Agents of Resurrection

Before we get too ahead of ourselves, we wanted to write about the folks we met back in San Antonio. We were so encouraged and refreshed to meet Agents for Christ. They are two families, in two RVs, traveling the States, preaching the Gospel and spreading the Love of Christ to whoever is put in their path. We had found them through a “Families on the Road” website and instantly contacted them, hoping to at least connect with them through e-mail- little did we know we would actually meet them!

We had two days to share stories, encourage one another, and pick each other’s brains about ministry on the road. What an amazing time it was to feel God’s comfort in two other families (two kids each), complete strangers until San Antonio, who have shared in many of the struggles, joys, and decisions we have experienced. God’s timing was perfect, as always.

Their story is very similar to ours; they are from the Portland area, they began feeling uncomfortable in their comfort, Jesus’ words began jumping off the pages, started ministering and sharing the Gospel downtown Portland to business men, homeless, tourists, began a non-profit (which we didn’t do), sold the majority of their possessions, bought 2 RVs and hit the road, looking to share their lives and preach the Gospel wherever they went.

Of all the things we talked about over the two days that we had together, we all agreed on one thing; we have witnessed the beginnings of a wakening in the Church. Believers are starting to want more than just church on Sundays and Wednesdays, they want to start putting their beliefs into practice. People are craving change but don’t know how to put it into action. Relationship with Jesus, creativity, and courage to take steps of faith (that sometimes look crazy to others) are the things we continue to pray for. These things can and will put the Church into action of planting mustard seeds.

Agents for Christ and Mustard Seed Ministries are very small in the eyes of the world. We all often feel the pull of making it “big” or having numbers to show for ourselves but we know none of that is from the Lord. We, just like everybody else, are imperfect vessels filled and made by the one perfect God. We can only do what He empowers us to do- sometimes it seems like lot, sometimes it seems like nothing at all. All He asks us to do is to love Him and love others. Please pray for both of our ministries as we continue to seek the lost and broken to glorify our amazing and loving God!

What can the kids do with $100?

Originally uploaded by andyandserenity

So back in Friendswood, TX (outside of Houston), we spoke in an adult Sunday school class. A few questions were asked about the kids and how they have helped and interacted with the people we serve. We talked about what an important role they play in our ministry, how with kids in an urban poor neighborhood, people who would never talk to us, let alone listen to us, would sit down and have lunch, and have a conversation. We believe that most of this deals with trust. When we bring our three small children under a bridge, or in a downtown park, that demonstrates trust, something that most of these men and women don’t get very often. What happens is amazing, walls come tumbling down, people begin to tell you about their pain, thier struggles, and often times are willing to pray with you. None of that would happen if it were just Serenity and I.

So a man from this Sunday school class in Friendswood was touched about the role our kids play in our ministry and came up with the idea to give Avery, Ally and Eva $100 to spend on the poor however they like. We have been talking with them about it over the past few weeks. Avery was certain that he wanted to spend the money on kids who don’t have very much, so when we came across Mission2540 (2540 is Matthew 25:40) here in Amarillo the kids decided that they could help us find two families to buy some groceries for, as well as some toys at the dollar store and then deliver the box of goodies to them.  Check out the video above from our day of shopping.

We delivered the boxes of food and toys today and it was a joy to see the faces of the little 2-year old boy who got a race car, and the mom and dad who got a box of groceries.  It is always so much more of a blessing to serve rather than be served, one of my biggest prayers is that this same understanding is cultivated in our kids, their lives will be so much richer.

You can also go to our Flickr page to see more video from our day of shopping.

Drum roll please….

We are pleased to announce that there will be another addition to the Coulombe family in about 8 months!

We found out I was pregnant back in Jackson, MS and have had some time to let the idea settle (kind of) in our hearts and minds.  Whew!  4?  Oh, the questions that run through my mind.

God is so good to give us another gift of a child.  Please pray with us for “Baby”.  Our kids are excited and have decided that it is a boy and/or twins- HA!  Who knows?

I am feeling pretty good, nauseous at times, ravenously hungry for the rest of the day and a little tired.

We are having a good time in Amarillo!  We’re working with a couple of ministries who reach the under-priviledged children who need safe places, happy faces, and lots of Jesus.  This has been fun for us and our kids since they often get to join in with all the other children.  I am thankful for kids who can join in with just about anyone!

City Church

This church is right on. After the church service and Sunday school we got to talk briefly with the pastor, Don, and are excited to work with them and get to know them better this week. They have a huge ministry to the city kids- they actually go around in a few huge vans and pick them up for breakfast and Sunday school. They have so much going on and most if not all of their efforts go towards preaching the simple Gospel. The pastor and his wife live right above the church, in the same building. They started with almost nothing and God has faithfully increased their ministry, over 14 years, with supernatural provision- sufficient resources to drive kids around, a grocery pantry for those in need, so much food to feed children every Sunday morning and all summer long, land to create room for Jesus festivals for the city kids, and the list goes on. We were instantly encouraged and excited to get an opportunity to spend time with City Church. They are simple, they love Jesus, and they want to make Him known. Praise the Lord!

Miss Mary

Miss Mary was quite a character.

Andy and I were obliged to be some of the first guests in her brand new apartment, in Jackson, MS, that had been recently given to her.  Miss Mary was so proud of her new place she smacked my shoes right off the couch.  (No, I was NOT putting my shoes on the couch, I just had my shoe on my knee- but that was too close to her new furniture for Miss Mary.) Miss Mary will tell you like it is and then hug you.  I love her.

