We added the "Donate" button to our blogs and fb pages. That makes me squirm in my seat a little. It's a wild thing, this missionary/church planter life. Some days it feels like there's so much happening and I really want God to slow down. Other days I'm tapping my foot impatiently and whining for Him to do something.
Thank you for reading and commenting and letting me know you're still out there with us! It's lifeblood to me.
Even though we are pretty good at being us. God decided that we will do this new assignment even better if we spent some time with us - got to know us again. I guess that's part of this being still. I'm seeing myself from the outside in is the only way I can explain it. And Jeremy... oh girls, I'm sorry you can't be married to him. Could there be a better man in all the world? I think not. He's a little slice of heaven right here in my living room.
So we're here. Pastors and now church planters. Every day we're working on us. There are days when we are meeting people in Burlington and in St. Albans who have been praying for whoever was coming to do this thing that God had burdened their hearts to pray about. And we talk to our mentor in Texas who watched a documentary on VT twice and prayed for us the entire time. We meet pastors who are already doing a children's ministry and have a relationship with the parents that I have a burden for, so we can join forces and do what God brought us here to do. We pray with people who are so passionate about the students at UVM and thank us for coming. And I'm amazed by God's clever attention to detail.
We've met contacts for the frat house, which led us to 371 Pearl. We met with the Realtor about that location. And now we're waiting. It's another of those slow down/hurry up deals. I can see God smiling at His timing and how it affects me. (That's the Jesus way of saying "drives me crazy"!) And also He smiles at what I'm learning because He sees how useful it will be down the road when all this comes together and we have students sitting in Apostrophe who invite us into the messy moments of their lives so we can show them how crazy in love with them Jesus has always been. That's why we're doing this. That's why we're sitting still and running forward - sometimes simultaneously.
Our prayer needs are for health and protection for our family, especially Sophia and Zoe; for the students at UVM; for the location (we're praying for the Holy Spirit to soak that place even now because it's God who will set us apart and create the atmosphere where students want to be); for favor with the zoning committee; for funds to buy the coffee house equipment because we need to be trained on it before we have to open and for funds to live. Hence the "Donate" button...squirm.
We are starting to meet with UVM students next month. Oh my! That's exciting! Stand Church begins! We'll be small enough to take them to coffee (recon work!) and to dinner. It's so crazy to realize that in the midst of all this we have planted a church. How great is God! He did it without us even knowing it.
I hope that gives you more than a glimpse into what we're doing here - what you're doing here. We feel your prayers. We see them at work. Believe me, there are days when we KNOW that we wouldn't make it without someone praying. Thank you! Keep praying for the Howards too!
Love you!
Melanie
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