Down Under

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isa. 43:2, 3).

“Are you ready to be blown out of the water?” our supervisor Dr. Marc Coleman asked us. Unsure of what to expect, neither of us answered. Marc continued, “The committee would like you to continue working as field directors with your projects and take on additional duties by living in Australia.” It was too much to digest in the moment, but thankfully we were given time to prayerfully consider this option.

Arnold and I both felt compelled to do as we had more than five years ago when we started this journey as AFM field directors—to step into the Jordan River and see whether it would part before us.

The first “wetting of our toes” was when we listed our household items for sale. It was amazing how quickly everything sold! Realizing we could not take our van to Australia, we offered it to our missionaries in Cambodia. As God would have it, this was perfect timing for a young mission family and their growing children. Through these affirmations, God was guiding us as He promised in Isaiah 30:21.

We took an exploratory trip to Australia. It was a time of prayerful searching, orientation and gauging the local churches’ receptivity to AFM’s ministry. As we thought ahead to our needs in Australia, it occurred to us that the best home for our purposes would be a motorhome. Over the past five years, we have spent an average of only four non-consecutive months per year at our home base. Our new duties in Australia would require us to be mobile, and we could save money on airfare by driving to the cheapest airports. In many other ways as well, a motorhome would allow us to live frugally. So we made our proposal to AFM and waited to see how the Lord would lead. Our proposal was accepted, and we were asked to relocate from Cambodia to Australia by June 1, 2019.

We are so thankful for your prayers on this journey, the words of encouragement many of you have shared and the sacrificial support you continually provide. Praise the Lord for such amazing teammates!

As you see by our fundraising graph, we are in need of funds to purchase a 22-foot van converted into a motorhome. Please pray that we can receive these funds in time for our move to Australia in June and for God’s continued guidance as we walk with Him.

Be the first to leave a comment!

Please sign in to comment…

Login