The Sailboat Ready Yet?

 Hey world! If you are following very closely, you know our life and schedule has not fit our timeline for the boat very well. We have flown all over the place, graduated our oldest child from high school, and have had a few setbacks due to weather and other unforeseeable events. Nonetheless, we press onward, and the boat work continues!

To see the latest news and a fall update from us, check this out!

SEPTEMBER: LIVING SENT

Thanks for reading and may God bless you on your own journey of faith with Him!

A prayer for today... 

May we be filled with the fullness of God, knowing the love of God - Ephesians 3:19

May we have the wisdom from above that is pure, peaceable, and gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits. James 3:17

Blessings, the Baileys

A clip of highlights and favorites!

 

A few of my favorites of my people here at YWAM SHIPS in Corpus Christi!

A February Video update

Enjoy a video update below!

*Bible study with YWAM Ships at the Chronological Bible Core Course

*Work on "Every Tribe" our training vessel

*Ministry with family time and team time

*Loving those around us and finding rest in the little things like starting a garden this spring

Want to learn more about what we do with YWAM Ships in Corpus Christi?

check out our website: www.go4missions.com

Anchors Aweigh!

EDIT.....and update on the Refit of the training vessel

Anchors Aweigh!

We are preparing to set out on another adventure! SONS school! School of Navigation and Seamanship with YWAM SHIPS CCTX!

Learn the practical of charting waters and sailing the big blue! All for God's glory and kingdom advancement! Throughout the gospels and in the Great Commission..He says GO - and we in turn say... 

Aye Aye Captain! 

We give our YES to Jesus when we step out in faith!

Do you have a heart to see the lost reached with the truth and seek an adventure with God? 

Then this may be a perfect place to start! PRAY and ask the Holy Spirit if this 3 months of hands on and classroom training could be the path for you to embark on that great journey of faith with God on mission!

Check out the school details and how to inquire about this school here at...

School of Navigation & Seamanship - YWAM Ships Corpus Christi (ywamshipscctx.org)

DATES: February 25-May 20 2023

(((( Israel will be on staff with this SONS school coming up, we appreciate your support and prayers as this will be a stretch for us with that busy of a schedule, but we know and trust God's grace to be sufficient for where He guides, He provides!)))))

 Israel is working on the sailboat and still believing God to "MATCH 1500" to get this sailboat in the water, if you have any leading to help us out, please see our website for giving options! www.go4missions.com Check out the give page when you get there!

Thanks for reading and for praying!

much love, Les

Refit the Sailboat!

We named the vessel "EVERY TRIBE" to remind us of those we will one day worship beside, together and around the throne...

Revelation 7:9 says that one day we will see a great multitude that no one can count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. Wearing white robes and holding palm branches in hand, we will worship and say,

“Salvation belongs to our God,

who sits on the throne,

and to the Lamb."


The cry of our hearts is for young people to catch the fire of God from the Holy Spirit and take hold of HIM and hear HIS call on their lives! 
Distant shores and the islands in remote places need the gospel - but the youth of today need to know of their need for God, have vision of their place in God's big picture, and follow His lead into the unknown, trusting Him step by step!
Every Tribe will be used as a tool to draw people far and wide into a faith-journey with Jesus! Would you get behind that vision with us?

If you are asking God where to sow into ministry or mission, consider this good soil to invest in! The season quickly came where we are being equipped for our new assignment from the Lord! To train and send missionaries from right here in Corpus Christi! This is a team effort and as we live by faith, we trust the Lord to connect us with partners, like you, in this!
If you are led to give and need a tax-deductible way to give
please check out our website! www.go4missions.com
If you do not need that, its super easy to give from our website as well. 
We are believing God for the provisions to get the vessel in working order to sail!
God bless you in your giving and as you pray for us!
May you have a blessed and happy Christmas.
love the Baileys

EDIT, see the video below!

Bailey - party of 6 - needed a house!

