While my mom is not perfect, she is committed to following Jesus with her life. She is committed to learning, growing, and playing the role God has called her to play in life. As a child she taught me in Sunday School, mission friends, and more Vacation Bible Schools than I could ever count. But more than that, she taught me about missions in our home. I remember learning about Annie Armstrong, Lottie Moon, Jim and Elizabeth Elliot... all from my mom.
I remember praying for missionaries and I remember seeing my mom pray for missionaries. I remember giving to missions. I remember giving pennies, that led to dollars, that led to generously giving to support those doing a work in places I could not go. My mom taught me what it means to "go." She taught me that it started with Jesus' "Great Commission." She laid the foundation and I'm so thankful for that.
But more than just teaching me about missions, my mom has always supported me in missions. When I wanted to go serve down at the Texas/Mexico border in high school, she supported, prayed (and probably paid) for me to go. When I wanted to go spend a month serving on University campuses in Washington and Oregon as a college student over Christmas break... my mom supported and encouraged me. When I wanted to go to China for a month to serve Jesus, my mom was excited to help me learn and prepare. When the trip had to be changed at the last minute because of the SARS epidemic my mom didn't pull the plug, she let me follow the Holy Spirit through an open door that led us to Greece.
When I told my mom that Kelli and I were starting a process that would take us oversees permenantly... she told me she may not come visit (love her honesty), but that she was thankful and excited to see us go where God called us. Finally, when God shifted our direction and I told my mom we were moving to inner city Tacoma (and I know she researched all the things mom's research about inner city areas), she supported and prayed for us all the more. My mom gives to support us, she prays to support us, she travels to support us... my mom is a BIG reason why God is doing what he is doing and has done what he has done in and through my life. I just pray Kelli and I can follow in the foot steps that she and my dad have modeled for us. I love you mom and I am SO thankful for you!
Happy Mother's Day!
Pray BIG:
1) Please pray for Jason Downing. Jason served with us as an intern 3 years ago and he arrived in Tacoma yesterday to plant his life here and help us saturate our city with the gospel. Pray that Jason gets settled, finds a job and that God helps him learn to be the church with us!
2) Please pray for our Mother's Day gathering and the work of the Holy Spirit leading up to it. God has given us the opportunity to bring in a photographer to do family pictures for our church this Sunday. We are opening it up to the community and encouraging people to invite friends. Please pray that our people will invite and their friends and family will respond. Please pray that God will use the invites we are sending home with all the students in 4 elementary schools this week! Pray that God brings people to hear the gospel and that they respond!
3) Please pray for a young family in Texas that is sensing God's call to move their lives to Tacoma. They sense that they could fill some leadership needs that we have and they are working through the "go" process with their church. Pray for clarity and wisdom as they seek Jesus on this!
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