One of the things that we decided before we left to begin traveling to share our new ministry in Madagascar was that we wanted to be good stewards of the money that God has provided. Sounds smart right? Well one way we save money is this; when we travel from one church to another we stay in missions apartments or homes. You see, some churches set aside places, either rooms in the church or sometimes, like our church Abundant Life, an entire house is available for missionaries to stay in. Sometimes we are in areas where there are are no missions houses so, instead of spending money on motels, we decided to bring our gear and do it the Marine Corps way - camp out. We tell the kids this is training for our jungle ministry in Madagascar. Something tells me that Madagascar wont be as cold as the Rocky Mountains in Colorado where we found a mountain with our name on it. Thats right, there is a place called Longs Peak and the Long missionaries stayed there. Deacon was pumped to climb it, or as he put it conquer that mountain. We made it to 10 thousand feet before the sun started to set and we turned back. It made me think of the mountains I climbed with my good friend Neal Walker (Carolyn Walker) in Scotland. As we were making our way to Douglas, WY for our next Missions Conference we stayed at Faith Baptist Church in Cheyenne for 2 days in their missions apartment. There was not a kitchen available in the Missions quarters so we used the kitchen at the church to prepare meals (another way we are saving money instead of taking 3 teens and one pre-teen out to eat every night). Our first morning there Vala and I made our way across the street to the church to get breakfast prepared for our family when the pastor met us with news of a discovery he had made behind the church. Apparently a single mom and her teenage daughter had spent the night in their car behind the church. Pastor Tommy was torn with worry about their well being, but his wife who had been struggling with some very serious health issues was running late for an important doctors appointment. Seeing us, he asked if we could jump in and help. Always wanting to be used where were at, we said no problem. Vala went into the church and got coffee started and I made my way around to the back of the church where I found the 2 ladies trying to keep warm while sleeping in their car. I knocked on the window (Scaring them of course) and invited them in for breakfast. As Vala and Tabby worked on breakfast, our new friends, Mary the mom and Danielle the daughter and I drank coffee and I got to hear their story. They had driven all the way from Tulsa to get away from some very difficult circumstances. I really cant imagine things being so bad I would pack up what little I had and drive that far without a place to stay locked down, but for this family, things were that bad. With the help of the guy who found these 2 ladies at McDonalds the night before and directed them to the church, we were able to not only feed and warm the two ladies, we were also able to share our faith, secure them some temporary housing until they can get on their feet. I think Debi Thomas Carter, one of the moms God has placed in our lives at Abundant Life, would have been proud. It was good to be used and if you will, as you pray for us, remember to pray for Mary and Danielle as well. We love you guys... Until next time, Phil
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 18:53:34 +0000
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