To Mr. and Mrs. Vermont (and children)

I know that we have probably broken all the real estate rules - no contact and no relationship before all is settled, but God had different plans.  Regardless how it all turns out in the end, we have become friends and bound together with a love for Christ and a passion to see the whole world hear the name of Jesus.  Through this blog you have had an opportunity to share your support and prayers for us, but it is kind of a one way communication - so today's post is a prayer and note of encouragement for you.

Dear Vermont Family,

The road to Spain on this journey of obedience has not always been easy.  It has been filled with days of excitement and peace, and on other days there has been an overwhelming lonely feeling and a desperate desire to just hold.  Some days we have forged ahead confident in God's leading, and other days we have stood still in His presence and asked for Him to give us the courage to even take a baby step.  Some days we have been frozen in our footsteps and God has had to wrap His arms around us and remind us He is in charge and faithful, and other days we have been running at such fast speed that we had to stop and turn around and get back into pace with Him.

When we began to sense God calling us to follow Him in a different way than ever before we prayed for many things, but one was that we would not go ahead alone.   We knew we weren't going ahead without Christ, but we didn't want to go without "people" either.  We prayed that through our obedience many others would become a part of the picture.  Little did we know how that would look.  Little did we know who would join us without hesitancy and who would run as far away as possible.  We never imagined the number of people we would meet along this journey.

The morning that Mr. Vermont saw our home I had reached the end of my rope.  As I drove to church that morning alone (I leave before anyone else and usually have at least one child with me, but that day no one came along) I just poured my heart out to God.  I told God I was tired and done fighting Him - but since He was working on a different time frame than I was, would He please answer our prayer regarding the house in a God size way.  Instead of just asking Him to sell the house so we could move on, I begged God to do a great work that gave His name all the glory and awe that He deserved.  I was finally willing to wait on not only His timing but His greater purpose than my selfish, exhausted desires.

As we connected with you we have been overwhelmed by how God answered that prayer.  His answer to this point has been greater than even my imagination.  I told someone yesterday that the story of our connecting is just too bizarre to even make up.  Oh, if I could just live in that point of surrender at all moments of my life.

We pray for you each day, as do many others who are praying for our journey.  You will forever be known to many as Mr. and Mrs. Anonymous from Vermont (how your posts on the blog appear) and how our lives have crossed paths will always serve as a testimony to the greatness of God.  Thank you for being a "rule breaker" and sharing your journey with us.

Heavenly Father, creator of the world, the One who is all knowing and whose plans are greater than ours, we give you our praise and and recognize your glory and the awesome God that you are.  We rest in your plans and your faithfulness and lean totally on you today.

We pray Lord that if it be in your will that today's showing of the home in Vermont be the final showing needed and that even in the sale of that home we will see your perfect will and plan.  Lord, this morning as Mrs. Vermont and the kids are running around to put the final touches on the house for this afternoon's showing give them peace and without interruptions.  Give them sunshine coming through the windows and may this potential buyer walk in the front door and experience your presence in a home, not a house.  Give the whole family your peace that passes all understanding.

We, the Hunters, have lived in separate states before and know the stresses that come to each family member.  Lord, we boldly ask in your name that you move quickly and bring this family back together.  Lord, our prayer is that the holidays are spent together in one new home and not apart.  And Lord, while we wait on your timing we pray for each family member to have the wisdom to make decisions they face each day, the strength to resist temptations that come from separation, and the love for each other that flows out of a love for you that controls the tongue and the attitudes when frustrations arise.  Grow the family in their love for you and for each other as they travel this season of life.

We give you the glory and the thanks today for the answers you will provide. 

In the only name that deserves our praise and worship,
Amen.

Vermont Showing

Just a quick prayer request - the Vermont family (ones with a contingency offer on our house) have a showing on their house on Friday at 4:30.  Please keep them in your prayers tomorrow.

Does the Fine Print Matter?

I have struggled all week over this post.  Not because I think this post will be controversial or anything like that, but instead it involves sharing some very transparent thoughts regarding how my Christian worldview and faith is played out in the real world.

