When one door closes, another opens...

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand." 

-- Solomon, Proverbs 19:21

Wow, so much has happened since our last family update, it’s hard to know where to begin! In our last update (Feb 2013), we were less than two months away from our planned move to Florida to continue our missions training with YWAM Orlando. While in the final stages, we had some major details that needed to fall into place to make the move, including the sale of our house. As our departure date drew closer without an offer, it became clear that we needed a "Plan B".

Being fully convinced of our plan to work with YWAM, we hadn't really spent much developing a backup plan. Our assumption was that if things didn’t come together in April, we'd just head down there for the next semester. However, after that open door apparently closed, we decided to take time to reconsider some core questions: Were we really called to serve in missions long-term? If so, was our place overseas or here in the US? Was it best to continue working with YWAM or should we work thru our home church network?

As we wrestled with these questions, we realized that while our desire to continue working in missions was certain, the specifics on where, what and when, were still open to evaluation. For instance, our experience with YWAM was awesome and we would love to continue working with them, but our home church network (http://harvestnetinc.com) also has an expanding missions program where we could serve. YWAM has outstanding training programs, but there are other training programs that might actually be a better fit for our family. We’ve enjoyed working overseas, but we also see the great needs right here in the US.

Given these uncertainties, we decided it would be best to stay here in Lancaster, take advantage of the extra time to prepare and search things out further. Believing that selling our home was key to being free to follow whatever path opens, we decided to keep searching for a buyer, while also seeking out continued employment and opportunities to gain more training and experience in missions. In a very short time, several major items came together and our path for the next year or so is already clearly mapped out! Our house has sold, we found a nearby apartment, I have the opportunity to continue working at Refreshing Mountain (www.refreshingmountain.com) and Amy and I have been invited to join a nine-month missions apprenticeship program, called Immerge (http://www.immergecca.org), that will provide exactly the kind of practical training and mentoring we've been looking for and is based right here in Lancaster!

We are very excited to tell you more about Immerge, but we are going to save that for a future post. For now, we wanted to give everyone a long overdue update on our adventure. Before I close, here's a quick run down on what we are up to this summer, as well a some prayer requests.

• I will be working on several interesting projects at Refreshing Mountain. In my free time, I'll be hanging with the girls, honing my meat smoking skills and will be attending the upcoming Circuit Riders School in Lancaster.(http://thecircuitrider.com/school-of-the-circuit-rider/lancaster/)
• Amy just completed an intense training program at YWAM Lebanon (http://www.ywampa.org), earning a certificate to teach English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). After a short rest, she's busy organizing our new apartment, preparing for homeschooling in the fall and preparing for all the other things we are doing in the fall. In addition to Immerge, Amy will be volunteering at the Cavod Academy of the Arts (http://cavodacademy.com/), where the girls are taking dance classes.
• Bente recently served as a a youth counselor at Kids Camp with our church and is now working in the kitchen at Refreshing Mountain. She will be attending the Circuit Riders School with me in August and then will be take a full load of dance classes in the fall.
• Ascher is busy with all sorts of creations, from the plays she and her friends develop, to stop motion movies and short stories. She will be taking some acting classes and piano classes in the fall.
• Soren continues in her aspirations to be a veterinarian one day by absorbing herself in every episode of shows like "Dog Whisperer". She's been spending a lot of time at the pool and has been a great play mate to Mala. She'll also be taking some classes in the fall including Hip Hop and Piano.
• Our little Miss Mala just turned three and she's got all of the spunk and energy to prove it. She won't be taking any classes just yet, but she's busy learning more everyday and enjoys keeping us on our toes from morning to night!

Our journey has had some unexpected twists and turns, but it's a fulfilling adventure and we're learning more everyday! As you think about us, consider partnering with us in prayer in the following areas:

• Increased grace as we learn to walk on this next leg of our journey
• Clear direction over this next year as we seek out our future in missions
• Praise the Lord with us that we have already received about half of the monthly support we will need during our apprenticeship (I will be transitioning to part-time hours at work) and for continued wisdom and provision as we work out a strategy for additional fundraising.

Bente, Carl, Mala, Soren & Ascher

Amy & her TESOL class

Mala & Ascher on Mala's Birthday

Family in Missions Spotlight: The Keller Family

Hi everyone! Just received an update from our dear friends the Keller family, who we first met in New Zealand. They were in our DTS class and also were one of the families on the outreach team to Australia. Matt and Heidi have three boys, Indiana, Trace and Perrin, and they are an amazing family with a burning heart for missions! Upon returning home, they moved from Minnesota to Idaho to serve on a YWAM base where they are staffing the Missions Adventures program (http://www.ywamidaho.org/cascade/Mission_Adventures.html). Here is their first outreach report:

His name was Tristen. We met him several times on the street in a miraculous sort of way...

Heidi and I and the rest of our YWAM Mission Adventures staff were praying with our students asking God to speak to us about who we were supposed to share the Gospel with today. We believe that God is speaking and wants to speak to us. As we prayed someone in one of the groups felt God telling him to look for a man sitting alone in a cafe. Some of the kids were given pictures, landscapes and even names. So we always write that down and just be aware of it as we're walking down the streets.

This is where Tristen comes in. He was sitting alone in a cafe. He was dejected and hopeless when someone from one of our groups sees him says, "that's the man God told us about". One of the men from our team went in to the cafe and told him the story...that God had sent him to talk a man sitting alone in a cafe. Instantly Tristen began to cry. He was broken. They had a time of prayer and time of sharing the Gospel but it didn't end there.

The next day our team was doing a PB&J ministry where we set up tables on the street corners and serve sandwiches and drinks to whoever needed it. After they picked up food they were greeted by our prayer teams waiting to share and pray with them. And guess who walks in to the group...That's right, Tristen. But the group that had ministered to him at the cafe were on a different street and so none of us knew the connection yet with this man that God had brought to us. He grabbed his food and again received prayer and his own Bible.

But now the story gets crazy...

The group of 3 adults who had prayed with Tristen on the PB&J ministry had a couple hours to "kill" while other groups were out doing ministry when they felt that God told them to get in their truck and drive. So they did. They came to a red light as the light rail train passed by. The train slowed down just enough so their eyes could meet with someone they recognized...Tristen! They knew that's why God had them drive at that moment. They followed the train until Tristen got off. They quickly hopped out of the truck and after many tears Tristen had told them he had given his life over to Jesus. He also shared a few of the answers to prayer from the previous day that were also truly amazing.

I'm sure you can imagine the excitement the groups had when they all realized they had been directed to meet Tristen and minister to him.

Most of this ministry was done by people who had never shared their faith like this before. They hadn't taken the time to ask God who He wanted them to talk to but because they were now willing on this day and because they sought the LORD, He spoke to them and gave them the great privilege of being a part of His ministry.

We are SO blessed to be a part of this ministry. We have been learning much and are excited to see what is coming up next. We have another group of students coming in on Monday so thank you in advance for praying :)

For God's glory!

Matt & Heidi
Indy, Trace & Perrin

ps...Our new ministry address is:

YWAM IDAHO
110 W Market St. PO BOX 70
Cascade, ID 83611