 Some back story - 

2019- We were in a dinky little town we called our "home base" - for when we were not in Greece or Mexico on mission. It was Loraine, out west...in Texas. It was more like the middle of nowhere, Texas. Our house was a blessing for that season and so was that little community. But after a hard trip in Greece (a 3 month mission trip) which put me in the hospital in our last week there, then 3 months later Covid hit and shut down travel overseas, we were stumped for the purpose we would stay in Loraine except that I was able to recover and rest.

Between June and November 2020 We had been able to go into Mexico twice on mission. But we had a stirring in our hearts that a move was necessary to continue in our life of missions. Little Loraine was not going to help us on the journey any longer!

We searched, we prayed, we scoured the web, we prayed some more, we spoke to our kids, they were ready to leave Loraine as well. 

As we searched, we prayed for a YWAM base that would be suitable for us, and YWAM Ships Corpus Christi popped up in our search on the web!

(Several things about Corpus fulfill a longing in each of us. That only God would have known.)

We prayed some more and asked our kids if they were ok with the kind of sacrifice we knew this would force upon us. They had a peace and agreed that it was what we needed and they were willing to take on the sacrifice! The sacrifice was WORK - and giving up separate bedrooms, as the kids would share a bunkroom. We all had to give up a lot along the way.

By spring 2021 we put our house on the market, moved into a travel trailer, sold our home, and moved to Corpus in June 2021. We had no expectation that we would be able to buy a home in Corpus so that was not on our radar for some time. 

2022 - But after a year of living in(or should I say OUT of) the RV we were becoming restless and less settled. We had a busy summer, full of missions, summer camp, travel and it seemed we were always cramped in small quarters only to come home to the RV. 

We asked God in August if He would provide us with a home to serve Him from. We indeed needed some space to stretch out in and get out of our cramped living style, which over time became survival mode.

God answered and we were able to pursue the right house for us. We narrowed down the area we wanted to be in and although at times we thought it would be impossible to find something in our price range(still high for us!!) that the bank would approve, God put us exactly where He knew we could be His hands and feet. This home meets so many of our family's needs, and we are finally able to relax and have another home base we can thrive in! Community was a key factor and necessity for our family's well being and emotional health. Long gone are the days of isolated living! We are all so, so thankful God proved again His faithfulness over our lives. We are truly walking by faith and not by sight. Because the believing was not in the seeing! For we did not see how this would be possible. But with a vision, we were able to move forward in faith!

 We are still trusting that God will make our path sure financially. But He tends to provide for us like the Israelites in the dessert. We depend on Him for daily bread! Serving God full time seems really off in the world's eyes. But in the end, you and I need only please an audience of One. 

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7

For 15 months we served God with YWAM in Corpus, living in that RV. It was a fun and somewhat chaotic time! But God provided every step of the way. As He still does in a house!

We all have a way we are being stretched in our faith! And every new season we come to presents an opportunity to trust God and grow! 

Are you in a season of stretching? Let me know in the comments below how to pray for you!

Blessings and grace, Leslie

I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

The Sailboat Comes Home

 

The Sailboat coming home happened so fast!

It was nestled in a junk yard, and out in west Texas, not expected to have a life including water again!

Thankfully, God has other plans for this vessel!

((Side note: The beginning of this video clip shows some time spent with the latest DTS at the Wooden Boat show in Port Aransas.))

When we first saw this boat, it was in a photo floating around Facebook. The post was telling people that this land needed to be cleared or the owners would be fined. So, after seeing this photo of a boat almost hidden like a diamond not yet mined from its natural setting, Israel inquired about it!

He was put in touch with the owner and to our delight, found out that he had a heart for missions and what we were doing in Corpus Christi for God!

  The Lord was at work! He did not end up asking for a dollar! 

We just would need to put new tires on the trailer!

Israel and Nate took a road trip and went to see the boat in Roscoe, Texas.

Israel's dad was able to help him get those tires taken care of. What a relief! New tires, old boat, but FREE! But the crazy part, the title was not in the guy's name! It was in the original owner's name still after 10 years of sitting! So, that was a problem!

