Kosovo
Monday, November 14, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Where we are...No turning back
It's been awhile since our last update. One major event that occurred was the birth of our son Hugh. He is such a blessing and Sean and Kayleigh are awesome siblings to their new brother. Praise God. All that being said, lack of sleep and juggling the 3 kids as they now outnumber Gino and I has been a bit of a challenge. But we wanted to take time to update everyone on how God is working in our life and still moving us to the mission field.
A few weeks ago I was driving in the car praying and asking God to give me wisdom as I answered some questions someone had about us joining Operation Mobilization and what exactly we were doing. As I was driving, Third Day was playing in the background, as I had put their concert DVD in earlier for Sean to watch. The song "I have decided to follow Jesus" was playing and it actually brought me to tears as the meaning of those words really summed up our life the past 4 years. Here are the words:
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back, No turning back
The world behind me, the cross before me
The world behind me, the cross before me
The world behind me, the cross before me
No turning back, No turning back
Though none go with me, still I will follow
Though none go with me, still I will follow
Though none go with me, still I will follow
No turning back, No turning back
"No turning back". That sums up our life right now. God has given us clear direction and has transformed our lives. We have decided to truly mean these words. To follow Him no matter what. There is no turning back and so we press forward excited to follow him step by step. That does not mean we are perfect and that fear does not creep in, but He gives us the strength to obey His will. We are still in the process of raising our monthly support. God has brought wonderful ministry partners already and we are at 36%. We still need to raise 64% and our goal is still to be out there by February. There are a few trips coming up - one in March and it would be a blessing to be out there by February to get the family settled and so Gino can go in March. The team needs him and we are seeing that God is calling us louder and louder and so we are pressing on. We are praying God gives us opportunities to share with more people in order that He may be glorified as they may hear what He is doing in our lives. We are also praying that those whom we share with will prayerfully consider joining our monthly ministry support team if our ministry matches their concerns, just as Paul mentions to the Philippians (Phil 4:10) who are supporting his ministry. Whether the people we share with choose to join our ministry support team or not, we hope that their time of prayer in seeking the Lord's direction will be new, refreshing, and encouraging, building their faith in our Abba Father.
Also as we prepare to go, we are gearing up to fix up the house as much as we can so that we may put it on the market. God keeps bringing support in surprising ways which is awesome and confirmation that we are following His will for us right now. But we must be diligent as well. If you are reading this and are interested in meeting with us or talking to us or getting information please contact us! We'd love to share what God is doing in our lives. Thank you all for continued prayers!
A few weeks ago I was driving in the car praying and asking God to give me wisdom as I answered some questions someone had about us joining Operation Mobilization and what exactly we were doing. As I was driving, Third Day was playing in the background, as I had put their concert DVD in earlier for Sean to watch. The song "I have decided to follow Jesus" was playing and it actually brought me to tears as the meaning of those words really summed up our life the past 4 years. Here are the words:
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back, No turning back
The world behind me, the cross before me
The world behind me, the cross before me
The world behind me, the cross before me
No turning back, No turning back
Though none go with me, still I will follow
Though none go with me, still I will follow
Though none go with me, still I will follow
No turning back, No turning back
"No turning back". That sums up our life right now. God has given us clear direction and has transformed our lives. We have decided to truly mean these words. To follow Him no matter what. There is no turning back and so we press forward excited to follow him step by step. That does not mean we are perfect and that fear does not creep in, but He gives us the strength to obey His will. We are still in the process of raising our monthly support. God has brought wonderful ministry partners already and we are at 36%. We still need to raise 64% and our goal is still to be out there by February. There are a few trips coming up - one in March and it would be a blessing to be out there by February to get the family settled and so Gino can go in March. The team needs him and we are seeing that God is calling us louder and louder and so we are pressing on. We are praying God gives us opportunities to share with more people in order that He may be glorified as they may hear what He is doing in our lives. We are also praying that those whom we share with will prayerfully consider joining our monthly ministry support team if our ministry matches their concerns, just as Paul mentions to the Philippians (Phil 4:10) who are supporting his ministry. Whether the people we share with choose to join our ministry support team or not, we hope that their time of prayer in seeking the Lord's direction will be new, refreshing, and encouraging, building their faith in our Abba Father.
Also as we prepare to go, we are gearing up to fix up the house as much as we can so that we may put it on the market. God keeps bringing support in surprising ways which is awesome and confirmation that we are following His will for us right now. But we must be diligent as well. If you are reading this and are interested in meeting with us or talking to us or getting information please contact us! We'd love to share what God is doing in our lives. Thank you all for continued prayers!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Thoughts about myself
This has been a season of change and transformation. At times I find myself apologizing to God for failing to commit enough of my time to meeting with others in order to build our ministry team. At other times, I take a step back and praise God for all the things He is teaching me along the way. Fears arise and are put at ease. I let worry set in and He calms me. But the most important thing that God has taught me lately is quite basic, yet it has been extremely important for me to grasp. Are you ready?......
IT IS NOT ABOUT ME
Not a very profound statement right? But in order for our ministry to be a success, it can’t be about us. It has to be all about Him.
As I have struggled with myself to grasp this concept, God has shown the joy and rest that comes with laying all my burdens on Him. Sometimes I think about our support raising and the amount we have left to go, and admittedly it has given me a big lump in my gut if I dwell on it long enough. I have found myself asking God, “How are we ever going to raise the support to go?”. But it’s in these times when God reminds me that it’s not about me. It’s not about what I can do. Can I raise the funds needed to go myself? I just don’t think so. God can though and He will. After all it is His ministry, not mine. I didn’t create it, He did, and He invited us to join Him. It’s His job to get us there.
