Patience

Patience is a funny thing. The moment I decided to sit down and write this blog Silas began to cry. All I want to do is write and he keeps crying. Ada on the other hand, has been lying in bed for over an hour singing to herself. My kids both need naps. Not for their sanity alone but for mine as well.
As Silas continues to cry I begin to get more frustrated. How long until Elaine gets back from the store? Why won't he take his pacifier? Will she ever fall asleep?
...and the cycle continues. What's funny about all this is that it is on top of what I am already feeling about life. How long will we be in Texas? When can we get to Germany? How in the world are we going to get the money raised to go? It all adds up. I become more frustrated and less patient.
A few days ago I was hit once again by the grace and truth 2X4. It happens from time to time. This time I was reminded that life is not all about whats going to happen next. It's about right now. God (due to his nature of being outside of time) is never concerned with the future. He is concerned about our now. The Lord desires prayer without ceasing. That is not future prayer that is prayer now. He desires we rejoice in him always. That is not future rejoicing it is rejoicing now. Wait, maybe that is some kind of secret to life. We should never primarily focus on what's next but what happening now. My kids are growing up, now. My wife deserves to be loved, now. My God has a ministry for us right here, right now. Our hearts may long to return to the field and that's ok as long as that is not our sole focus in life, but there is life to be living here and now.
I'm sure I connect with many of you about our constant struggle to be present in the present. Please pray for us as we try to do a better job of abiding in Christ now.

Convicted,
Wes
Missionary in Texas for Now

Cooking for Friends

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Cherry Salsa 

This was an adventurous dish that went over moderately well, it would 

not be a hospitality dish because its just a little too "out there" ;-)

For the record, I liked it.

I (Elaine) love to eat cook.  Its a really big part of my role in a Hospitality House. Its how I became connected as an Airmen to the Hospitality House.  I peeled potatoes, peeled tomatoes (before learning about blanching!), turned a messy pan of brownies into a lovely torte, made pie crust, soup, cookies and loads more.  As the director of a house I do the planning, shopping, cooking and cleaning for meals.  I really like employing Airmen in these tasks too, as was done for me. Like the time I made Steven grate three pounds of cheddar cheese by hand! Or the time I had Chris chop several cups of pecans, by hand (he came back the next day with a nut chopper for me!). And I'm sure that almost everyone who has come through my front door has been handed a spoon and told, "here, stir this" at some point.

As we've been staying with family for 6 of the last 8 weeks I've been able to stretch my "cooking for more than two" muscles.  My "Food" board on Pinterest has always been the fastest growing.  I've spent the last year collecting recipes and constantly brainstorming on how to turn one lovely family meal into a lovely family meal for 30 people.  What ingredients do I need? What tools do I need? How can I pull this off and not feel like a cafeteria?

I've really loved cooking for our families again and its a nice little jump start before we head back into field ministry and I'm feeding the masses. If you've been the benefactor of this food, thanks for not wrinkling your nose at my new recipes or odd combinations (I'm not good at pairing food yet--waffles and coleslaw anyone?).  If you find a new, yummy, challenging or interesting recipe please pass it along!

Nothing makes someone feel at home better than a good meal or a hot beverage on a cool evening.  But we know that "man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matt 4:4). We're not a restaurant, we're a body. And we love it.

One last thing...if we end up getting assigned to Germany I'll need someone to help with a comprehensive lexicon of English to German food and cooking terms! Thanks.

Elaine

K-Love Pledge Drive

If you are like me you change the radio station every time K-Love does their pledge drive. I'm sure this is a maturity issue with me, but I can't stand the idea of being asked for financial support all-day-long. I just get annoyed with it. But like many areas in my life, when the Lord wants to shape me (my patiences, my pride) he hits me where it hurts.
Every time I have Tweeted, Facebook messaged, Blogged or asked someone for help during this support raising phase of life, I feel like I am doing unto other what I hate done to me. So I struggle with doing what God is asking us to do.
This is just another thing God does to remind us of the Truth. You see, the truth is, Elaine and I can't minister to the military without others. We are in need and cannot continue on our mission (just like K-Love) unless we ask. Please understand this blog is merely a confession to all of you about where my heart is right now.
Let me end by saying this if you are starting to get frustrated with us constantly asking for financial help during this season, please bear with us. It will be over soon enough. God is definitely moving right now and we are getting closer and closer to to heading back to the field. Personally, I can't wait to share the stories about ministry on the ground once we are back in the field instead of asking for help all the time.
Please continue to pray for God to shape our hearts and minds and to provide for our needs to get back into the field.
We love you friends,
Wes

MISSION-33

What is MISSION-33? This year I (Wes) turned 33. It got me thinking, 33 is a pretty good number. It’s the approximate age of Christ when he died for our sins. King David ruled 33 years in Jerusalem. It’s the atomic number of arsenic (not sure how that fits). It’s Larry Bird’s old number with the Celtics.

As you can see there is great meaning involved with this number. In my search to discover more facts about this number I found countless websites dedicated to the conspiracy theories involving the number 33 as well as a lot of bad information being referred to as facts.

Well, you’re probably wondering what my interest in the number is. I’m thinking more along the lines of finances. $33. Would you be willing to adopt us, support us, send us, supply us, finance us, employ us for only $33 dollars a month? If we can get 33 people to to give $33 a month we would be much closer to meeting our monthly goal. Do you believe in our ministry? Do you believe in what we are doing? Will you give $33 a month.

Click here (MISSION-33.com) to find out the various ways to give.

Click here to make a donation or set up recurring credit card gifts.