No worries, the old owner was still just down the road and living at the same address!

Israel and the last owner when to see the old owner to get the title and paperwork completed!

Easy peasy! How bizarre was that?!

What a God-story!

Because what are the odds that the old guy was still alive and at the same address that many years after selling the sailboat!? Without those signatures, this would have probably been a fiasco!

But God works in signs and wonders when His children have a passion for Kingdom purposes!

We have pretty great visions for how we see this vessel being used!

As a training vessel: to train Christians in navigation and seamanship, in order to reach remote islands  that are not easily accessed by plane. 

YWAM Ships Corpus Christi will take the gospel of Christ to the least, the lost, the lonely and left behind and train our DTS students and SONS students to do the same!

Matthew 25:40

Find our more here:

YWAM Ships Corpus Christi - Home (ywamshipscctx.org)

 and our personal website here:

www.go4missions.com

Mission to Athens

On Tuesday we flew to the UK for the first time ever! Seeing our friends from DTS, the Fishers, was a delightful breath of fresh air! Its been over 2 years since we finished our mission school together! We had a few hours of a layover in London and had a blast catching up with them and their daughter, Abi!

Leaving London we had a night flight into Athens, it took about an hour and a half before lift off for some issue they had with a cabin door not closing properly. Then finally after that 3.5 hour flight, we landed safely. Its 4:00am and find that there are no trains running not just because it was too early, they arent running all week! So, we must take 2 taxis to get to our apartment. We arrived to a very narrow, dark alley looking street with all our bags and manage to get in to find a small place on the 4^th floor that I arranged with AirBnB.com a month ago. I had the area scouted out, knew that it was more congested being closer to the city center. It was exactly what we wanted, to be with the people. Its cozy and has many small businesses around I found when searching for coffee. We like to frequent a place (grocer, coffee shop, burger house, etc.) that God shows us and connect deeper as He leads us. Being in the city, everywhere we go, we walk. No big deal! Because we brought our stroller for Banner! And with the big kids getting bigger, that part is getting easier!

Anyway, back to the apartment when we arrived...All the beds were dirty, we were pretty disgusted quite honestly. Everything else was clean. But we had to strip the sheets from all the beds, find clean linens and remake the beds. We were not happy and had pretty grumpy attitudes if I'm totally honest. Our expectations were a little high I suppose, and we were just total zombies from the 2 days of flights, travel and hardly any sleep and needed some shuteye, laying flat!

So now at 6:30 am we get settled down in bed, and what was only going to be a bit of sleep turned into all day sleep! I woke up at 2:15 in the afternoon! Welcome to jet lag! It took the kids a few hours to come to complete coherency, get ready and get out the door later to grab some food and then groceries. Its probably 7pm when we walk through the plaza that we didnt realize we were in at first, we thought we were starving! Then we find our favorite burger and gyro place, Goody's. After a good fill of yummy food,  And its dark by now...we step outside of Goody's take a few looks around to see where we can possibly find a store to grab some bread, cereal, milk, lunch items, etc...and just as I spot one and we head that way, we start to notice the people in the plaza/square...under the street lights, throughout the square, on the sidewalks and at every bench sat people...kids were running around kicking a ball, a woman nursing a baby sitting on the ground off to the side against a wall with 2 other small children playing around her, and by this time I'm about in tears... We get our groceries and head back a half mile or so away to our cozy little apartment for the night, where we know we will be able to feed our children when they are hungry, snuggle them in a warm and clean bed for every night while we get to stay here in Athens. Yet..so many dont have that comfort. And my complaints about dirty sheets seem so very petty. A while back, we were told about how the refugees were kicked out of the camps around the city, but did not know exactly where they were living now... its just a little sobering to see it with your own eyes...

We've been settling in to our place here and trying to shake our jet-lagged headaches, but....our hearts are broken tonight...seeing so many people without homes is wrecking us. Without a home and without hope is a sorry place to be. But we know God has had a plan in this move, this huge Exit from the Arab nations where they've fled from...maybe making it easier for them to be reached, and their hearts more ready for the gospel Truth.

