Learning how to jump again

We have now been back in Hubbard, OR for almost 2 weeks.  The first week was a whirlwind of getting our house in order, cleaning out Big Buster, Andy figuring out a teaching position back at Woodburn High School, visiting friends and neighbors,  the 4th of July celebrations and Eva’s 3rd birthday.  We were running on the adrenaline and excitement of being back “home”.  Our bodies finally began crashing at the beginning of this week as our tasks slowed down.  Our hearts and minds have now begun processing the idea that we are back in a way of life that is not always traveling, meeting new people, and experiencing new things.

We believe, without a doubt, that God has meant all along to bring us back here.  These were NOT our plans, as many of you know- we tried to sell and rent the house for quite a long time, but no bites.  Yet, God, provided mortgage payments, school loan payments and then enough for us to stay on the road for 1 year.  We serve an amazing God who directs our paths and honors us as we attempt to honor, point, and glorify Him.  We did not think that we would be back in this house, but God did.  We praise Him for knowing the plans He has for us!

So now what do we do?  We know God has asked us to take this summer to rest, pray, and prepare us for the next venture He has for us.  This venture involves taking all that we have learned, all the love He has given us, and all the confidence He has built in us over the last year, and putting  it towards freeing the captives in Hubbard, OR.  Wow.  That all sounds wonderful, Lord, and I know you can do impossible things through me and my family, but how in the world?!!!!  There are moments when this next season feels crazier than selling everything, buying an RV, and traveling across America to preach the Gospel with our three children.

I process things much differently than Andy.  I am much more of an internal processor, he is external.  He is a man, I am a woman.  Enough said.  This week has been a good week for the two of us as we try and communicate as best we can and giving each other grace while we do our thing.  Right now, I feel like I have jumped off a trampoline that I’ve been playing on for the last year.  You know how it feels after jumping off a trampoline.  Gravity feels much stronger than ever and jumping seems nearly impossible.  So as I sit in my thuddy-ness, I have heard a whisper from the Lord saying, “Now I will teach you how to jump, like you did on the tramp, in this way of life.  But it is only possible with Me.  It will look different and feel different, but that is what makes it exciting.  Do not despair.”

To be honest with all of you, I don’t feel like I belong here anymore.  Maybe that is a good thing, maybe not.  I love all my friends and family here but I have developed a love for the kind of adventure that we found on the road- even though it was hard and exhausting at many times.  I am now asking for my Father to give me a new love and vision for the adventure He has for us here.

As of now, we will begin organizing times of prayer, here at our home with those who desire to join us in this love battle for this area of the country.  Of the many things we have learned while on the road, prayer was one of the biggest and most powerful tools He began teaching us to use.  I can’t imagine going into battle without knowing the enemies ways, the people we are fighting for, or the tactics our Leader intends for us to use.  The battle belongs to our Lord and we intend to go to Him for information and direction.  Please join us as we continue to pursue Jesus and His Love for His children.  And please keep our family in prayer as we continue to process and learn how to jump again.

Serenity

Feels like home. . . .

We pulled onto Baines Blvd. in Hubbard at 6:43 tonight.  We have been on the road for 377 days, travelled 16,652 miles, connected with over 65 churches and mercy ministries, pumped well over 3,000 gallons of vegetable oil, and hopefully brought His kingdom with us everywhere we went.  We have witnessed countless miracles, let alone what God has done in our own hearts, have seen lives changed, again, our own as well.  Our friends and family have welcomed us back to this little piece of the world with a loving embrace, and it feels nice – thank you.  Our only prayer is that we can be vessels for our merciful, wonderful, and amazing Lord to continue to use us to impact His kingdom for His glory alone.  Amen.

the latest and greatest on MSM

This weekend was our first opportunity to share our stories and what we have learned at one of the home churches (Community Bible Church) who have followed us and supported us on this journey.  Summing up our year of traveling and ministering around the States into one hour was a challenge but we were very happy with how it turned out. Many significant stories and Truths were communicated and were received well by CBC.  Ultimately, we were available for the Lord to use us and I have to believe He did.  For Andy and I, it was helpful and healing to put our thoughts and memories together.  Again, we are amazed at how much the Lord has taught us and brought us through in 3 years!

Before we left and as we have traveled, many folks have asked us what we are going to do when we return to Oregon.  Over the last few months God’s plans for our family continue to unravel.  We still have our house, our hearts have been stirred for our little community in Hubbard, and we continue to see vision in seeking out the lost and broken by using the tools and revelations He has given us on this journey around the country.  The latest and greatest is that Andy has now applied for a half-time teaching position at Woodburn High School (where he was previously working before we left Oregon).  The position seems promising, the hours are perfect, and it gets him plugged into the community.  Please pray with us as we keep walking through open doors, that we stay focused on Jesus and listen to His voice.

We have also been so encouraged by friends and family back home who are more than willing to help us get back into our home.  Coming home with a huge welcome wagon of people happy to see us is overwhelming and refreshing after traveling the States just as a family.  Please be praying with us that our hearts and minds stay clear as we settle into our house again and that we would be able to take time to rest and enjoy the beginning of this next season.

