out to Christ.  It has really made me think about how often we do the same thing at times.  It is easy to put off how we should truly be living for Christ and we think only pastors, missionaries, etc. are people who should be sharing Christ on a daily basis.  It has made me look at my own life and see what areas I need to be better at showing the love of Christ.  It is easy to share His Word and love when its expected, but what about when it's not expected?  What is our go to reaction then?  I'm sure I'm not the only one who has felt this way before so I would challenge anyone reading this to evaluate your own life and look for new ways we can be showing Christ to others.

 

Full Obedience

February Update

Our son is two years old and as much as I hate the term terrible twos, there are moments with him that can only be described as terrible. He is in a stage where he desires to be independent, but lacks the knowledge to truly understand what is safe. There have been many times when I tell Josh to not touch something, he looks at me and does it. This utter defiance wasn’t taught to him. It is just part of who he is and until he really understands that our rules are for his protection, he will continue to fight against them. As hard as it is to see your child chose something that is potentially dangerous and be out right defiant, I do believe that it is a part of ultimately understanding God’s role in our lives as our protector. There have been times when God has spoken clearly that this situation, job or friendship isn’t for me. I go ahead and peruse what I have been told to not touch and then I get burnt. God’s rules or desires are for my greater good and this week I had a great reminder of this exact thing.

Last week we had some of Indy’s sponsors over for dinner. That morning I had felt the Holy Spirit telling me to ask them for something super specific for Indy. I said okay Lord I will ask, but just to make sure this is of you, will you please have them ask us if we need any extra support for Indy? I don’t want to step out of your will. Tuesday night they came and they asked how they could support us financially. God had ordained it all and set it up for me and I chickened out. I just said we are fine and don’t need anything. Oh my disobedient heart! I confessed to God and felt peace. I spent a lot of time with her sponsors on Thursday, but just felt a block whenever I tried to bring up the extra support. Indy spent time with her sponsors on Friday and I went to pick her up. When I got out of the car they said they wanted to give me money to pay for Indy to have a phone plan. They felt that it wasn’t safe for her to be without minutes for her phone. My mouth dropped open and I began to fight tears. That was exactly what I felt the Lord telling me to talk to them about on Tuesday night. I hadn’t said anything to anyone, but Dave so there’s no way they could have known. God is so good!

This week I have been really challenged by the book of John. There is a part of the book where some of the Pharisees heard Jesus speak and believed in him, but they didn’t speak out.  The Pharisees were afraid of the people and what they thought. They weren’t obedient because they cared more about other’s thoughts about them. Let Dave and I never care more about man’s opinion than God’s opinion. Let us always follow Him with all our beings. Let us always be obedient.

Heavenly Interuption

Moses and the Burning Bush

3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. ³ So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

⁴ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”

Moses was minding his sheep and going about his daily life when he had a divine intervention. He didn't wake up expecting for the Lord to speak to him through a burning bush. God asked him to leave all he had known and follow him. God didn't give him a specific plan or step by step directions. He just asked Moses to follow him. This year God has been asking us to follow him in a big way. Six months ago I learned about a girl at my school. She has been at the local missionary orphanage for the past eight years until she was accepted to my school. My school requires a lot of parental support so another missionary family took her in, but then they had to go on furlough. Because of this, she had to go back to the orphanage. I felt a burning in my heart and knew that there was an instant connection. Dave and I prayed for months asking the Lord what He wanted us to do. The Lord was clear. We were supposed to take her in. We had all the excuses or reasons why we couldn't, but in reality we knew what God wanted us to do. In the world's eyes this might be the worst time ever. We are welcoming a new baby in three months, I am so busy with work and online classes, Dave is just starting his busiest time of the year and yet it all doesn't matter. The Lord has called us to this journey and we will be obedient. Please come alongside us and pray for supernatural wisdom as we all adjust.