Keep us in prayer, we want to be led by God to the right people to reach. We can't reach them all, please pray...We only have 10 weeks here and we want every day to count. 

 

READY, SET, RESTART!

Hey So its been awhile since posting here in this blog! My energy lately is put into our website and my husband's energy goes into vlogging on YouTube.com check out our channel here!
Check out our website here!
NOT to mention being busy with our homeschool journey and my husband, Israel's last mission trip, which was SOLO, to Belgrade, Serbia! Check out that trip here!
Single mom-hood was not all bad UNTIL the last weekend! PROPS to the SUPER mamas out there that do it more than me! 
I actually depend on my man more than most probably. As I don't have a lot of outside resources, or co-ops, play dates, etc. I honestly don't even go to the library~ (I'm ducking, if you just threw a book at my head!) No seriously, I found an app! Thriftbooks  I get super cheap books, free shipping and earn free books! I live like 20 miles from a town with a decent library! So this has been more beneficial for me! I read reviews online about books I hunt for my kids and once I find something I like, I search it on my Thriftbooks app.
AAAANND Just so you know I have no affiliate marketing going on yet on this blog or our videos! We just don't have the followers yet to make a difference I guess. We are actually learning about that stuff right now!

MEXICO SUMMER TRIP IN JULY....

*Planning and gearing up for our next family trip!*

We haven't been down since before Banner, our 4th child, was born! Many years have gone by... and friends are missed! And theres plenty we can do while down there! We hope for the means to take some food down to the village and encourage our friends in the Lord!

The church in the village celebrates their anniversary with a huge service and dinner, with several surrounding churches coming to join in! We are praying this is a huge outreach to unbelievers and also those discouraged in life. May the gospel be preached, the Word spoken the Holy Spirit free to move, and lives changed for eternity! AND most importantly God be glorified in all we partake in!

Thank you for your prayers friends! This summer is filling up already and we are excited to see what God has in store!

blessings mission friends, Les

Reality Check!

So, last post ...I said this was a lighter quarter...I'm not sure if I was wrong or every season just has its own hardships and challenges...

This past month everyone in our household has had some form of a tummy bug...and Nate may have had it twice...
Also, with our calendar that fills up, its hard to catch our breath! From staff meetings to conferences, now birthdays are coming around the corner, all good things! JUST. SO. BUSY. Am I being a good mom too? Are we failing at homeschooling while trying to juggle lots of different things? Are we going to master this season just in time for a change?

It just makes me look to the sky, where my help comes from, the Lord of heaven and earth! His grace is sufficient for me! And I will say of the Lord He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in Him will I place my trust!
When struggles come and hurdles seem to just get higher and higher, we must remember to look up!

If His plan for me is good and His word is a lamp unto my feet, I should not plan or look too too far down the path(or calendar!) to check on the future! For He holds it in His hands!

I must remind myself how faithful God has been to me, how around every corner and every mountain...He shows Himself to be who He said He would be. and in the words of that song...Its gonna be worth it! Because Jesus is worth it. every. single. day. And when we struggle with our kids, with our task at hand, with our marriage, with our finances, our future, being in God's "perfect" will, all these things add up to ...trust! He only asks us to trust, obey and rest. Why worry about tomorrow... He's got this!

Being Sustained...

What Lies Ahead for 2018...

January

Graciously, we have a lighter load this quarter. We are leading the Mission Focus for DTS and we only meet with the students on Friday mornings. But we will be available to them easily throughout the week since we live on base with them here. We have plans to share with them about our lives in missions, have guest missionaries share also, and to introduce them to some new culture and ethnic foods! ...We will be a safe place for them to process what God is doing in their lives, the topics in their classes, and hope to help them prepare for their outreaches come April.

We have felt the Lord say its a year of establishment and also sustaining.

So 2 things...of discovery...