Details will continue to fall into place as His light is shed on our path.  We are confident of His provision for our family and ministry.  Thank you for joining us in prayer as we continue to run after Him, may you all be encouraged by all that God has done with Mustard Seed Ministries so far!!!

And the baby is. . . . .

Healthy!  Adjusted due date: October 2nd.

If you had Anatomy 101 you might be able to figure out the sex.

Revealed with Fire

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

Much of our journey around the States has been for the purpose of building.  Jesus building on what He started many years ago, in Andy, myself and our family.  Our foundation has been laid and He continues to add more and more as we seek His Kingdom.  Many times we have tried to take over and be the builders which has turned out to be harder and much less worthy.  As Andy and I have reflected on the past year we both (if we were to do it all over again) would be even more patient and take more time to pray and wait for HIS guidance.  We found ourselves making plans at many times without even asking the Lord what He thought.  And granted, He always used us, always came with us and never abandoned us.  However, because of our building skills, we probably missed out on some opportunities that God had planned for us.

This verse in 1 Corinthians has caused me to be more aware of my own ways of doing things versus God’s way of doing things.  I don’t want to get to the Big Day and find myself escaping the flames of the fire that burnt up all my work.  I want my work to survive the Fire that reveals and brings glory to it’s True Nature, Jesus.  That is what it all boils down to; does my life point to Jesus?  Am I letting Jesus work through me?

As a part of the Body of Christ, I must ask the rest of the Body; are you going to be escaping your flames or will you be able to stand and watch as the flames reveal Jesus?

As a follower of Christ, I represent Him to the rest of the world.  My work is with the Kingdom of God and for the Kingdom of God.  By God’s grace my foundation is being built and I am learning how to become an expert builder.  I know there are many more times that I will try and take the hammer from Jesus and totally bif it again.  Fortunately, Jesus is the Gracious Teacher.

Blessings on all of you who continue to allow the Lord to refine you with His Fire before the Day comes.

Burn, baby, burn!

Back in Oregon

We just made it to Central Point, OR this afternoon!  Big Buster is parked on the side yard of Andy’s parents house and we have nestled into the idea of being in familiar stomping grounds.  It is a bit surreal, I think I am still in shock that we are back in Oregon.  Mustard Seed Ministry has made it all the way around the States!

The kids are in heaven, playing in their regular spots at Gramma and Panka’s (that is Grampa) house.  Andy and I are enjoying being with people who know us, love us and love our kids.

While we are here, we will be connecting with the Rescue Mission in Medford, connecting with community members who are also reaching out to the poor in this area, and then working with the Community Bible Church family.

Our time in Central Point will last until June 11.  We will be speaking and sharing at 9-10:15am and 10:45-noon on June 7 @ Community Bible Church.  If you live in the southern Oregon area and want to say hi and/or hear some of our story, please come!!

We covet your prayers as we transition and continue to minister as God leads!

The Homeless Church

Evan and April Prosser had a vision fifteen years ago.  That vision led them to the pavement of San Francisco living on the streets in a converted bus they had bought for $1,750.  Their vision was not one of ministering too the poor, but rather living amongst them, they moved into areas of town where many homeless folks lived, where other mobile-homeless lived in their cars and run-down RVs.

The Homeless Church bus

inside The Homeless Church bus

The Prosser’s started The Homeless Church of San Francisco which is not a service to the homeless, but a church that the homeless can be a part of.  Homeless men and women become regular attendees who worship with Evan as he plays the violin, and listen to Pastor Evan as he shares a message from the Word just like any other church on a Sunday morning, except his pulpit isn’t in front of the baptistery and drum set, but is next to two huge head sculptures near a busy downtown San Francisco street.

The Homeless Church @ Embarcadero Ave.

There is no paid staff at The Homeless Church, and all donations and proceeds are used to make meals for the Sunday services, paying the utility bills at their transitional home, and doing other services for the poor throughout the week.  The most amazing thing I may have witnessed on our entire journey was when Pastor Evan took an offering towards the end of the service.  I thought to myself, “how are these people going to give anything, they are poor, they are destitute.”  Countless men and women walked up and put whatever they had into the hat.  I sat back in teary-eyed amazement in the power of our lovely God.  Back at the transitional home that the Prosser’s now live at called the Grace Healing Home, I nearly started to cry again as Evan explained the world map on the wall of their dining room that had pictures of missionaries with yarn stretched to the location of their mission in the world.

The Homeless Church supports eight different missionaries on four different continents.  The Homeless Church pledged to support one missionary in the Dominican Republic with $200 a month.  That would be about $50 a week.  For a few weeks Pastor Evan encouraged the congregation to collect cans and bring them to the service.  The first collection they took they collected $14 (not in cans, but cash!) for the missionary, the next week $29, then $51.  They are now collecting over $100 a week for this missionary, which if you do the math is over $400 a month – much more than the $200 a month that was pledged.  How many churches in this “economic crisis” are giving more than they pledge to give?