Last week in a casual conversation about a "good" activity that was coming, someone made my vision of good come crashing down.  You see, I was talking about a charitable activity that was coming up in my life and what a great idea I thought it was and what a difference this charity was making.  Then the person in this conversation asked me if I knew that this charity gave a portion of its proceeds to Planned Parenthood.

Oh wait!  That wasn't part of the plan.  So, thinking they were overreacting - not sure how I could think anything related to funding abortions was overreacting, but it was a more comfortable reaction - I did some research.  Sure enough, but they did a good job justifying it - again, not sure how I could think that one either.

Then came the question - so what am I going to do about this information.  My first thought was shout it from a facebook status - but realized that was just to stir a pot of controversy and get attention.  Thankfully I prayed before I typed.  My next reaction was to tell everyone I encountered - but again, that wasn't for any good reasons, other than to let others feel as uncomfortable as I was.  Then my next reaction was to talk privately with someone I respected and seek their advice and direction - should I tell the activity coordinators this piece of information and demand they pick a new activity?  Their advice - pray about (now why wasn't that my first reaction?) and seek God's direction in how to handle it.

Hannah had been involved in the original conversation and she is taking a worldview class, so we began to hash it out.  Did their justification make it ok to support a charity (via another one) that I disagreed with?  Was it ok to keep the information to myself and just not support the activity (ignorance bliss for the rest)?  I have influence with the group sponsoring the activity, should I use this influence and insist on a change or lead them to make a change?  And it all kept coming back to the thought, but they are doing great work.  They are changing the face of the world they touch.  What happens if all Christians pull out their support?  Who else will do what they are doing?  Then through the conversations with Hannah we came to this question...

"Do I have enough faith in God to believe that even without giving in to what I believe is wrong He can provide?  He can accomplish all that is needed to be accomplished without compromising?

I'm still working through these questions and still listening to all God wants to teach me.  I can't say I have honestly figured out all the answers, but I can say there is something refreshing in going through this discovery process with scripture and prayer.  I am also grateful that I serve a God who allows me to come to Him with an honest and earnest desire to draw closer to Him and to seek to walk in His ways.

Before you judge my reaction, what about you?  What would you do?  What if this charity deals with a topic very close to your heart?

One last lesson I learned, do your homework.  Before I support another charity I will do a lot more research than ever before.  Ignorant bliss is no longer an option.

Host a Night of Tapas

What are tapas?  According to Wikipedia "Tapas (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtapas]) is the name of a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or warm (such as chopitos, which are battered, fried baby squid).  The serving of tapas is designed to encourage conversation because people are not so focused upon eating an entire meal that is set before them.  Also, in some countries it is customary for diners to stand and move about while eating tapas."

Over the past few months we have been inviting our friends and family to our house for a sampling of Spanish cuisine and to hear the story of our journey to Spain.  As we continue to pray for 50 partners at $50 per month to enable us to be at 50% by Christmas we are inviting you to pray about hosting a night of tapas for your friends.  Would you consider opening your home sometime in the next month for a night of tapas and the journey?  We'll bring the food - all you have to do invite friends/family.  No high pressure sales or arm twisting - just an evening of great food, conversation, and sharing the exciting journey of our new ministry.

If evening doesn't work, Scott or I would love to meet with you and your co-workers at lunch or Cindy loves to meet with ladies on Friday morning. 

We look forward to filling our calendar and meeting your friends and family.  It is so much fun getting to know new people!

Faith in a rope, but...

This weekend at Family Camp I climbed the stairs of a 3 story wall and attached myself to a rope and jumped off.  It was insane and I did it really to just prove I could.  I was determined to not let my fear control the situation.  I volunteered to go first and did fine until I got up to the top.  I attached all the ropes and backed up to the edge (the whole time holding on desperately to the posts at the top), then they told me to just pretend to sit down and the ropes would catch and I'd be just fine.

I held my breath, said a few prayers, closed my eyes and went for it.  When I finally got off I had a blast!  I even went back up the stairs to do it a second time.  I was feeling pretty proud of myself, and then...