God continues to show us time and time again that He already has all of our supporters picked out. When we are down emotionally, He hasn’t failed yet to remind us that He is in charge of our financial support by bringing a new supporter whom we didn’t technically ask to support us. We’ve worried at times about sharing our ministry with others fearing that we may not use all the tools and methods we’ve been taught regarding raising ministry support, but again, when it comes down to it the funds are Gods job. There’s no formula or methodology to ensure that everyone we ask will join our support team. It’s God who will stir the hearts of those who will join us and then He will provide us with the funds.
Throughout the Bible you can read of how God is the one who blessed His people with financial support.
• Numbers 18:21: 21 "To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting,
I’ve also been reading a book lately in which the author provides an example of how he sees tithing, which has been a great example for me. To paraphrase, the author thinks of our tithe as going straight up to God on Sunday morning, then He throws it back down into the offering baskets in the Usher’s closet just before they begin counting. God supports His people. When we give, we give to Him, and He in turn gives back to us His people.
God has shown me our job. Our job as His children is to bring Him glory through our ministry, sharing the awesome things He’s done in our lives and in the lives of our friends already on the mission field, ultimately encouraging others to live for Christ and find comfort and joy in fulfilling the roles that He has created us for. After realizing this, it hit me; God has already given us a passion to share about the great things He is doing. To encourage others to be a functioning part of the body. To bring Him glory and in the process watch people’s faith in God grow as they learn and/or see first hand how our He interacts with His people. When I look at it this way, my job is not so hard after all! It is our joy to honor Him. He has already instilled this passion in us. We just need to use it to point others to Him, because after all, it is not about us. What an awesome and loving God we serve.
So with that, I have thought of updating one of our prayer requests. For those that have our brochure, in it you will find we ask for prayer that our financial support needs would be met. Honestly though, I feel like this is somewhat a childish prayer request. We already have the answer. God will meet our needs. He already has everything planned out and everyone picked out. He has called us to go and He will get us to where He wants us to be. If I could change our prayer request on our brochure, I might change it to this:
• Please pray that our hearts would be focused on glorifying God through our ministry.
It’s a simple prayer request, but with so much weighing in on us, it’s not that difficult to lose focus and return to our selfish natures. The more we focus on ourselves, the less we focus on Him and what He’s doing. The less we focus on Him, the less we get the chance to glorify Him by sharing the great things He is doing in our lives. The less we share, the less others are encouraged.
So here is my prayer for you who read this: That you would be encouraged by the great work of the Lord and that you would be refreshed by His outpouring of love on His children. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Fullness of Joy
Lately the past few weeks have been ok. We must admit that it felt like we were just getting through each day, we found ourselves in a rutt. We found ourselves feeling down, tired, discouraged, and just unmotivated. I say we felt joy-less. This week has been an answer to prayer and God totally opened our eyes to see just how much joy we can experience only through HIM. Gino was asked to speak at the young adults class this past Sunday and so instead of turning on the TV to relax after the kids went to bed, we actually spent time reading God's word, talking things out, and praying. What a difference this week has been. We also were given opportunity last week to share what God has been doing in our lives these past 3 years with a couple over dinner which was great and encouraging as well. Gino gave a message focused on Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. One of the passages was:
He talked about the body of Christ and how each of us have been blessed with individual gifts that are needed and important to furthering the gospel to the ends of the earth. Not only that but he shared about how God opened our eyes to see that these gifts are to bring us joy. God didn't create us and give us gifts that pull us down or make us depressed when we use them. He challenged us all to look and reflect at what we are doing with the talents God has given us. Are we seeking Him out to hear what He wants us to be doing? Are we getting to know what gifts He's given us and the putting them to use for Him? Gino always thought his love of music was for his own pleasure only. He never dreamed that God had maybe given him those talents to be used for bringing the gospel message to others and maybe to also encourage other believers. He had a picture of what being used by God looked like - all sacrifice and no joy. But God has shown us over the years through His word - that in Him is life and life abundantly. In him is fullness of joy. Gino has experienced first hand the joy of using his guitar skills to give God glory and bring others closer to God. He's never experienced any joy like it.
I have been reading a book by John Piper called "Desiring God". In it he says: " What would bring us fullness of joy? Not a padded and protected and comfortable life. Rich people are as miserably unhappy as poor people. What we need in answer to prayer to fill our joy is the power of love. Or as John puts it, the power to bear fruit. Prayer is the fountain of joy because it is the source of power to love. John 15:7-8: "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit." (You see this verse isn't stating that God is a Genie...if we have God's word in us and we know His word, then we know Him. If we know Him, personally, then we will know His will for us, therefore we ask....and it's done...and He is glorified because He made it possible.)
We are seeing personally that true joy comes from knowing God and loving Him and doing His will. While there's hardships and trials, the joy that comes from doing God's will is worth it all. Compared to so many missionaries in the world, anything we face here is trivial and yet we all have that same joy and that same drive to get God's work done and be a part of His purpose. What encouraged me about Gino's message was that we ALL can be a part of getting the gospel to the ends of the world. What's more is that we can enjoy and, in fact, have joy abundantly doing our part in getting the gospel spread.
Psalms 40:8 says: I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart."
God Bless!
