Stay tuned for a financial update below!
Our trip to the US in August and September was wonderful! We were able to do a number of important ministry tasks while in the US. We were also so grateful to have had time to work on prioritizing Christ, both in our personal lives and in our marriage. We read books together on marriage and prayer and talked about what we had learned. We really worked hard on communication and our prayer life while we were away. We spent ourselves on behalf of our family and got to do what missionaries long for the most – we got to “be there” with and for our family in ways that we usually cannot experience while on the field. We returned to Honduras tired from the constant challenges of travel and living out of a suitcase, but grateful beyond words to have been able to go. We thank each of you for the role you have played in helping us get there and helping us return to Honduras well. As we begin to embrace being “empty nesters,” we’re praying for fruitful service to flow out of all that we learned while we were away.
Here are some highlights:
- We had an incredible time with our kids. Quality time with them looks different now and yet familiar. Marinajo cooked lots of comfort food, washed and folded clothes, helped clean, talked and snuggling with them. Dave was able to be there for them by helping with things like car repair, lost keys, and financial budgeting – of course with some great talks and snuggling too. These moments of serving and loving them were just pure gold to us.
- Time with extended family was special. Marinajo was able to ‘love on’ her brother, Archie, during a time of very serious need while he was hospitalized and help him with recovery. We were able to spend time with Dave’s side of the family as well. Our time included a brief, but wonderful, reunion-like afternoon where we all got together and ate and laughed and celebrated.
- We attended a week long new missionary orientation with our sending agency, Christian Health Service Corps. We were both encouraged and able to encourage as we fellowshipped and met with young missionaries preparing to enter the international missions field.
- Dave toured three medical equipment / medical supply warehouses in Tennessee and Texas and was able to help secure a truckload of medical donations including some much-needed medical equipment for the hospital.
- Dave went to NW Washington State to convey gratitude from the ministry to a hospital there that has provided many donations to Loma de Luz in the past. He also spoke with them about future possible medical equipment donations as well as met with other potential new donors.
- Dave spent one week in North Carolina training with Samaritan’s Purse to become a full-fledged member of their Disaster Assistance Response Team (D.A.R.T.). He hopes to be able to deploy (usually 3-week deployment) to a disaster zone and help sometime in 2020.
Financial Update:
In May of this year we “made the need known” about a change in our financial situation. At that time four families generously responded to our request for financial help for our furlough trip. Additionally, three families started giving monthly. Both the one-time trip assistance and the monthly giving are so meaningful to us and we are so thankful. The monthly budget need was not completely resolved by these three additional families and their sacrificial giving. As of right now we have 15 supporting families or churches giving us $1325 monthly. Wow, that is a lot and we are so grateful for them. As we explained in the last blog on finances, Dave’s business in the US has slowed down considerably which prompted us to pray for around a year’s time until we felt a) content according to Philippians 4 and b) released from the Lord to let people know about our need. We find ourselves with a $3,000 monthly budget and about $1300 per month in support, yet we see God making up for the deficit while Dave’s business continues to bring in some income each month. We have also been able to tap into our IRA when necessary. We are completely content with His provision. We just want to let you know where we are at financially.
Here are some ways to partner with us through Christian Health Service Corps:
- Text “fields” to 71777
- https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/fields
- Donations can be sent by mail to: Christian Health Service Corps PO Box 132 Fruitvale, TX 75127
- https://www.healthservicecorps.org/author/fields/
Now, please enjoy some pictures from our trip and share our joy in being with our family!
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