Pride comes before the fall.  The session at camp on Saturday night was on faith.  Lots of talking about Peter walking on water and the faith he demonstrated during that storm.  All was well until the speaker began to compare faith in a rope to faith in God.  His question became "why can we place our faith in a small rope and a camp worker that we know very little about yet we struggle to place our faith in the God who created the universe?"

What about you?  What "rope" do you put your faith in and yet struggle to trust your life to the God who created the universe?

Fabulous Weekend

We spent the weekend at Teen Valley Ranch with 7 other families.  It was a weekend of time planned to spend together as a family and with God.  It was intended to be a time where we just stopped and enjoyed each other.  A time of refreshment and relaxation.  Boy was it fabulous!

As we were leaving Alex asked "Can we do this again?"  I had to get him to clarify - did he want to come back to TVR or did he just want another weekend where we stopped and played and worshiped together.  His response, well, I'd like to come back here, but if we can't come back here that's ok, but I like weekend where we spend it together."  Wow!  What an answer!  What is in my life that is keeping me too busy to spend time with my family playing and worshiping?  I can't speak for Scott, but I know after that question I need to do some rearranging of priorities.  Being busy is not good for us.

Below is a link to some of the pictures of the weekend.  Take time to look at them and ask yourself the same question - what in your life is keeping you too busy to enjoy your family and to worship together?

Family Camp at TVR

Family Camp Here We Come

I am a nervous wreck!  I let Hannah take my car and leave Kernersville and drive to my parents, 1 1/4 hours away, all by herself.  I cannot wait for the phone to ring that says she has made it there safely.  She is spending tonight with my parents and then driving back home tomorrow to spend Saturday night with Amy.  Pray for her safety and my sanity.

You ask, why am I allowing her to do this - well, its because Scott, Alex, and I are headed to Newland, NC for Family Camp.  We are looking forward to a weekend with 7 other families at Teen Valley Ranch (http://www.tvr.org/).  We will spend time in worship, Bible study, fellowship, and just taking in the wonderful creation God made.  It is peak weekend for the leaves - just an extra blessing God bestowed on us!  I cannot wait to share pictures with you when we return. 

Pray for our safety and time together - time together as a family, as church families, and with the Lord.  I am looking forward to experiencing God in a new and exciting way this weekend!

SEND Spain Spotlight

When we arrive in Spain we will not be working alone.  We will be joining a team of missionaries already on the field.  Below is the team newsletter - Called SEND Spain Spotlight.  This should give you just a little picture of what is already going on in Spain.  Please pray for the team members already on the field as well as those who, like us, are working on partnership development.  God is moving in Spain and we cannot wait to begin our ministry there!

SEND Spain Spotlight - Fall 2010

Recipes

We had a fabulous time sharing with two families Monday night about our journey to Spain.  The best part of partnership development is that it requires us to make time with people a priority.  I know that sounds crazy that I would say that, but in our busy life we often allow relationships to fall to the bottom of the priority bucket.  It's always a priority in our mind, but not often a priority in our calendar.

 

Each time we share there are different "ah ha" moments and I try to pass those on.  Monday night the moment was when one of the families realized they could be a monthly partner by giving annually.  Their income allows for them to give once a year, so they thought that just meant giving special gifts.  But actually, they can commit a certain amount of money to be given at a certain time each year and SEND will divide it by 12 and make it a monthly faith promise.  For example, perhaps they receive a bonus every February (or tax refunds, profit sharing, a month off a regular payment, .....).  They can turn in a faith promise now for any amount, but we'll use $600 as an example.  On the form they indicate they are going to give $600/year beginning in February.   As soon as that form is received SEND credits our monthly faith promises with $50 and we move one step closer to leaving.  When February comes around they give their $600.  Works great for everyone involved!  Maybe this is you - you can make a faith promise that is based on monthly, quarterly, annually, or any other combination above that works for you.  SEND knows how to figure out the rest.