Romans 12:6-8
6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.He talked about the body of Christ and how each of us have been blessed with individual gifts that are needed and important to furthering the gospel to the ends of the earth. Not only that but he shared about how God opened our eyes to see that these gifts are to bring us joy. God didn't create us and give us gifts that pull us down or make us depressed when we use them. He challenged us all to look and reflect at what we are doing with the talents God has given us. Are we seeking Him out to hear what He wants us to be doing? Are we getting to know what gifts He's given us and the putting them to use for Him? Gino always thought his love of music was for his own pleasure only. He never dreamed that God had maybe given him those talents to be used for bringing the gospel message to others and maybe to also encourage other believers. He had a picture of what being used by God looked like - all sacrifice and no joy. But God has shown us over the years through His word - that in Him is life and life abundantly. In him is fullness of joy. Gino has experienced first hand the joy of using his guitar skills to give God glory and bring others closer to God. He's never experienced any joy like it.
I have been reading a book by John Piper called "Desiring God". In it he says: " What would bring us fullness of joy? Not a padded and protected and comfortable life. Rich people are as miserably unhappy as poor people. What we need in answer to prayer to fill our joy is the power of love. Or as John puts it, the power to bear fruit. Prayer is the fountain of joy because it is the source of power to love. John 15:7-8: "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit." (You see this verse isn't stating that God is a Genie...if we have God's word in us and we know His word, then we know Him. If we know Him, personally, then we will know His will for us, therefore we ask....and it's done...and He is glorified because He made it possible.)
We are seeing personally that true joy comes from knowing God and loving Him and doing His will. While there's hardships and trials, the joy that comes from doing God's will is worth it all. Compared to so many missionaries in the world, anything we face here is trivial and yet we all have that same joy and that same drive to get God's work done and be a part of His purpose. What encouraged me about Gino's message was that we ALL can be a part of getting the gospel to the ends of the world. What's more is that we can enjoy and, in fact, have joy abundantly doing our part in getting the gospel spread.
Psalms 40:8 says: I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart."
Monday, April 11, 2011
Encouraged
While many of you know we are in the process of joining Operation Mobilization as full time missionaries, we haven't updated you all on how it's actually going. Right now we are in the process of building our ministry support team. What is a ministry suport team? Well we are being called to "go" into the mission field but we need a team of people who will "send" us. People who will join with us in prayer and financial support. We must admit that this is a very emotional process and God has been teaching us to trust in Him and to just share our story with those we know and let Him stir in the hearts of those who will be called to give. Can I just say that God has been so faithful to do just that. Whenever we start to question, or get fearful, or down when someone hasn't responded to us, God brings people out of the blue willing to support us, or we get an e-mail response saying they want to be apart of our team, or a friend saying "yes" I will. I have a few times in my journal where I specifically prayed that God would encourage us or bring someone who would support us, and that weekend or even day someone would talk to Gino or I about what we're doing or would say they want to support us. He keeps reminding us time and time again that this is His plan. This is all His. So far we have a few supporters already giving to us which is a blessing as we must have our moving costs and be 100% funded to go. We have about 4% of our support raised so we have a LOT of work to do on our end but we trust that God is the one who will get us 100% supported at just the right time. The hard part is putting aside fears of rejection, or thinking people won't understand, because in the end God is the one who will get us there and God is the one who will work in the hearts of those who are to be part of our team. We are excited and encouraged as God keeps bringing more people who are wanting to join our team. We just pray that we will be able to meet and share what God is doing in our lives and hope that it will leave those we meet with encouraged, challenged, and maybe even a little "messed" up like we were left when God had us see the "Wear the Crowns" message. Is what we're living for worth dying for? Is Jesus getting what He paid for? .....Keep praying that God will keep us encouraged and that we will be able to get there in His time. As many of you know we are expecting Quinn #3 so we are anticipating joining Om in January. Please be praying that God's will is done. We are wanting everything to be done in His will and His time. Till next time.....
Psalms 139:15-16
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
Psalms 139:15-16
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Where He is leading us....so far - Atlanta, Georgia??
First, we are so thankful for all the love, support, and most importantly PRAYERS during this season of our life. While the fact that God has called us to "go" is exciting, it certainly isn't easy. Also, we wanted to take some time to clarify where God is leading us and what He is going to have us be a part of.
Operation Mobilization; God is doing amazing things through this organization. Operation Mobilization (OM) are in over 118 countries, and their focus in a nutshell is to assist local churches, help plant churches and bring the gospel to areas that have never heard of Jesus. On top of that they bring aid and help during times of disaster. They also have a ship that docks at ports around the world that offers Christian literature to locals, as well as reading materials at affordable prices. While in Port, they invite locals on board for outreach, go in to the community to street evangelize, visit prisons, hospitals, and provide humanitarian aid when possible.
The Arts are also another way that OM reaches people whether it be through music, drama, mime, dance, painting, or sculpture to name a few. We have heard and Gino has seen first hand how the arts have been used to communicate in spite of language barriers, relieve tensions, and opened eyes to the truth of Christ. Music and dance can touch hard hearts, and lift the spirits of the hopeless and this is the area God has called us to participate in. For now we will be moving to Atlanta Georgia where the OM Arts department is located. We are part of OM International, but that department is still based at the OM USA headquarters. What does that mean?
Well, when we move there Gino will be working on various projects and also be touring with different artists. I will be the steady presence at home when Gino is on tour. I will be making sure our ministry partners are updated and that they stay informed about how God is using them. I will also be praying for the teams. Then, when our children are bit older, our desire is to involve our whole family in missions so that we may minister together, and as our children grow, they can experience God first hand as He transforms lives. However, our kids are our first ministry. God says, "For if man cannot manage his own household, how can he take are of God's church?". Gino and I are very aware that God has blessed us with children to show them His love and raise and train them in the Word so that they will remain in it when they are grown. Gino and I both agree that while the kids are young, it is vital that I am home caring for them and when they are older we hope God will open doors for us to outreach as a family. Like the disciples who took their families with them to their home bases, I will be with the kids during the times that Gino travels to bring the gospel to other parts of the world and within the U.S. as well. But our sacrifice of time away from each other is not void. The stories we hear of how God works when Gino is away make the time away from one another worthwhile.