What can we do to be established as a family?

What can we establish in our lives that will sustain us in missions?

There are other things on our weekly calendar besides the Mission Focus. We have plans to seek out ministry opportunities in the city with refugees and whoever God puts in our path, of course.

We have some connections to the refugees here in the city that we will be working with, as well.

God as a sustainer

...Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me. Psalm 54:4

The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms...Deut 33:2

My life verse has continually gone back to ..

Matthew 6:33...Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 

So this verse...the way I see it, gives a command and a promise! When I live for Him to please Him and put His plans first above all, He promises to sustain me!

We have seen this time and time again in our lives in missions/ministry as we have sought Him in making decisions. Its times that we jumped ahead of Him, acted out of insecurity and frustration in our marriage that we made stupid financial decisions and regretted it, taking us years to pay off our mistake! It takes patience and a listening, humble heart to follow God. Because He doesn't microwave the answers we need! Sometimes, it takes TIME! So...it takes us...waiting!

..... .....

Walking out the waiting, being diligent with the task at hand, patience producing character...it can be a challenge to keep JOY in your attitude. Especially in small living spaces! 

We currently live in a 2 hotel room spot on base here. We are praying and waiting for a larger space to open for us to become more established with our family, providing the kids with more stability. But also trying not to count my chicks before they hatch, so to speak! 😜

This is a process for us to keep trusting the Lord for direction and provision in all areas as we walk by faith.

Stay tuned...

Guess who is 16 months old now? Banner Isaac is growing into a charmer with these big brown eyes and contagious smile! We love and adore this boy of ours!

Plans Change...its life, Roll with it!

Flexibility - its a good thing!
Sometimes we make our plans and God directs our path a different way then we expected to go! The good thing is - to keep GOing! Time is precious.
All to say, we are coming home! Australia will have to wait for us ...maybe one day we will make it there! Only God knows~ This season of training and outreach overseas is coming to an end and whats around the bend? We'll be praying into that and enjoying our family this summer at the same time. We need a break, especially the kids - to relax, to breath, and to hear from God on whats next. We could throw you an idea of sorts but there are several ideas in our hearts at this point.

This summer we will focus on finishing the year of homeschool with the kids, and having fun with them at the same time! The past 2 months have been quite strenuous on us all. We hope to vacation some and soak up the sun with friends and family as well.

May God steady our hearts and minds to hear from Him and rest that He is in control. A few things we do know, God is God! He is faithful and true.. gentle and kind. He leads with grace and helps us finish strong. Mere determination may only take us half way through when His strength meets us and whisks us away through to the end! Thankful for His unwavering love that has picked up our brokenness and allowed us to see others the way He has shown that He sees us. The best way to relate to those around us is to realize we all have brokenness somehow and all need the Savior to heal and mend the wounds of this imperfect and pretty bumpy road. The ride and adventure can be enjoyed looking through lenses that see blessing in the little things in between sleepless nights, runny noses, and sore backs. So we look for the little bits of grace along the way that puts a smile on our faces and just thank God we can keep going.

We missed home many times on this journey, missed the familiar smells and warm faces and hugs of family. It really is a sacrifice to do what we are doing. But we know the outcome will outweigh it in the end.

We are so grateful for those along the sidelines cheering us on! We couldn't do this if it were not for our family and friends to support us in the mission.

Visions and Direction

I still cant believe that we are here...it feels very surreal when I look out at this vast ocean. Who ever thinks they can bring their family of 6 to Hawaii and train for missions? People all around marvel at me, but really it is a challenge at times. Having to tote around a baby, feed him, care for him all along the way, homeschool the kids in the afternoons and keep up with what is going on in our classes. Believe me, its been so worth it. The adventure of a lifetime.

This past month has been hard, but beautiful. God has graced us with a wonderful couple who ministered to us for several weeks, taking us out to dinner, to swim at their condo and there we got to watch hula dancing girls and eat some wonderful native food, like their pulled pork that was roasted in a pit, fresh pineapple and a variety of other things...