 

 

One of the recipes I made this time was Garlic Shrimp Tapas - they were a hit! - so I am sharing the recipe.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb shrimp, 25 count to a pound
• 4 large cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp sweet Spanish paprika
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2-3 oz of cognac (you may substitute dry sherry instead) - I used dry sherry (found near vinegar at grocery store)
• 1/4 cup virgin olive oil
• 3 tsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 lemon for juice
• 1 Baguette

 

Preparation:

 

The shrimp can be peeled first, before cooking them if you prefer. In addition, if you like larger shrimp, you may purchase shrimp with fewer count to a pound. However, 25 to a pound are about the right size for this tapa.  (I bought peeled and deveined raw shrimp at SAMS)

 

In a sauté pan or heavy frying pan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for about one minute or until they begin to brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic!

 

Raise the heat to high and add the shrimp, lemon juice, sherry or cognac and paprika. Stir well, then sauté, stirring briskly until the shrimp turn pink and curl – about 3 minutes.

 

Remove from heat and transfer shrimp with oil and sauce to a warm plate or serve right from the pan. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle with parsley.

 

Serve with fresh bread.

 

Serves 4 for appetizers. If preparing for a main course, double the recipe!

50 at $50 for 50% = CAKE

We are praying and asking for 50 new partners at $50/month to allow us to be at 50% of our monthly suport by Christmas. Today we received notice of the 1st one - so 49 more to go. And just a little extra sweet incentive - all new partners will receive one of Cindy's homemade pies/cake...your choice - apple or chocolate.

Sme common questions you may have....

1. What if we can't start giving until January or February?  No problem....go ahead and turn in your form now so that it counts in our percentage, but on the form you can indicate that it begins at a future date.
2. What if we can do more than $50?  No problem... you'll put us even closer to reaching Spain.
3. What if we can't give monthly?  No problem.... you can give quarterly, semi-annually, or annually.  SEND will divide the amount into our monthly needs.

If you have other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Surprising Statistic

Hannah and I had a fabulous time at the She Event last night.  It was great to see her and her friends praising God and even enjoying a "star" from my era.  They loved the music of Rebecca St. James and  new group Luke and John and the entertainment of Evie (she sang too).

There was a question and answer session with Evie and Rebecca St. James half way through the evening.  One person asked Evie the secret to enjoying empty nesting.  She said don't forget to stay involved and shared of her and her husband's work in China. 

She shared an interesting number which made me come home and look it up.  There are now confirmed 150 million believers in China.  They are almost entirely in underground churches and face persecution for their beliefs.  That means that 12% of the 1.3 billion population of China proclaims Christ as their Saviour.  I remember my childhood days when we heard of  very few believers in China.  I remember hearing of the days where China was considered one of the least evangelized areas of the world.  It is exciting to hear of how God is moving. 

I had to ponder that statistic for other reasons last night too.  In my mind China has always represented the "lost" of the world, yet there is 12% of their population who know Christ and according to several sources (the IMB included) there is approximately 0.02% of the population in Spain who know Christ as a personal Saviour.  Reached no conclusions from these ponderings, just realized that perhaps the "center of the lost world" is shifting.  Reminded me how much I really need to be praying for all those working in Europe and for the people of Europe.  Hope it makes you ponder a little too.

Mother/Daughter Night

I realized just how old I was yesterday when I stopped by to pick up our tickets for the She Event with Rebecca St. James and Evie.  First Hannah had no idea who Evie was.  She said she would have to come home and "google" her.  Oh my!

Then, the lady who was giving us our tickets asked if I knew who Evie was she proclaimed I was only the 11th person to come through who did - which wasn't so bad until she added, but most of those coming through have been a lot younger than you and I.  She fessed up to being almost the same age as me.

Then just to rub it in a little more I went to the She Event web site and read about Evie and it gives your biography, including the fact that she became a star at the beginning of the contemporary christian music movement, in the 1970s.  Oh my! 

Oh well, old or not - we are off to a night together of music from both generations and Christian fellowship.  I am sure the days of opportunitites like this are numbered.