As we have seen God make it clear that this is where we are headed God keeps showing us that this is His ministry and He will see that we get there in His time and in His way. We are expecting our 3rd little one in September which is such a blessing. This gives us more time to build up our ministry team with partners who may not be called to "go" as we have but are feeling called to "send" people out into the world and really believe in what we are a part of. We are also so thankful as God makes it clear we will not be alone when we move. So many have already rallied around us, reached out to us, Skype with us and pray for us. Not only in Atlanta Georgia, but even in Italy where our friend Jill is. To know that we have so many who are ready to love on us and be there when we transition is such a blessing. God reminds me constantly, "don't worry about everyday life, whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds, they don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are more valuable to him than they are." (Matt. 6:25)
As God has changed us over that last 3 years I really see how He's given us a new understanding and desire of what it means to really follow him. From Him just planting the question in our minds "are you willing to give up your plans for my plans?" to us saying "Yes Lord we think we could." To Him asking, "Would you be willing to Go and move? " to us saying "Yes Lord we think we could". To Him asking, "Do you want to go where I'm leading you?" to us saying "Yes Lord, we WANT to go where you lead. It's the only place we WANT to be." It's been a long journey but such an awesome time of growing and stretching. He's taken our desires and conformed them to His desires. He's shown us that "storing up treasures" in heaven is better than anything earthly desires can give. His promises last forever, earthly things fade away. He's totally changed our mind set and given us a love for others and a passion for the "church" to grow.
I've been reading Romans lately and two verses come to my mind that sum up the vision God has given us right now:
Romans 1:5 "Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to His name." - Not only will Gino be bringing the gospel of Christ to the nations, but the teams he will be a part of will be used in ways such as assisting local churches in encouraging and challenging believers, and assisting local pastors and missionaries to build credibility in their communities, which hopefully in turn will help their ministries to grow. All in hopes of saving the lost, encouraging and strengthening those who already believe, and inspiring local believers to continue spreading the gospel message.
Romans 1:14: "For I have a great sense of obligation to people in our culture and to people in other cultures, to the educated and uneducated alike."
God has given us a sense of obligation to people here and all over the world to know God's good news. We are excited that God has invited us to join Him by "Going" and reaching out to people all over the world, including the U.S. as well.
So where are we in the journey? Right now we are in the beginning stages of raising our financial support through building our ministry support team. Those who will be supporting and sending us are just as important as we who are going. Without being "sent" no one could "go" bring the gospel to the nations. Please be praying that God will speak clearly to those He wants to be apart of our team. Pray that as we meet with people, God will encourage and strengthen their faith and maybe even raise up other missionaries in the process. Above all pray with us that God will be glorified!
We are excited to share about this new adventure and are happy to meet with anyone who has questions. If you feel God is calling you to join our team, please let us know. We have also posted a link on our blog should you feel led to give financially to our ministry. Furthermore, if you feel called to be a prayer partner please let us know. This is just as important as giving.
If you have time please check out Operation Mobilization. We've posted their links on our blog. Who knows maybe we'll be seeing some of you on some trips. If you've always wanted to go on a missions trip but didn't know where to start, OM has many short term mission trips and they need people to do all kinds of different tasks. Check them out and see what God might have for you.
We will keep you all posted on this journey.
Operation Mobilization; God is doing amazing things through this organization. Operation Mobilization (OM) are in over 118 countries, and their focus in a nutshell is to assist local churches, help plant churches and bring the gospel to areas that have never heard of Jesus. On top of that they bring aid and help during times of disaster. They also have a ship that docks at ports around the world that offers Christian literature to locals, as well as reading materials at affordable prices. While in Port, they invite locals on board for outreach, go in to the community to street evangelize, visit prisons, hospitals, and provide humanitarian aid when possible.
The Arts are also another way that OM reaches people whether it be through music, drama, mime, dance, painting, or sculpture to name a few. We have heard and Gino has seen first hand how the arts have been used to communicate in spite of language barriers, relieve tensions, and opened eyes to the truth of Christ. Music and dance can touch hard hearts, and lift the spirits of the hopeless and this is the area God has called us to participate in. For now we will be moving to Atlanta Georgia where the OM Arts department is located. We are part of OM International, but that department is still based at the OM USA headquarters. What does that mean?
Well, when we move there Gino will be working on various projects and also be touring with different artists. I will be the steady presence at home when Gino is on tour. I will be making sure our ministry partners are updated and that they stay informed about how God is using them. I will also be praying for the teams. Then, when our children are bit older, our desire is to involve our whole family in missions so that we may minister together, and as our children grow, they can experience God first hand as He transforms lives. However, our kids are our first ministry. God says, "For if man cannot manage his own household, how can he take are of God's church?". Gino and I are very aware that God has blessed us with children to show them His love and raise and train them in the Word so that they will remain in it when they are grown. Gino and I both agree that while the kids are young, it is vital that I am home caring for them and when they are older we hope God will open doors for us to outreach as a family. Like the disciples who took their families with them to their home bases, I will be with the kids during the times that Gino travels to bring the gospel to other parts of the world and within the U.S. as well. But our sacrifice of time away from each other is not void. The stories we hear of how God works when Gino is away make the time away from one another worthwhile.