Many great things going on around us and in us! God is planting seeds of vision that we hope to see come to pass! As we thrive in today, we trust Him for tomorrow! We will make our plans but He directs our steps! (Proverbs 3:6)

Here is a little vision that Israel had while we had been praying about the nations and our place in God's big picture...

"So the other day I was praying for clearer direction and I saw a picture of houses in a village...So I quickly drew it on a piece of paper. Then a few days later a speaker came to our Thursday night meeting and talked about new opportunities in Papua New Guinea. So that night, I typed in "Papua New Guinea House" into the Google search bar and this is the first house that came up! I was like wow! Because we are planning on moving to a base in Brisbane Australia, and it's really close to Papua New Guinea! Anyway here are the two pictures side by side." -Israel

Why Australia, then PNG?

So the opportunity came to us by Israel's friendship with the leaders at the base in Brisbane. Israel went through a DTS with YWAM at age 20 before we met! He has held communication with his friends there ever since. They do not yet accommodate families but we believe God is challenging us to go and He will provide the things we will need.

Israel would most likely take a secondary course of leadership. A Basic Leadership School will give Israel the tools to lead DTS schools and outreaches. This school is not offered at all YWAM bases, but it is offered at the base in Brisbane.

https://www.goywam.com/bls#bls2

Click the link above to learn more about the BLS and the base in Brisbane!

We are praying specifically for the nation of Papua New Guinea as a school here in Hawaii..

Visit this link to read about how YWAM is going to establish an education and training base, bringing in the University of the Nations! WHAT at opportunity for the people of PNG!!

http://www.looppng.com/png-news/ywam-establish-alotau-training-campus-50590

We are very excited to see how God will use us in this awesome vision and work in these nations!

A Great Beginning to a New Chapter..

The first 6 weeks of training here has been draining and overwhelming at times! But God has done amazing things in us and our family. Some things hurt, like discipline! Just the simple things like getting up early, kids pushing their boundaries in new things, and even at home with common things like reading and homework and obedience. In which, gives us insight to what needs better communication from us as parents as to what is expected and required of them... This takes time, energy and our very own discipline habits examined more closely... it was a rough week and we have had several rough weeks...but things always make a turn for the better and so we are thankful for mercy and grace. My hope is to be better...tomorrow I want to be a better parent, a better friend and a better student and disciple. If there's one thing we know for sure, it is that..we can improve! That's why someone goes to school at all right? And missions training.. well, all levels of life need improving for us to thrive in missions! DISCIPLINE - its just my word right now, I guess. Order and boundaries bring security and freedom and to embrace those things you must be disciplined!
However, at first the kids are not too thrilled with their new structure and order and way of life, but when they see it working in action, ultimately it brings them more happiness and contentment. Work isn't fun in the process but when you start to see results - you just hit the target! And that's a satisfying feeling for sure. Makes it all worth it!
We know all of this crazy effort of schooling is going to be totally worth it. Some days I want to crawl back into bed and give in to the flesh, but when I feel that way and press on and show up for worship or class, I am so glad that I did it and its those days that God really does show up too.
I am so glad we did this! I know our kids are having an adventure of a lifetime as well...we have made friends that may just be apart of our lives til the end of days. God has had a good plan for us coming here. All in all, I would not trade it for anything in the world.

2017...A New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 2017 has a bright future ahead with new horizons! What is behind we let go of, what is now we can cherish and what is to come we anticipate to be a grand adventure!

http://us10.campaign-archive1.com/?u=356b3279570a4f92c09c1ddc0&id=c1c2d68db7

Check out our latest newsletter on the link above!


Blessings on you and your new year! We hope and pray it is filled with all the joy and peace of Christ and when hardships come remember that they come to bring growth and birth new vision into our lives. May the rains remind us to be thankful for the sunshine...and when we cant see through the storm to lean hard into Jesus and give Him the burden. Releasing our frustrations in worship to Him, letting go of things we cant control and loving others in spite of their flaws is what Christ calls us to do. To..bear with one another...Colossians 3:13

Spring will be here before we know it, when we see the green coming back we will remember the cold only lasts so long. When we go through dry and weary seasons in our lives, remember God will bring you through another winter.

