almost here

We are amazed at God's faithfulness and goodness. We are excitedly wrapping things up here in cold Chicago and getting ready for the journey down to Tenancingo and settling into life on the other side of the border.

When Matthew stopped working at the end of August, we had 58% of our monthly support pledged and now we have 85%. We are still waiting to hear from a number of folks on a) whether or not they will be able to make a monthly commitment and b) how much they will pledge. Our estimate is that we are a little over 90% pledged. Throughout this past year the one time contributions that have been received as well as monthly donations which begun as early as March, 2007 have exceeded our budget for the transition expenses. The excess can be spread out over two years and should get us very close to 100% of budget.

During the last few months we have established contact with a few churches and families which might eventually develop into support partnerships in future months or years. We are very excited about getting started with the actual work and ministry we've been talking about for so long and so excited to have around 70 donors who are partnering with their generous financial support. In addition, there are many who have assured us of their desire to be praying for us as well as some who have made an occasional contribution - tangible reminders of God's faithful provision for each need.

As we go
we need prayer for:

• Diligence, clear minds and strength to pack and tie loose ends.
  
• God's favor @ the Mexican consulate in Chicago next Tuesday (11/25) 11 AM CST
• Travel safety - we'll be driving around 45 hours between Wheeling, IL and Tenancingo, Mexico in a span of 12 days.
• Good memories to be created on the long hours in the van.
  
• Safety on the Mexican roads, both for the vehicles and ill-inclined people.
• Quick adaptation to life in Mexico and acceptance in the community.

we praise God for:

• A supportive home church - they sent us out last Sunday with a special prayer time during the service. Our pastor ended the prayer time for us with these words: "... the Lord your God has commissioned you and has sent you forth and we as a church stand behind you in prayer and we bless you in the name of Jesus. Go forth in His power, in His strength, in His anointing, not in the flesh, but in the power of God for safekeeping until we meet again and God bless you in Jesus' name, Amen"
• Faithful provisions of the finances to go and to stay.
• The mom's group from Peoria who so generously provided many helpful things for our children and the long journey down.
• Friends who have helped construct and detail our trailer to be filled with boxes for the move.
• A co-worker who has patiently waited for the right time to take over our lease.
  
• Children who are not only at ease, but excited about this upcoming change.
  

A financial status update

Since last blog entry, the world has undergone some major disasters. First the cyclone that hit Myanmar and the tragic restrictions to foreign aid; then the earthquake in China with so many dead and even more left homeless. It is such a sad situation there and other places and we pray God will give comfort to those who mourn and hope to those in despair. Here in Wheeling, IL, the pink flowers in many trees are a vivid reminder of the eternal hope God gives us in which, after "winter," comes a life rich with His blessings.


We continue to move in faith as we trust the Lord to guide us to Mexico. As of this entry we have over 55% of ongoing support pledged. Our plan is for me (Matthew) to end full time work at Hewitt in mid to late August, by when we trust our pledged support will be around 75% to 80%. Then I will dedicate myself more fully to the efforts of broadening our support base so we can leave as soon as possible after that. Its a great leap of faith regardless of how it turns out. Our faith is being stretched as we believe God can provide all our needs by August. Our lease is up at the end of August; school starts for Samuel and Rebeca around that time. In terms of logistics, it would seem to be smoother to leave by Labor Day.... If you have not given it much thought, now is a great time to ask God whether He would have you be a part of our ministry. Some people are pledging $15 or $25 a month and others $75 or $100. Others can send one time gifts, while others can pray for us. What part will you play?

21 to go

Counting us four Reeds, our church is sending a team of youth to help this summer with VBS, construction and other evangelism. We are thrilled to be a part of the trip and have already been involved with helping train the team on language and cultural sensitivity. Hardly anyone of the 17 have been on a missions trip of any kind (much less outside of the US) so this will be a new eye-opening adventure for many. We believe that the church as a whole will gain a better perspective of where we are going as they hear stories from these youth and leaders..

...but can we stay?

The latest big piece of news is that: We can go! After the books closed at the end of March, we counted up the numbers and the donations International Teams has received on our behalf have now exceeded our budgeted "departure expenses." These are the costs associated with travel, purchasing new furniture and appliances, vehicle expenses, and initial setup. In January we had about 68% and in three months have surpassed the 100% mark!


After you've settled down from your excitement, you may be asking when exactly we are leaving. Getting there doesn't automatically mean staying there and we need to have pledges indicating that enough donors will "keep us there." On that count, we are still at 44% of our monthly budget pledged. We have a number of folks thinking about it, some have confirmed they will join our monthly financial support team, a church or two are considering it and a lot of people are praying that God would provide what is still needed.