As we have seen God make it clear that this is where we are headed God keeps showing us that this is His ministry and He will see that we get there in His time and in His way. We are expecting our 3rd little one in September which is such a blessing. This gives us more time to build up our ministry team with partners who may not be called to "go" as we have but are feeling called to "send" people out into the world and really believe in what we are a part of. We are also so thankful as God makes it clear we will not be alone when we move. So many have already rallied around us, reached out to us, Skype with us and pray for us. Not only in Atlanta Georgia, but even in Italy where our friend Jill is. To know that we have so many who are ready to love on us and be there when we transition is such a blessing. God reminds me constantly, "don't worry about everyday life, whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds, they don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are more valuable to him than they are." (Matt. 6:25)
As God has changed us over that last 3 years I really see how He's given us a new understanding and desire of what it means to really follow him. From Him just planting the question in our minds "are you willing to give up your plans for my plans?" to us saying "Yes Lord we think we could." To Him asking, "Would you be willing to Go and move? " to us saying "Yes Lord we think we could". To Him asking, "Do you want to go where I'm leading you?" to us saying "Yes Lord, we WANT to go where you lead. It's the only place we WANT to be." It's been a long journey but such an awesome time of growing and stretching. He's taken our desires and conformed them to His desires. He's shown us that "storing up treasures" in heaven is better than anything earthly desires can give. His promises last forever, earthly things fade away. He's totally changed our mind set and given us a love for others and a passion for the "church" to grow.
I've been reading Romans lately and two verses come to my mind that sum up the vision God has given us right now:
Romans 1:5 "Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to His name." - Not only will Gino be bringing the gospel of Christ to the nations, but the teams he will be a part of will be used in ways such as assisting local churches in encouraging and challenging believers, and assisting local pastors and missionaries to build credibility in their communities, which hopefully in turn will help their ministries to grow. All in hopes of saving the lost, encouraging and strengthening those who already believe, and inspiring local believers to continue spreading the gospel message.
Romans 1:14: "For I have a great sense of obligation to people in our culture and to people in other cultures, to the educated and uneducated alike."
God has given us a sense of obligation to people here and all over the world to know God's good news. We are excited that God has invited us to join Him by "Going" and reaching out to people all over the world, including the U.S. as well.
So where are we in the journey? Right now we are in the beginning stages of raising our financial support through building our ministry support team. Those who will be supporting and sending us are just as important as we who are going. Without being "sent" no one could "go" bring the gospel to the nations. Please be praying that God will speak clearly to those He wants to be apart of our team. Pray that as we meet with people, God will encourage and strengthen their faith and maybe even raise up other missionaries in the process. Above all pray with us that God will be glorified!
We are excited to share about this new adventure and are happy to meet with anyone who has questions. If you feel God is calling you to join our team, please let us know. We have also posted a link on our blog should you feel led to give financially to our ministry. Furthermore, if you feel called to be a prayer partner please let us know. This is just as important as giving.
If you have time please check out Operation Mobilization. We've posted their links on our blog. Who knows maybe we'll be seeing some of you on some trips. If you've always wanted to go on a missions trip but didn't know where to start, OM has many short term mission trips and they need people to do all kinds of different tasks. Check them out and see what God might have for you.
We will keep you all posted on this journey.
Monday, February 7, 2011
When the journey began..... (Gino's side of the story)
So.....Now it's my turn. One of the most significant experiences in my life also occurred on the day when I let the Bill Drake band borrow my guitar amp. As Laura mentioned, we did not know that our friend Jon was going to be in town, and we were pleasantly surprised to receive his call for assistance. What we experienced that day was more than music though. God had us there for a purpose, and the awesome part is that it was just us; a private concert and message for the two of us. At the time, I don't think I would have agreed that God had us there so He could kick start our venture into full time ministry. What I would have told you though was that God "messed" us up. I left that day questioning what we as Americans consider necessity. I left questioning how we Christians in America were dealing with the blessings that God has given us. I questioned whether we should live differently in light of the way our persecuted brothers and sisters in other parts of the world are living; those who have truly died to self knowing that their choice to follow Christ may mean physical death, persecution, or disinheritance. I found out that a lot of the things I had only heard about or read about in books regarding Christian martyrdom was actually real and present. Not that I didn't think that the books were a lie, but for some reason it never hit home that there are still people in this world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ, and the consequences are frequently quite heinous. These Christians are living to give glory to God. What am I living for? This was the beginning of a time of questioning and receiving answers from God. I knew that day that I wanted to be a part of that message some how. To get involved. Full time missions hadn't crossed my mind yet though. God had more to do.
As I continued in my daily Bible studies, God lead me back to the gospels to study how Jesus discipled the apostles. As I read each day, God brought more questions to light for me to ask myself, followed by challenges. I began to worry day by day that God could possibly call us to deepest darkest Africa as my former youth pastor used to say (sorry for the grammatical errors Mark). But God kept bringing comfort through the scriptures as he challenged my way of thinking more and more. There I was living the "American dream" quite content, but God was starting to make me feel like something wasn't right. Here I was doing everything I thought I was supposed to do in my career. I worked hard trying my best to advance in my job and make my Dad proud. But my heavenly Father was speaking back to me and showing me that the things I was investing my time in to meet the status quo, would some day rot, and my coveted retirement plan was not promised. Basically there was no guarantee that I could work my whole life and have something to show for it. What if God called me and I took a detour around His plan for my life because the road appeared to be too rough? Would my life still bear fruit? Would there be regrets? Would God punish me if I "chickened out"?
