Exciting Updates!

Sorry it has been a while since I have posted. We haven't heard much from the missionaries in Serbia because they had to leave the country to have a baby. We heard from them yesterday and we have firm dates for the trip. We will leave June 19, 2010 and come home June 26. We're sooooo excited! I've been getting travel quotes and one of them is a really really awesome deal and we have it locked in while we get other quotes to make sure there isn't something cheaper out there. God has been paving the way for everything to work out perfectly for the trip. It's awesome to see Him work.

I got the cookbook completed and sent to the publisher. It has 116 recipes in it and they all sound really really awesome! I don't think we will have any trouble selling them. They will be $8 each, so if you or someone you know would like to buy a copy, please let me know! We should receive them in a couple of months. The cookbook is called "Tried and True Recipes from LIFE Fellowship."

For now, we are selling candles as a fundraiser. They are from Celebrating Home. A BIG thanks goes to Robyn Craven, our Celebrating Home Consultant, for setting this fundraiser up for me. The candles are $10 each. Once again, if you want to order one, please let me know. My mom has already sold several and she's at work today pushing them for me, LOL!

Please continue to pray for our trip and for the Serbians we will come in contact with while we are there. Pray for God to prepare their hearts for what they will hear from us and that they will be open to hear the gospel from us.

I'll post again when we get more updates.

Finding a Translator and Fundraising

We are still waiting to hear the official dates of our travel to Serbia. We will be traveling to about 3 different cities while we are there prayerwalking. So, they are trying to find a Serbian believer who will travel with us and be our translator. Hopefully, we will know something soon.

In the meantime, I'm compiling a cookbook for our church to sell as a fundraiser for our mission trip. I have about 20 recipes so far, but still need at least 80 more. So, if you have a great recipe you want to share, leave a comment with the recipe and your name. Your name will appear next to the recipe in the cookbook. I need all recipes by January 25 so I can get a discount. Or if you just want to buy one when they come in, let me know and I can hold one for you. They will probably be about $7.50 and full of tried and true recipes from our church members, their families, and friends.

Travel Dates

I heard from Serbia today that the travel dates we requested are a very good possibility. They have to get a few more things in order before giving us a firm date, but we are looking at going June 19th for a week. Of course, we can be a little flexible with the date, but not too flexible because of John's school. He will only have about 3 weeks off for his summer break. So, be in prayer that everything works out for the dates we are available.

We will keep you posted.

Prayerwalking in Serbia

Dear Friends and Family,

We have an exciting announcement. The Lord has led me and John to go on a short-term mission trip to Serbia. We will be going sometime in June of this year for 7 days. We will be going with the International Mission Board to prayerwalk in Serbia. What is prayerwalking and why is it needed? We will pray over neighborhood after neighborhood, house after house, and person after person. Prayer is the first step to reaching this land for Christ. The IMB has partnered with the Serbian Baptist Union based on the vision they have cast to plant ten New Testament churches in 5 years. We will be sent to one or more of several target cities/towns where they desire to plant churches. The ultimate vision is a spread of the Gospel and church growth where all Serbians have the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel and Christ in this generation. The emphasis is on discipling Serbs to start small groups and on reading the Word in Serbs’ homes at every opportunity. Prayerwalking teams provide invaluable prayer, information, and contacts for Team Serbia to establish work in this segment where very few churches or evangelical believers exist. While prayerwalking and developing relationships with Serbs, John and I will help carry the vital message and hope of the cross throughout Serbia to impact eternity.

As you can imagine, we are VERY excited about this opportunity. We also wanted to share how you can be a part of this very important mission. First and foremost, we will need a lot of prayer…starting now. We need prayer for us and for the Serbs who we will come in contact with while we are there. You can learn more about Serbs and this mission at www.pray4serbs.org . At the website, you can also register and sign up to receive newsletters to give you greater prayer needs. I have also developed a blog about this mission trip (and any future ones) so you can check it frequently for updates. I should also be able to update the blog and add pictures and details of the mission while we are there. The link to the blog is http://thereforego2.blogspot.com/

We will soon begin fundraising to provide the money for our mission trip. If you feel led to make a donation to our trip, we would greatly appreciate it. Just leave a comment on this post with your email address and we will send you instructions. Also, if you have any ideas for great fundraisers we can do, we would love to hear about them.

Thank you all for your help and prayers. We will keep you updated on the details of the mission and how God is working.

In His Service