We'd love to transition down during the summer as this allows good closure from here (our lease ends at the end of August) and good transfer there (schoolyear begins late August/early September). Additionally, we are planning a trip to Tenancingo around the end of July and early August with our church. We are praying about having Matthew stop working around the beginning of July in order to focus more fully on the "support discovery" of the last amounts needed.

Twin cities weekend

This past weekend I (Matthew) was in Minnesota visiting friends, family and a church in the Twin Cities area. It was a great opportunity to share more about our vision and excitement about going to Mexico and what we will be doing. Friday I shared a few meals with family and long-time friends. Then Saturday I got to visit a close friend of my deceased grandmother, who is a dear friend of our family. We had a nice time over coffee with banana bread and chocolate chip cookies. On a personal note, it was special to learn a story or two about my dad that I didn't know. For example, she shared that back when he was maybe seven years old and the family was visiting from Colombia, he was in her Sunday school class. They had all bought a Bible and gave it to him as a gift. She gave it to him and he said thank you for giving me the Bible. She said, "No, Jimmy, the Sunday school class gave it to you." To which he replied, "No you gave it to me!" Since she had been the one to physically hand it to him. She still got a kick out of that as she recounted the over 50 year old experience.



Saturday evening and Sunday morning were spent at Meadow Creek Church where they had a special focus on Missionaries. On Saturday there was a "Taste of the Nations" during which guests received a 'passport' and got that signed at any of twelve tables which had representative decorations, sample-size food and information about ministries in various parts of the world. People who were attending those tables had either lived there, visited there or currently were serving in those countries/regions.

Sunday between services, I had a booth for International Teams where I had our powerpoint going and the opportunity to hand out some of our information and share conversationally with a number of individuals and families. Hopefully some will decide to partner with us in prayer and financial support.

Warmer weather, new opportunities

For eighteen days this month, we have been adding significant mileage to our van. Our trip to South Carolina and Georgia has been a blessing to us as we have been able to spend time with both family, which we had not seen for almost a year, and friends, some of whom we had not seen for much longer. We have counted nine different beds where we have slept. The kids have been so flexible and excited about the next day's adventures. We are so thankful for their adaptability when out of their regular context. On a number of nights we have still been able to read a Bible story. In the picture, Samuel is reading an Old Testament story out loud while Rebeca tunes in.

The main purpose of our journey to the south has been to share about our vision for ministry in Mexico so people can better understand what we will be doing and how they can support with both prayer and finances. We have also initiated some form of contact with three different churches where our friends/family attend. As we continue sharing about Tenancingo, our hearts continue to be encouraged as others get excited about this opportunity God has opened up for us.

What about April?

The month is one week from over and we have yet to add anything here. Well, while life has been quiet here on our blog, let us share a few things with you about our non-web-based life. In no particular order:

• Training We have continued some ongoing training which must be completed before leaving for Mexico. It involves some reading and writing a reaction. First we need to read a book about spiritual disciplines by Richard Foster called "Celebration of Discipline." Then there's a Statement of Faith (50+ pages) which details the core beliefs of International Teams. We need to summarize our understanding, as well as react to a few different scenarios of how we would incorporate our faith into a particular situation. Finally, the major project is an introspective study of the book by Christian psychologist Larry Crabb called "Inside out." Lina and I have both picked a mentor to read one chapter a week and meet with us for a few hours to debrief what we have learned that week. We're about a third of the way and should be done by early July with this part.

• Support Discovery We like this term better than support "raising" as we firmly believe that God will faithfully provide the financial and prayer partners we will need. Our job is to discover where that will come from. We have created a presentation and shared it with a few people. As of this posting there are 17 individuals who have told us they will regularly contribute financially to our ministry in addition to our home church, Christian Life Church. Starting this week I will be working a four-day week so that I will be off on Fridays. Our hope is to dedicate this time fully to our support discovery efforts. We have a trip planned for visiting friends, family and at least one church in Minnesota in early June. We will need continued prayer as we plan, meet and share with potential supporters.

• Family Samuel and Rebeca continue to grow and play together more often than ever before. Rebeca loves to imitate her brother and Samuel is more patient and understanding with her. They both now have bikes and are learning to ride around in the parking lot outside of our apartment. It is fun to have routines with our meals, baths, bedtime stories and prayers. The sense of security they receive is a joy to see just as it is a pleasure to create. We think Samuel has a decent sense of what is coming up, but the idea of "living in Mexico" is still a distant concept for him. Within the next week or so, you'll hear more from Lina's perspective.

That's it for now!