About nine months after experiencing Bill Drake's concert, I got a phone call from my buddy Jon asking if I would be willing to sit in on electric guitar with the band for a concert. What? I couldn't believe my ears! It was a prayer answered that I never specifically prayed for. I just never thought I would ever be able to be part of a ministry like Bill's. I never thought I was good enough or important enough, so I never prayed for the chance. (I so love the intersession of the Holy Spirit.) So I was off to Wyoming. I came back even more messed by the Lord, and loaded with more questions. What was I doing with Jesus' command to "go and make disciples of all nations"? What if He did call me to leave my job, my comfort zone, one day. What if He called me to "go" as in leaving the US and moving to some other country to be a missionary? The more questions I had, the more comfort God brought though. At the time He didn't answer with specifics, but He answered in a way that brought me comfort in my heart. The kind of comfort that I couldn't argue with if He did call me to "go". And I couldn't dupe God. He had a rebuttal through scripture for every argument I threw at Him. "What about my job? How would I support my family if I quit and pursued ministry?" "What about Laura's family? We are so close to them?" "What about our church? We have been there all our lives?""You called our best friends to go; how could you possibly call us to go too? I must be hearing wrong."
As yet more time passed, God began to "take away" my vices. Number one was my grandfather whom I loved dearly. I was always afraid that if I moved away, my grandfather would pass and I would not be there to say goodbye. This fear became reality when my grandfather passed away in April 2009, while I was on tour in Germany with Bill Drake. The awesome thing though, is that even there I knew that God had me exactly where He wanted me, and it was the best place to be. I was doing His work, and He was comforting me through my Christian family that I was growing quite close with. Of course I grieved, but my heart was also busy being offered to the Lord during the tour, therefore it could not be overly consumed with sorrow.
Number two was my Parents, my Grandmother, and my Aunt Shirley. I always wanted to live in the same town as them. I even wanted to live on my parents block. Well.. they moved to Madera California in June 2009.
Number three was my job. I loved my job. I loved my job because of all I could do; all the variety. I loved my job because I felt like I made my Dad proud just by having it. I loved working in the City I grew up in. I felt a sense of ownership. Things have started to change over the last three years though. The fire started to fizzle out, something I thought would never happen. The job I was sure I would retire from wasn't so appetizing anymore. God has also blessed me immensely in the fact that I reached my personal goal at my job. My goal stepping in the door on January 10, 2000 was to get as high in the ranks as I could, which in my case was the position of Services Manager. I was promoted last year to Services Manager without having to interview. What a blessing! Additionally, in just two months I will be at the top of the pay scale for the position. This is a place I didn't imagine myself reaching until I was 50 years old, and five years from retirement. But.....I don't say these thing to brag. I am explaining all this just so I can say that God has showed me that the grass is not greener at the top. As a matter of fact, I much preferred the grass back down at the bottom. Money and status are no substitute for my joy, or even health for that matter. I got duped. My dreams were handed to me, and they aren't what I expected. Even still, I praise God for the experience, for I can leave now not wondering what could have been had I stayed. I can go no farther without an Engineering degree, and I am not going back to College to get one, just to see if more money and responsibility will make me happy. I am reminded of one of my Pastor's messages entitled, "you may get what you want, but you may not want what you get".
Finally and most importantly is number four; my wife. If leaving our comfort zone would be hard for anyone, it would be for my wife. I am not saying that she is weak (she most definitely isn't), but God had already whittled away my ties. Virtually all of Laura's family is within a 15 minutes drive. I have never pushed Laura into believing that God is calling us to go. I have never asked her to pray that we might join OM. I have never asked her to pray about leaving her family. What I have prayed was "God show us both your will" and "God if you want us to go, then YOU are going to have to get my wife on board." And He did just that in August of 2009 when we visited our friends in Georgia and finally decided we could submit a "harmless" application for OM. After the decision, Laura had a rough night in Georgia as she pondered the possible change ahead, but she has actually been the driving force in our marriage keeping us on track and in obedience to what God is calling us to. God answered my prayers, and gave me confirmation through Laura, and then some! If anything I have felt like the one lacking in faith and scared at times, but she has been there like a military general telling me to man up, stop lagging and obey the Lord in the direction He's leading. Whether it be completing the application, or preparing our future budget, she has been there when I was lacking the drive. And she's backed it up with scripture. Ouch!
God has pursued me, a lowly worthless unworthy seemingly insignificant sinner, and He has also pursued my wife. God challenged me, and increased my faith in the process. He refutes every argument I throw His way, and steers me back on the path upon which He is leading us on in the times when I question whether or not I have heard him correctly. We must trust and obey Him, for there is no better place to be than nestled in the grip of His will, no matter how uncomfortable our earthly situations may be. After all, as Christians we strive for the prize of an eternity spent with the Lord. Why then should we have any reason to worry when we let him take control? What is the worst that can happen?
As I continued in my daily Bible studies, God lead me back to the gospels to study how Jesus discipled the apostles. As I read each day, God brought more questions to light for me to ask myself, followed by challenges. I began to worry day by day that God could possibly call us to deepest darkest Africa as my former youth pastor used to say (sorry for the grammatical errors Mark). But God kept bringing comfort through the scriptures as he challenged my way of thinking more and more. There I was living the "American dream" quite content, but God was starting to make me feel like something wasn't right. Here I was doing everything I thought I was supposed to do in my career. I worked hard trying my best to advance in my job and make my Dad proud. But my heavenly Father was speaking back to me and showing me that the things I was investing my time in to meet the status quo, would some day rot, and my coveted retirement plan was not promised. Basically there was no guarantee that I could work my whole life and have something to show for it. What if God called me and I took a detour around His plan for my life because the road appeared to be too rough? Would my life still bear fruit? Would there be regrets? Would God punish me if I "chickened out"?
