"My Upmost for His Highest"

A few weeks ago, I (Laura), was given the opportunity to speak at a teacher's devotion, to share what God's doing in our life and share our need to raise monthly support to start our journey as a missionary family. I have to share how God has been so faithful and just such a provider. I pray it encourages you as well.  As I was trying to balance housework, three kids, and a sick husband, I wondered how in the world was I going to speak.  What was I going to say? I am not eloquent with my words by any means. I was a nervous wreck. The weekend before I spoke, I started writing down what I might say and looked over past notes we had.  It just didn't sit right with me this time. So I prayed and just kept asking God to use me and to somehow encourage those who hear.  After I prayed, not only did my husband come down with food poisoning or a flu bug, but Sean had tummy issues too and a cough on top of it, Hugh soon followed. I started to wonder if I was supposed to still talk or if we were being attacked spiritually. The day before I spoke I kept praying and praying and I was determined to also read His word and spend time with Him. I had been wondering what to read when I remembered talking to a wonderful woman named Ruth. She had been encouraging Gino and I as we shared at a Bible study about Operation Mobilization and our part in it. She asked if I had read "My Utmost for His Highest" and I had read it a few times but I was wondering what to read again and told her I should read that again. She encouraged me too and reminded me that Oswald Chambers was a missionary as well. I had made a mental note to start and of course forgot.  Well the day before I was to speak, that book came to mind so I put the kids down for a nap and picked it up.  I prayed and said, "Lord, speak to me."  Well thank God I decided to listen and read it because it's what I used the next day to speak.  It's what opened my eyes to see what He wanted me to share. By the way, I got through the first passage and was so excited that I was going to read some more and Hugh started screaming so I only had a chance to read this one passage.

Here is what Oswald Chambers wrote, "...my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death." (Philippians 1:30)... It went on to say , "We will all feel very much ashamed if we do not yield to Jesus the areas of our lives He has asked us to yield to Him.  It's as if Paul were saying, "My determined purpose is to be my utmost for His highest, my best for His glory." 

To reach that level of determination is a matter of the will, not debate or reasoning.  An undue amount of thought and consideration for ourselves is what keeps us from making that decision, although we cover it up with the pretense that it is others we are considering.  When we think seriously about what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He doesn't know what our obedience will mean.  Keep to the point - He does know.  Shut out every other thought and keep yourself before God in this one thing only  - my utmost for His highest. I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and Him alone." My unstoppable determination for His holiness. 

( **I was tempted to cancel as the kids were sick and Gino was sick and then Hugh was up every couple hours coughing and then eating...so I had no sleep but I knew that I was supposed to go. I knew that this was a God given opportunity. So I went and you know what? Gino felt better that day and Sean did too, Hugh's cough also started getting better. Coincidence....I must say NO.) 

I pray that as Gino and I press on to follow His will for our lives, that we will fight hard to give our utmost for His highest. I pray that we can all say that we are determined to give our best for His glory. Through this journey, God has brought wonderful people who have encouraged us, and have even been used by God to show us what to say on certain occasions. I am thankful for those moments when I can recognize Him at work because it helps confirm to me that we are on track, His track.  While I stumble and fall back many times, I pray that this year, my best is given more than my worst and that God is all the more glorified for it. I pray this for your lives as well.

We are still sharing and God is building up our ministry team. We are so blessed and thankful for those what have joined us and are going to be sending us out.  We are still looking for more partners.  God just brought in most of our moving/start up costs, which were quite high as it includes moving and going to a conference/training called the "GO conference". This is where OM missionaries spend time training and praying before they are "SENT" to their destinations whether in the US or abroad. Being that our moving costs are almost met, another one of our partners already wants to help us complete that need.  What a blessing. So now we just have to focus on finding folks to partner with us in monthly support of our ministry. Our monthly expenses (based on actual bills our friends generously shared with us and insurances, 4 trips a year to various countries) it's about $6200 a month. Currently, monthly, quarterly, or annual commitments from our ministry partners make up 38% of our monthly budget! Gino has set up a calculator on our Excel spreadsheet that shows how many supporters we need at different monthly amounts in order to encourage us along the way. To make up the difference of %62, we would need approximately 39 people to partner with us at $100 per month, or 77 people to partner with us at $50 per month, or 154 people to partner with us at $25 etc. God is so good and He is moving, even when we fell that we are not. Once we reach 75% we will put the house on the market ( I'm still praying God will bring someone to knock on our door and want to buy it! Don’t laugh, it has happened to other OM’ers).

Please be praying that God will open up more opportunities for us to minister and share, and that He would give us the courage and faith to do so when those opportunities arise. We are so very blessed and eager to share His faithfulness with our family, friends, and the church and hope to continue to get the chance to do so.

Also please be praying that we can manage our time so that we might fix up the house a bit and be able to sell it quickly when the time comes. Please pray that He will get us there in His time but if it is His will there is a possible tour in the summer that Gino is needed for and it would be good to get there before that so we can settle as a family.

 He keeps bringing wonderful teammates beside us. Thank you if you are one of them and you are reading this. Always remember that you are part of a ministry team along with us. Without you fulfilling your God given role to send, we couldn’t fulfill our God given role to go.

We will try to keep everyone updated more often. It's been a bit of a juggling act but I'm finally getting the hang of everything. God Bless you all! Praying this year is filled with blessings for all of you!

Thankful for all of you,

Laura and Gino