Don't Stop Believin'

I think Journey got it right - Don't Stop Believin! We've never stopped believing in our project, but there are always doubts. When we start to get frustrated because things are moving too slow for our liking, we sometimes fall into that negative self talk: "was this the right time? Should we have waited? How are we going to do this?! We should've saved more money! Oh my goodness, where are we going to get the money to do ALL of this AND meet our personal financial needs?!"

We've discovered this is normal, and we wouldn't be human if we didn't have doubts at times. The meaning of faith is to trust God even when you have doubts; to continue walking the path even when it feels uncertain and scary. No person of faith is expected to feel 100% confident in everything God is doing all the time; the difference, though, is that we continue on, trusting that God's plan is working for the best possible outcome. And, I'm glad we've never let our personal doubts stop us from trusting God.

Yesterday was one of those days that we will always remember what we were doing on February 12, 2016. Yesterday was a fulfillment of God's promise to see us, to provide, and to guide us through something we have never done. IF we had given up a week ago when we were feeling down, we wouldn't have seen God's hands working on our behalf.

We now have water, plenty of water, flowing directly on our land. The borehole was drilled yesterday, and after just 40 meters, the crew told us the water was pumping itself out, without even attaching the pump! They told us the other borehole's they've drilled in our area were at least 60 meters deep, so we are certainly blessed with an abundance of water.

This is a HUGE deal for our community. Each family has received us so well, with extreme joy in their hearts, that finally, water won't be a problem. Many families walk for hours to get decent water, and some rely on the dirty water that flows from a mini-river just east of our land. Knowing that our neighbors & community will stop dying from water-born illnesses, and pregnant women and children won't have to plan their days around water collection, makes every single minute of planning worth it. 

Today we connected the dreams we have with our community, as we all watched together, in aw that we have so much water underneath us. Today was a day that will forever be in my mind because it was the start of something great. And, today our team started the construction of our storage area for construction supplies, and it is nearly 1/2 way finished after day one! Once completed, we'll start on the first large building that will house us and our new kiddos. We have a truck load of 350 bags of cement coming late next week so our team is working quickly to finish up the storage unit. 

Storage & guard's house

While it is surreal to watch our community transform over water, we know it is not because of us. We aren't anyone's savior - only Jesus is the true Savior. Only through Jesus can anything be truly changed and reconciled. We can't "save" anyone - we can only share the amazing joy we have in our hearts with those around us and pray for our community. This project has only been made possible through God, and through the generous donations & faithful monthly gifts from all of you.

Your money is not something we take for granted, which is why we don't use ANY of our funding to support our personal financial needs. God is taking care of our personal needs, and somehow, He always comes through when we need anything. We trust Him to meet each and every need we have. And, we trust that He will continue to work in the hearts of so many who are eager to help so that together, we can lift up our community, to show them the love of Jesus.

Please pray with us that God will continue to guide us, help us to overcome the challenges that are guaranteed to come, and help us to continue to raise the needed funds to complete our first building. We can't do any of this alone, and recognize that God has used so many of you wonderful people to help us. Thank you for your faithfulness!

If you haven't had the opportunity to partner with us yet, check out our website - heartfortheneedy.org - where you can find more information about our NGO/nonprofit. As always, you can donate online through our website or find our mailing address to send a donation through the mail.

Here's to never ceasing to Believe that all things are possible, with Him.

Peace & Love,

Phil, Laura and Jadon, too

The struggle is REAL

When people say, “the struggle is real,” it’s usually about something funny and I usually laugh about it. Like, the struggle is real when I have to leave the house in real clothes instead of shorts or stretchy pants. But seriously, we are honestly struggling right this moment. Not financially or physically, but in ways that can’t be seen manifesting physically. Or, maybe you can see it in our eyes.

We’ve been having a lot of struggles lately, and when I say, “the struggle is real,” it is in fact real, and hard. We seem to be fighting a lot of battles lately. Some are clearly spiritual battles; some battles are clearly a test of our marriage, and yet others are clearly a test of character. I find the spiritual battles the most difficult because many of these battles are aimed at destruction – destroying our dreams, our marriage, our friendships, and our relationships with those around us, especially local Mozambicans. 

Living in a foreign country is difficult enough without fighting these battles. But each battle is a part of life, and each battle is a fight against the one who doesn’t want us here. Anytime in our lives when we were going through a lot of difficult stuff, there was a HUGE blessing or a big change around the corner, usually something mind blowing that we never, ever imagined.

I know on the other side of things, God will work everything out for GOOD. He promises that to us in Romans 8:28:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

In the midst of everything, I read the last part of the verse, over and over again.

ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE

It isn’t about me, or Phil, or even Jadon. It’s about the PURPOSE that God has called us for. It’s not for us to decide the purpose or the way or the road we take, it’s up to HIM. If God is using each of the battles we are walking through to nurture us into the people He foresees us to be, I’m okay with it. As long as the end result is for HIM and it’s what HE wants for me, how can I argue with that? He knows me best, and I trust him with everything in my life, including my future.

So, we’ll keep pressing on. We’ll keep digging in. We’ll keep praying. We’ll keep reading and studying our Bible. We’ll keep our frustrations to ourselves, and give them over to the ONE who knows best.

Lastly, we have a prayer request! If you think of us, will you keep us in your prayers? I (Laura) have been really sick over the last 3-4 weeks. I’ve had some major stomach issues (No, I am not pregnant) and then I recently caught a nasty flu/cold of some kind. I’ve tried probiotics, making ginger or lemon tea, eating, not eating, following the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, apples and toast), drinking Sprite, drinking just soda water, drinking only bottled water, and it seems there’s still no end in sight. I know this is a spiritual battle and I’m praying, but will you pray along with us? And as always, please let us know if we can pray for you about anything. We would feel honored.

Thank you for your love and support. Thank you for letting us open up and be honest about our struggles. We know that together, we can support each other and accomplish so much more!

Love and peace,

Phil, Laura & Jadon, too