About nine months after experiencing Bill Drake's concert, I got a phone call from my buddy Jon asking if I would be willing to sit in on electric guitar with the band for a concert. What? I couldn't believe my ears! It was a prayer answered that I never specifically prayed for. I just never thought I would ever be able to be part of a ministry like Bill's. I never thought I was good enough or important enough, so I never prayed for the chance. (I so love the intersession of the Holy Spirit.) So I was off to Wyoming. I came back even more messed by the Lord, and loaded with more questions. What was I doing with Jesus' command to "go and make disciples of all nations"? What if He did call me to leave my job, my comfort zone, one day. What if He called me to "go" as in leaving the US and moving to some other country to be a missionary? The more questions I had, the more comfort God brought though. At the time He didn't answer with specifics, but He answered in a way that brought me comfort in my heart. The kind of comfort that I couldn't argue with if He did call me to "go". And I couldn't dupe God. He had a rebuttal through scripture for every argument I threw at Him. "What about my job? How would I support my family if I quit and pursued ministry?" "What about Laura's family? We are so close to them?" "What about our church? We have been there all our lives?""You called our best friends to go; how could you possibly call us to go too? I must be hearing wrong."
As yet more time passed, God began to "take away" my vices. Number one was my grandfather whom I loved dearly. I was always afraid that if I moved away, my grandfather would pass and I would not be there to say goodbye. This fear became reality when my grandfather passed away in April 2009, while I was on tour in Germany with Bill Drake. The awesome thing though, is that even there I knew that God had me exactly where He wanted me, and it was the best place to be. I was doing His work, and He was comforting me through my Christian family that I was growing quite close with. Of course I grieved, but my heart was also busy being offered to the Lord during the tour, therefore it could not be overly consumed with sorrow.
Number two was my Parents, my Grandmother, and my Aunt Shirley. I always wanted to live in the same town as them. I even wanted to live on my parents block. Well.. they moved to Madera California in June 2009.
Number three was my job. I loved my job. I loved my job because of all I could do; all the variety. I loved my job because I felt like I made my Dad proud just by having it. I loved working in the City I grew up in. I felt a sense of ownership. Things have started to change over the last three years though. The fire started to fizzle out, something I thought would never happen. The job I was sure I would retire from wasn't so appetizing anymore. God has also blessed me immensely in the fact that I reached my personal goal at my job. My goal stepping in the door on January 10, 2000 was to get as high in the ranks as I could, which in my case was the position of Services Manager. I was promoted last year to Services Manager without having to interview. What a blessing! Additionally, in just two months I will be at the top of the pay scale for the position. This is a place I didn't imagine myself reaching until I was 50 years old, and five years from retirement. But.....I don't say these thing to brag. I am explaining all this just so I can say that God has showed me that the grass is not greener at the top. As a matter of fact, I much preferred the grass back down at the bottom. Money and status are no substitute for my joy, or even health for that matter. I got duped. My dreams were handed to me, and they aren't what I expected. Even still, I praise God for the experience, for I can leave now not wondering what could have been had I stayed. I can go no farther without an Engineering degree, and I am not going back to College to get one, just to see if more money and responsibility will make me happy. I am reminded of one of my Pastor's messages entitled, "you may get what you want, but you may not want what you get".
Finally and most importantly is number four; my wife. If leaving our comfort zone would be hard for anyone, it would be for my wife. I am not saying that she is weak (she most definitely isn't), but God had already whittled away my ties. Virtually all of Laura's family is within a 15 minutes drive. I have never pushed Laura into believing that God is calling us to go. I have never asked her to pray that we might join OM. I have never asked her to pray about leaving her family. What I have prayed was "God show us both your will" and "God if you want us to go, then YOU are going to have to get my wife on board." And He did just that in August of 2009 when we visited our friends in Georgia and finally decided we could submit a "harmless" application for OM. After the decision, Laura had a rough night in Georgia as she pondered the possible change ahead, but she has actually been the driving force in our marriage keeping us on track and in obedience to what God is calling us to. God answered my prayers, and gave me confirmation through Laura, and then some! If anything I have felt like the one lacking in faith and scared at times, but she has been there like a military general telling me to man up, stop lagging and obey the Lord in the direction He's leading. Whether it be completing the application, or preparing our future budget, she has been there when I was lacking the drive. And she's backed it up with scripture. Ouch!
Looking back over the last three years, I see a time of and molding and shaping. A time which still continues. As I have mentioned, the answers to the questions I ask God haven't always been easy to swallow at first. The idea of living by the support of others has been a bit scary at times. But there in the seemingly uncomfortable times, God has provided contentment and comfort that is beyond measure, for I know that through it all, He will be there, He is faithful, and He will glorify Himself in our lives and the lives of others. I am not going to lie, there are still times where my fear or lack of faith get in the way and I fail to respond right away to His leading, which makes for disobedience. As Rick Warren writes in The Purpose Driven Life, "...delayed obedience is really disobedience". I pray that I can be moldable though and I do so only by staying plugged in to Him. When I stray, the clay of my being begins to harden and the molding of the masters hands tends to hurt a bit more as He has to be a bit more forceful, which is not fun.