This new day brings on an adventure if we look for it to. We will focus our eyes and seek the King, His plan and His coming. Glory to Him alone.

The Journey Begins...

PACKING, sorting and packing some more!!! We have less than 2 weeks before boarding an airplane to YWAM in Kona, Hawaii! Our hearts are bubbling with excitement and we can hardly contain it! Yet, we are leaving behind so many valuables and favorites from movies and toys to Mimi's handmade quilts and our treasured photo albums. Most of all, its hard to leave behind our families. We love you all so dearly, yet we know God is caring for each of you in a way only He can.

The next steps are crucial as we will meet up with our destiny and purpose in missions over the next few months.
With caring for a baby and 3 children, my line of duty is sure upon child-training and guiding my little ones no matter where we are. Of course, my heart will always be with my husband in ministry, yet my first ministry is to my children.

In the next 3 months, the training phase, I will have Banner as my primary focus. I don't want to miss a single thing as his Mama. We have such a tight bond.The 3 older children will have their classes to attend. And that is very different for me, as I have taught my kids at home since they were babies. This will be their first time in a "school - classroom setting" and I know it will be an adjustment for us all. It will be uncharted waters to be separated from them. But as they are older now, I know and trust they will do good. I think I will just miss being with them. I don't know the schedule we'll have yet but I am sure we are all going to enjoy this new adventure!

Banner Isaac is Born

Sorry we are a few weeks late to post about Banner's birth.

Banner came on his own September 26th, 2016. He weighed 7lbs11oz, and was 20.5inches long.

Thankfulness producing Joy

A happy person is an encouraging person, offering hope to those around them. Is your gratefulness and your smile catchy? When we live in such a state of contentment, no matter our circumstances, we can represent Christ and the joy of His heart, a people thankful and full of His joy!

Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Joy is not a byproduct of our success or a good cup of coffee! Joy comes from Jesus and being secure in Him alone. Sometimes taking a deep breath and quick look around us and even a lighthearted smelling of the roses is necessary to regain our joy! If I look around me I can easily find a few things that bring me a reminder that joy is eternal! The playful laughter of my kids telling "knock knock" jokes, the treasure I have in good friends, the love of my husband, and the faithful acts of a loving heavenly Father!

YWAM in our Hearts...

I feel like I have missed so many blogging opportunities!! What can I say? Busy seasons, babies born, moving a half a dozen times, traveling in missions..Life happened! ... and one day all these stories and blogs can probably be compiled, Lord willing, into a book of our life in missions and how good God has been in the process of the journey!

It was about 3-4 years ago that we first started making contact with the base in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. We hadn't decided on which DTS to join, as there are dozens to choose from. Although, there are only a few that accommodate families, because most are geared for young people. That made it easier for us to decide. After connecting with the leader of the Crossroads DTS, we felt a pull and peace with that particular school. It was for a more mature crowd, singles 25 and older, and families. The leaders have stayed in touch with us and have been there to pray for us and give us all the details we needed to make our decision plus encouraged us with their testimony of raising 5 kids in YWAM.

Waiting on the Lord to show us the path to take was a process. We had debt! We couldn't just up and leave with that hanging over our heads! There would be no rest on the mission field, serving full-time if we had that to worry about. We knew that working hard to get the debts paid off would have to come first. Sometimes following your dreams means doing the hard stuff first and getting it out of the way! So, that's exactly what we did! We also worked missions into our schedule and lived within a means to make that possible. It took several years of focus and prayer and trusting God to move on our behalf. He has been ever so faithful. The hard stuff doesn't just disappear when we give our lives over to Jesus. Sometimes the hard stuff becomes even more magnified as God wants to prune those unpleasant things from our lives. We then can be more free to be a blessing in God's Kingdom and give a better representation of Him.