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

The Prosser’s obedience has allowed the Lord to work through them in powerful and yet simple ways; bringing boxes of food to homeless camps under the bridges; having a church service on Embarcadero Avenue on Sunday mornings and another on Mission Avenue on Sunday afternoons; opening the Grace Healing Home where homeless men who are sick (medically as well as spiritually) can come to find peace of mind in Christ Jesus; Nightstrikes, where a group goes downtown to serve soup to about 70 homeless living in cardboard boxes and next to dumpsters; as well as a multitude of other small and seemingly insignificant things that in our eyes have little impact, but have a huge impact on the Kingdom of God.  You see, Evan and April believe that the fire of God is on the streets, not in the four walls of the traditional church.  It is time to get out of the walls and go meet the lost and the broken where they are at.  Although Jesus spent some time in the Temple [even though most of the time was spent with a whip in hand], most of His time was spent on the dirt roads of Galilee, the 1^st century version of Embarcadero Avenue.

Avery with Grace Healing Home residents Cameron, Alfredo and Pastor Evan

April and Serenity

Time is short in Frisco

Our time in San Francisco has been amazing!  We feel blessed with this being our last city.  Unfortunately, because of the lack of parking accessibility in the downtown area our time is being shortened.  We have been parked on the street since yesterday and our spot, being right across the street from the Grace Healing Home, is perfect.  However, because we can’t find a place to plug in and park for an extended amount of time, we will be leaving tomorrow.  We know in our hearts we will be back here someday.  The connections that we have made with The Homeless Church are so significant; there is much to glean from these saints.  Our next post will be all about our time here.

Please pray for us as we travel North to see more of Andy’s side of the family near Eureka, CA and then eventually land in Central Point, OR to reconnect with Andy’s parents for a couple weeks.  We are looking forward to ministering in a familiar town (Medford and Central Point) and working with a familiar church body (Community Bible Church).  CBC has been a faithful body of believers that continue to follow us and support our journey across the States.  We will be sharing stories, pictures, things we have learned and some understanding of what God wants to do with us next on June 7 @ 9-10:15am and 10:45-noon at Community Bible Church in Central Point.  We plan to be back in Hubbard, OR (in our own house!) by June 30, after we take some time to reconnect with my side of the family.

One man we met yesterday:

Roger:  We met Roger at a church that had a food sharing time.  He was a thin man with big huge headphones around his neck that kept the noise out.  He didn’t want music, just quiet.  After talking with him for a little while, he asked Andy, “So, who are you guys anyways?  People in San Francisco aren’t this happy!”  I guess he got us on a good day but it opened up some more conversation.  We found out he has struggled with depression, anorexia, and homosexuality.  Most likely these things have taken him to the streets at one point or another; at the moment he has a roof over his head.  Roger knows Jesus, is a kind man, and wants to find freedom from these struggles.  Freedom is in Christ but this revelation must come from the Holy Spirit and the decision is ultimately Roger’s.  Please pray for more confidence in the power of Christ in him and courage to believe he is worth it.

Our day in pictures

20 weeks along

our dining room table

bubbles!

more bubbles!

stuffed animal dance party

Alameda County Fairgrounds sunset

Big Buster ready for bed

Holy Hotness!

Our thermometer is reading 102 F degrees in Pleasanton, CA.

Air-conditioning in Big Buster is heaven after a long day of public transportation, walking, meeting new people and figuring out San Francisco!  We have decided that the BART train is definitely the most expensive public transit nation-wide.  But as we were reminded by our son, Avery, after getting frustrated with some of the BART workers, “They are just trying to do their job.”  Ah, wise words out of the mouth of a six-year-old.

We met up with Evan, pastor of The Homeless Church in Frisco, and joined their service in the morning.  They meet outside at the Embarcadero, near the Ferry Building.  Anyone is invited to join and sit, listen and eat breakfast after.  We are looking forward to meeting more of them at their Grace Healing Home this week.  Very sweet people who love Jesus so much!

Next stop, Cornerstone Church in the Mission district and very yummy real Chinese food for lunch.

By 4:30 we made it back to Big Buster.

Two men we met today:

George who is homeless that had a cold and was convinced it was because of the smog.  Once again, our kids brought him joy as they ran around and picked flowers while Evan gave the message at the Homeless Church.  George has been hardened by the streets and needs Jesus to speak Love and Tenderness to him.

Tom who we met at the bus station.  We don’t really know his real name because he claimed he didn’t know it (and I believe him).  I asked him jokingly at first if his name was Tom and he said, “yes”, so we will stick with it.  Tom is mentally ill, like many folks we meet.  I cleaned his glasses for him after he rooted through the garbage, looking for a napkin to clean them with.  Tom is a man who is lonely, only concerned with the basics of life, and needs the Kindness of Jesus.

We meet people on a daily basis like this but we don’t always write about them.  Just little snippets or moments.  Today I felt compelled to.  They are important and worthy of being written about.  Children of God, just like you and me.

It was a Holy Hotness day, thank you Jesus!