Since my first trip to Wyoming, the opportunities to tour with the Bill Drake band have continued and Laura and I have been blessed by them, as well as thousands of other people. (Thousands may really sound large, but we had the chance to minister to approximately 8000 youth during our last concert in Germany this past May alone!) Since traveling to Wyoming, I've also been to Iowa, Los Angeles, Germany twice, Austria, Switzerland, and in December I traveled to Lebanon. Each time, every concert and every message is a challenge to my faith and the way I am living. Through my experiences on these missionary trips, as well as missions trips to Mendota with our church, God has taught me about the meaning of the body of Christ, and He has also produced in me an incredible passion to see the members of the church body functioning at maximum capacity for the purpose of ensuring that the Gospel is taken to all the nations in order to make disciples of Jesus Christ. No one member is insignificant. I know that is not the statement of the century, but God has really shown me that each person, and every function is important and vital. Just because He calls one to go, doesn't mean the one He calls to send is less important. Each ministry must be His ministry, and must be inspired by Him for His purposes. If it isn't really His ministry, the light will eventually expose it and it will wither and die. Remember, it's the church that is the vessel through which God chose to spread His gospel.
Now looking forward, I see what we call "God sized" tasks awaiting; tasks that we cannot accomplish on our own. These include selling our home and seeing our parents freed from its debt. Also raising our entire financial support as we will be 100% support based. And we know that in the life of a missionary, God sized tasks increase as reliance on Him truly becomes a necessity. We can use your prayers!
God has pursued me, a lowly worthless unworthy seemingly insignificant sinner, and He has also pursued my wife. God challenged me, and increased my faith in the process. He refutes every argument I throw His way, and steers me back on the path upon which He is leading us on in the times when I question whether or not I have heard him correctly. We must trust and obey Him, for there is no better place to be than nestled in the grip of His will, no matter how uncomfortable our earthly situations may be. After all, as Christians we strive for the prize of an eternity spent with the Lord. Why then should we have any reason to worry when we let him take control? What is the worst that can happen?
Saturday, January 22, 2011
When the journey began..... (Laura's side of the story)
This journey of ours started back in 2007. "Is what your living for worth dying for?" our friend Bill Drake asked. What a statement. At the time we didn't even know Bill. Our good friends Jon and Suzie had joined an organization called Operation Mobilization. They joined a part of OM that reaches out to people through the arts - music, artwork, dance, mime, etc. We supported them because they were our friends but honestly hadn't thought much about the organization itself. To our surprise, (we were also bad friends for not reading the newsletter that month) Jon was in the area with Bill Drake to give a concert. They needed to borrow an amp and Gino of course had one. We were blessed with watching the dress rehearsal and that is when we heard the line "Is what you're living for worth dying for." I couldn't get that out of my mind. I found my self changing, yearning to be used by God in new ways. Wondering if we were being called for more. God answered my question when Gino was asked by our friend Jon to join them on a trip. I had this feeling that our lives were about to change. That seemed to be confirmed as Gino went on several more trips. All the while everything I was reading (Genesis, Hebrews, Matthew, "Experiencing God", The purpose driven life, "Heavenly Man", Several missionary stories that my boss thought I'd enjoy) it all had to do with obeying God - obeying Him when He asks you to GO. "GO" has been a powerful word to me these past few years. But through His word and through circumstances and through HIS amazing peace I came to realize early on that God was changing us, and preparing us to "GO" where He wants to use us for His purpose and for His glory. We went to Georgia in 2009 to visit our friends and it was the first time I met the team Gino worked with. I have to admit I was really nervous about going because in the pit of my stomach I had a feeling God was going to make it clear that He was calling us to join Operation Mobilization. I had cried the night before just feeling so anxious and sad because I'd miss my family and I felt like God was going to ask me to leave my home, my security, my family, my friends. It was a night of mourning and yet as we prayed about it I could feel God's love and His peace wrap around me. Well the next day was Sunday and as I was walking Sean in the hallway of our friend's church, I looked up at the archway of the chapel and saw these words staring at me: "This is what the Lord says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16. "Rest for your souls." I realized that as long as we walk on God's path we would find rest for our souls. Through this whole journey this has been one of the verses I have clung too. I felt immediate peace when I read this. I realized that Gino and I had been seeking, truly praying that God would show us if we were to proceed and apply to Operation Mobilization. He gave me my answer loud and clear. (I have felt this much stronger than Gino did at first but I know God did that for a reason.) When we came back from Georgia, God had answered some specific prayers of mine and also given me huge peace - I knew it was time to apply. Fast forward and the time has come that we prepare to "GO". Again what a small powerful word. There is much that needs to happen still and God has A LOT to accomplish but we are remaining on this path and trying to take a step at a time. We would love to stay where we are but we have sought the Lord's wisdom and guidance and this is the door He has opened for us. He has taken all we thought was important to us and instead replaced it with a yearning to be where HE wants us to be. We are excited to join Operation Mobilization and be a part of a team that desires to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ in every part of the world through various different ways. Our journey begins with the Arts team but I have learned to not put God in a box. Who knows what other opportunities we will be given. We are just striving to be obedient now and hoping others will be challenged, encouraged and maybe even become followers of Jesus Christ through all of this. Matthew 28:17-20 is another verse that has been a constant theme these past three year: "When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The Holy Spirit has given each of us talents, gifts to be used to further the gospel of Christ. Not everyone is called to leave home, but when we ARE called, we must obey. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey me." Our prayer is that we will obey each step of the way. We hope you will walk with us on this journey - pray for us, talk with us, feel free to ask us questions. Here are some photos of Gino's past trips:
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| Germany 2009 |
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| Germany 2009 |
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| Germany 2010 |
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| Lebanon 2010 |
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| Lebanon 2010 |
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| Lebanon 2010 |
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