We hope to encourage others to do the same! Start with writing down your dreams and goals! Habakkuk 2:2-4
 Then the Lord answered me and said:

“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
³ For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.

⁴ “Behold the proud,
His soul is not upright in him;
But the just shall live by his faith.

Journal, post it on the fridge, proclaim it, pray over it! Write down that vision! It will give you purpose in work, in prayer, in relating to those with like-mindedness. God will stretch you to fulfill it, He will grow your faith! Endurance will be your mainstay. Keep your eye on that goal!

Without a vision the people perish. Proverbs 29:18

And Paul writes in Philippians 3:12-14...

I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. ¹³ No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

These verses encourage me that as long as I am keeping Jesus as my final and daily prize, I will no fail but I will soar on wings of faith! 

So How Are We Getting to YWAM ?

Many people may be wondering why we are choosing to join YWAM (Youth With A Mission) and how we are able to do it financially. A little background may be necessary if you have not known us for very long but I will do my best to make this short! For most of the 11 years we have been married we have been in ministry somehow, either in church or missions. Missions has been our passion together and we have traveled to and from Mexico serving others in many ways. We have felt God pulling us in a different direction for many years and have not had the means to follow what had become a dream a few years ago. This dream seemed to lead us to a family oriented, group of missionaries, with similar passions and values. That is exactly what joining YWAM will allow us to do. Plus, so much more! The options and adventures in missions and serving others are almost endless with this organization. Since its world-wide, in over 180 countries and work in 1,100 locations. Read more about YWAM here... http://www.ywam.org/about-us/
One last note about where we will be with YWAM concerning the kids... They will have an awesome opportunity to be in their own mini-mission training school during our lecture phase of training in YWAM. Its called Foundation School, check out this link to read more about it!
http://www.uofnkona.edu/ministries/foundation-school/

So, during our last 5 years of coming and going into Mexico, Israel has worked the temporary work of outages at the nuclear plant, STP. We rented a house for a year and knew that with the cost of rent just going up, we would need to buy a house to help us get into a lower payment and out of debt eventually! Thus, freeing us up to do missions more full-time. And, we knew the house would be a special price and special place to meet our needs. With the market down here around the Bay City area being rather difficult on buyers, we knew we would need God's intervention! A large mortgage was out of the question! But we didn't need to have many repairs and put lots of money into it either. It sounded impossible to find such a deal! BUT GOD came through! As I did my research online shopping for this impossible house, up popped a foreclosure. I found I was the first to view it on the website and that it didn't even have an MLS number. I thought that was strange but the fact it was in the 25-30k price range, I called immediately about the double-wide manufactured home in Blessing, Tx. (right outside Bay City) that day! It was on 1/3 of an acre, at the end of a street with no through traffic, without a busy street nearby, which was also a prayer of mine!
Little did we know how much trouble it would be to buy this house, but we found it had title troubles and took us 8 long months and 2 contracts to finalize the sale! God worked much patience in us that year! I am so glad we didn't give up! This was the house we were looking for, as it was the perfect size and only needed some cosmetics. We put in carpet and some flooring and repaired some walls. Throughout the 3 years we lived there, Israel build a front porch and improved the looks of the land greatly! It had been a wonderful house for our children to make memories in and we were so blessed to have it for that short time. All along living there, I called it our "launching pad" - a place that would help launch us into the great unknown! It really allowed us to travel more freely to Mexico and do missions and we thank God He allowed us that time to grow together better as a family.
While we were there the value of the house doubled! God provided us the means to YWAM through selling it and making the profit that would pay for the training we desired. We hope to sow into other young people who have missions in their hearts and of course our own children in what God has for them and their future. To God be the glory for His ever-present hand throughout this journey into full-time missions. As a family of (soon to be) 6, this seems like a huge feat, but then again, we have seen God provide for many larger families who are making an impact in the foreign field!
For with God nothing is impossible! Luke 1:37