Dancing with Praise

Just when I thought God had shown His wonders to their greatest, He reminded me that we can never comprehend the greatness nor the plans of Him.  He is greater than our greatest imagination.  His plans are greater than we could even fathom.  He is God and we are not!


If you need proof, read the post from the "wife/mother" of the family who has a contingency offer on our house.  Only a God as great as our Heavenly Father could orchestrate something this good.  But here is a warning - the rest of your day is going to be different after reading this - I can still hardly sit still!

"I second that prayer! I am the wife and the mother of the four children and, being born in Rota, Spain (near Gibraltar) on a naval base, I have dual citizenship. Hearing that you are missionaries to Spain made my heart leap with excitement!!! I have always wanted to go back.


I am praying earnestly for you and for us as we move forward on this journey. We see that God, in launching us to do His work in NC, is launching you. We are thrilled. You are covered in prayer. We are also thrilled to know that we must have people praying for us all over the world as they pray for you to become missionaries to Spain. Being up here in VT alone is difficult to say the least, but knowing that I am not alone in raising my prayers to the Lord sustains me.


We too have an Alex, btw. He's in high school. :)


Here is my verse for today. I dedicate it to you: "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles." Isaiah 40:31.


I want you to know that the chance of a Christian from VT moving and buying your home is slim to none as New England is a very dark place spiritually and Christians are scarce up here. The Lord has brought us together and I can't wait to meet you.


-Adrienne-

Speechless

Don't you just love it when God answers prayers that you couldn't even fathom to express?  Today I have been speechless as I have pondered how God has moved in our lives.  We do not know what the future holds.  We are discovering what it means to live one day at a time and trust God where He is working and wait on Him in other areas.  It is exciting, energizing, and at times overwhelming (both in the good and the bad way).  But just at the time when we need that little extra nudge to remind us that He truly is God, He does.

I shared a few days ago that we had accepted a contingency offer on the house.  It remains on the market and we continue to wait to see what God has planned for both us and the family from Vermont that has made the offer, but we are moving forward as if they could call any day and say that their home has sold.  (That is a whole different blog post - so check back in a few days).  I asked you to pray not only for us, but for this new family and for their home to sell quickly so they could be reunited. 

Although we have never met them we shared through realtors that we were praying for them and gave them a copy of our latest newsletter which led them to this blog.  They commented on our prayer request for them.  As I read the comment this morning I wept - not because of some sad thing, but because I realized God is so very big!  He left me speechless.  He answered our prayer in a way that was greater than even my imagination.

The "husband and father" shared his prayer and I just couldn't leave it hidden in a comment from an old post.  I don't share this for either he or I to get any glory - but to let God show off - to testify to you that you can trust God with your biggest concerns in life and He will answer in ways greater than you imagine!  God is a good God!

God is GREAT! I am the husband of the wife and four kids. Please join with me in praying this prayer "God you are mighty, you are powerful, how majestic is Your Name. We lift up the work that you are doing in the sale of the VT house and the NC home. We ask that as you further the work of Your Kingdom through the Hunters you continue to bless them. We ask that you specifically bring a buyer for the VT house so that the Hunters will be launched into Kingdom service in Your time. We acknowledge that You work EVERYTHING together for good for those who love You and are called according to Your purposes. We submit to Your will in this process and praise you for what you are going to do. In the matchless name of Jesus we pray" AMEN "Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name...come and let Your glory come and let Your glory fall"

October Newsletter

Here is our October newsletter. God has been answering prayers and moving in a mighty way!

October 2010

Last Chance Yard Sale

Cornerstone Baptist Church is hosting a community wide yard sale and craft fair to support our journey to Spain.  

Saturday 06 November 2010, from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm

(rain or shine - inside facility if inclement weather)

Spaces can be rented for a small donation and you keep all your profits.  Clean out your garage, attic or storage facility, and get in one last yard sale of the year, before the holidays. Craft vendors or direct sales are welcome to get a jump start on those holiday sales.

For more information or to rent space contact Russ Dorrell at 392-3970 or  gousna85@bellsouth.net, or Cindy Hunter at 665-1944 or cindy.hunter@cornerstonesbc.org.