Miss Mary had been on the streets for over 2 years, sleeping in a space the size of a closet.  Some folks from a church in Jackson felt the Lord leading them to take her under their wing and disciple her, help her, etc.  This is a long term thing, not just housing her and getting her off the streets.  Miss Mary still needs a lot of lovin’.  If I remember correctly, she is 65 years old and still gets around like she is 30.  Her heart is sincere, hopeful, and still broken.  She still drinks pretty heavily.  She has a mouth on her like I’ve never heard before.  At least one of her sons is in jail.  Reconciliation is in order for her family.  And this is the stuff that takes long suffering, much patience, much prayer and much perseverance.  Getting her off the streets was just the first step to a long road ahead.

Miss Mary has had a rough life.  I don’t know all the details of her story but I know she could teach me a thing or two- she has already.  She desperately wants her life to be worth something in God’s eyes and she wants that for others also.  Even though she cusses people out it is because she wants them to see and find what she has found in our big God.  She has found the beginnings of forgiveness, understanding, salvation and the burning of the Holy Spirit.  And with discipleship, true friendship, and a roof over her head to encourage growth, asking questions, and sharpening, she will continue to blossom into the woman God has made her to be.

Like all of us, Miss Mary’s Life is a work in the making.  Some people start a little later than others, and there are people like me who were blessed to begin the Walk early.  I don’t really know what to make of all that.  But I do know none of us will never arrive until we see Jesus face to face.  I also know that without discipleship, friendship, counseling from friends who love God, a roof over my head and food to fill my tummy, I would not be where I am today.  Its not just a roof, its not just food, not just friends, or even pure salvation of the soul.  Finding Life involves the whole gammett, the whole person.  I pray that we can see this more clearly.

The Good Samaritan @ the 77th St. Station

This is a link to a blog post by our friends who live in New York City, the Roses.  We stayed with them for a few crazy days while we were in New York.  They are amazing people and we loved our time with them, you can read more about that here.  On top of inviting strangers with three monkeys for kids into their home to stay and live with them for a weekend, they are also wonderful writers.  The story Katy depicted reminds us all that it doesn’t take elaborate programs to change the world, it takes simple acts of love, or even better – simply LOVE.  As Mother Teresa said, “We can do no great things; only simple things with great love.”  What if every day each of us did what “the man who didn’t pass by” did?

San Antonio

We have been given an awesome opportunity to spend a week with my (Seren’s) parents in San Antonio.  They flew in on Tuesday and we have had a wonderful time reconnecting and being “tourists” for a little while.  So, if you have been faithfully checking the website and rereading “Storytelling”, here is some new news for you! 🙂  Our next stop will be Amarillo, TX, next Saturday!

Storytelling

Sometimes ministry of the Spirit happens while we tell stories.  Jesus told stories, hundreds and hundreds of them I’m sure.  He was the ultimate storyteller that gave Life through those fabulous tales.  It must have been so much fun for him to watch people while He went on and on about mustard seeds, yeast, and treasures.

Our family has been called to Friendswood, TX (a suburb right outside Houston) to tell stories.  We know this because our schedule has been filled for us with overlapping opportunities to share, commune with other believers and just tell stories.  Our stories have been of our travels, miracles, people stories, stories about our own personal journeys with God, crazy rv problems, veggie hunts, etc.  And to think about some of the tears, stressed-out moments and belly laughs we have had while those stories were being created.  My goodness, God is good, isn’t He?

Telling stories used to be a favorite past time for many of us but it seems to be only on a rare occasion in our American culture these days.  Maybe because we’re too busy to create stories?  Too preoccupied with other things to spend time together? Most likely just too busy period.

A lot of times we gather together to share prayer requests or struggles and that is great, but what about stories- God stories?  I think about our kids and how they love to hear a good story; have we told our kids any great God stories lately?  We’ve seen so many bored teenagers, it makes me sad to know they probably think God is pretty boring.  We’ve made Him too safe and uninteresting.  This has got to change.

This would create some effort on our part though.  It would require some risk-taking, sharing personal stuff, keeping our eyes out for God working, some sense of humor and having time to tell these fantastic stories.  When you have a good story, don’t you want to tell everyone?  Of course!!  We all need to know our own story so we can share the Hope that has come out of it.  Do you know your story?  Start practicing!

Will you join us in storytelling?  Please share!

Nothing but a wisp of fog

And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”

As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil.

James 4:13-17 (the Message version)

I decided to put this out there because we are often asked what we will be doing next.  And honestly, we have some ideas, but really nothing more than that.  Our hearts desire is to be available and to be in the habit of saying “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”  There are times when this is easy to do and then there are many times where we have had our grandiose plans.  But as we have traveled, God has taught us a lot and shown us that He really DOES care about details, our purpose, etc.  He has arranged things for us so many times, it is laughable when we start to think ahead even months down the road.

Being available doesn’t mean being flaky, it means being ready. We are always getting ready, but are we really ready?

Am I ready to do another loop around the country?  Am I ready to settle back down in Hubbard, OR?  Am I ready to start something totally new?  Am I ready to talk to the lady with a sad face standing next to me in the checkout counter and ask her if I can pray for her?

These should be a questions we are constantly asking ourselves because we are such creatures of habit.  We like our routines, we like our boxes that keep us safe.  God is not safe (quoted by Beaver in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) but He is good and He is King.  That should be our safety.  He is worthy of our availability and readiness, isn’t He?

God is asking us to be ready and waiting on him to shoot the gun at the starting line.  He wants us standing, in position.  Are you ready with your wisp of fog?