Support Update

The title makes this post sound like an email reply from an Apple Genius named Javi but it's not. =) I've just had several people ask how our support and service schedule and everything are going and I got about halfway through a Facebook post when I decided it was entirely too long and a blog post would have to do. 

So, here's what's going down. We've only had seven services so far but (praise God!) we've already raised about 1/3 of our monthly support and over half of the actual cash-on-hand in our account. And even though we've been so very blessed to be at Faith the majority of the time for these past few months, we've got a much busier travel schedule for January and February. This coming weekend, we'll be in Alabama and later this month we'll have services in Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and all over North Carolina. 

Sometime in February we'll make a trip to Houston to find a place to live (semi-important!) and also to find jobs (also important!) and then the plan (assuming/trusting everything goes well with our support!) is to pack up and go the last week of February/first of March. SO SOON! We're really excited and nervous and thrilled and terrified... all of the above.

I remember when my oldest sister was traveling in a college tour group and one year one of the girls said in a testimony that the girls would get back in the van after services and "marvel" at the people they met. (My sister told me this was a blatant lie and that the word marvel was certainly never used. Ha!) So, at the risk of sounding like the Lying Tour Group Member, every time I see another prayer card filled out for monthly support or another offering taken up or even another person saying they're praying for us, I genuinely am surprised (even though I shouldn't be- oh me of little faith!) and so very grateful that people consider us worthy of their time or money. 

This morning, our choir sang one of my favorite songs and the chorus struck like never before:

He will be faithful to the end; 
He will provide time and time again.
He will be faithful, faithful to the end.
He will be there when all else fades; 
His love is stronger than my pain.
He will be faithful, faithful to the end.

Yes! God has been so faithful to us these past few months in what has truly been a journey of faith. He has provided over and over again and even though the coming months are sure to hold more uncertainty and change, I'm confident that His faithfulness- and the faithfulness of all of you who have supported us- will continue to uphold Jonathan and me in this new adventure.

Here's a brief, specific prayer list for your convenience: 

-Pray for safety as we travel. (A given but winter roads scare me!)
-Pray for individuals and churches to commit to monthly support (our biggest need right now!).
-Pray for us to find a place to live in Texas.
-Pray for our job search in the Woodforest area. (Already God's working in that regard- I just received an email from a Christian school saying they would keep my resume handy if anything opened up in my field!)
-Pray for our upcoming services- you know how terrified nervous I get about all those new people. =)

 As always, THANK YOU for praying, giving, and supporting us. We are very anxious to get to Houston, get settled, and most importantly, get involved at Woodforest Church, and we could not do any of this without God's people. I could never repay every individual but you have my sincere gratitude (and if you ask, I do make fabulous peanut butter cookies. Maybe I'll include some with our next newsletter.) 


Ash