The wonder of the Body of Christ

"'Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that My house will be full.'" (Luke 14:23)

It has been such a blessing for our family to connect with different people within the Body of the church!  We have this wonderful opportunity to share fellowship with friends and family, and see how God is at work in their communities on both the local level and in their personal lives.  It is so encouraging to see the Lord at work across a broader cross-section of the church than we are usually exposed to.  Yet God's heart and desire is always active in drawing new people into faith and hope. These instructions from Paul to the Roman's have encouraged us lately as we have experienced them lived out in various circles of the church we have encountered so far:

"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." (Romans 12:10-13)

When the church is at its best, people are genuinely compelled to come and be a part of it.  God's glory is tangible, as His love is shared and known by all.  We have this awesome privilege of connecting and enabling the church through MAF's ministry in places where that is widely still unknown.  In this phase of our ministry, it is encouraging and humbling to see God revealing Himself and shining through His body of the church from the local level to the ends of the earth!  Here are some recent pictures of our family as we have traveled and shared our ministry over the past few months.

"Helping" rake leaves

Thank you for partnering with us in our ministry with MAF!  May the Lord continue to shine His light and reveal His glory among you all.

Helping on the farm

Elsie and Sammy sharing a ride from Pastor Rick

Spontaneous worship time with friends

Elsie in Kindergarten - so proud!

Better watch out Bison!

8 1/2 months old already!

Eating like a champion

Picking potatoes with friends from small group

Quality time with Papa

MAF Impact in Anse Rouge, Haiti and Family Update

"The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing.  The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.  They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God." (Isaiah 35:1-2)

Anse Rouge, Haiti:  It is clear that God is reaching His hands and feet into the most isolated places of Haiti.  This rural community called Anse Rouge is in the Northern region of Haiti, and was once green and fruitful.  Now, it is more or less a desert and full of thorns like these.  About ten years ago, the people had been introduced to the Gospel, but their isolation presented many barriers for ministry partners to fully engage the people.

MAF was contacted to see if it would be possible to build an airstrip and begin service into their community.  At first, it seemed impossible due to the thick layers of thorns that covered the possible areas of town that were suitable for a runway.

But the community was determined, and got out their shovels, picks, and machetes and cut down the thorns to clear the way for an airstrip so MAF could begin service there! 





Since MAF began delivering ministry partners to Anse Rouge about 10 years ago, these people have witnessed physical and spiritual transformation:

•      A well was built for water (previous source was long travel by donkey)
•      A compound was built that includes a church, school, and guest housing for ministry teams 
•      Medical teams have been flown in
•          Trees and crops have been planted in this desert area

And, in the midst of all this positive change, many have responded to the gospel and accepted the Lord!  

      Watch a short video clip of MAF in Haiti here

Family update

Hugging at "Hug Point"

Erin and I are celebrating 8 years of being happily ever after as husband and wife!  We have been so blessed, and are grateful for how the Lord has shaped and molded us over the years as a couple.

As we have launched into sharing our ministry and growing our team to serve in Haiti, we have been greatly encouraged and blessed!

Making the most of random sticks in the backyard

Beginning in the Pacific Northwest was an added bonus that offered Elsie, Sammy, and Isaiah some special bonding time with Grandma and Grandpa.  It also eased our transition into reaching out to ministry partners - which was a huge help to us.









We have been able to share some very precious times with friends and family, and see the Lord drawing new people into sharing this ministry with us.

Thank you to all our supporters who have generously given and prayed for our family and ministry. We hope and pray that you and your families find joy and strength in the presence of our great God!

7 Months old!

Sammy patrolling the Portland Streets

Elsie has a town named after her!

Looking forward to Haiti!

Erin and I are excited to announce that we have been officially assigned to serve with MAF in Port-au-Prince, Haiti!  MAF plays a vital role in Haiti - supporting the Haitian churches, and enabling many church mission teams and NGO's in their ministry efforts.   We are excited to receive this assignment and feel it will be a great fit for our family!  We are looking forward to connecting more with the rest of the team that is already serving, and learning as much as we can about the program as we move into our next steps in our journey into the Lord's service.

Thank you to everyone who has mentored us and encouraged us over the years as we have considered and responded to the calling the Lord has placed on our hearts.  We are eager to join the Lord where He is already at work, and see lives become transformed by the power of the gospel!

If you are interested in learning more about the MAF program in Haiti, please visit:

https://www.maf.org/what-we-do/where-we-serve/haiti

Exciting week ahead

Thank you to everyone who has been supporting us through prayer for our first week of candidacy at MAF!  We have shared great fellowship with staff and other newcomers in our class, and have been greatly blessed to hear story after story of how God is powerfully working through MAF's ministry. Elsie and Sammy have been enjoying themselves with other kiddos their age too, as you can see from the video!

We will meet with the candidacy committee Monday afternoon to receive our regional assignment (Africa, Latin America, Asia, etc.) and will receive our base assignment later in the upcoming week. These upcoming weeks are going to be busy for us as we continue our training for sharing what our future ministry will look like with MAF.  We ask you to continue praying for us in the following ways:

-  For strength and energy to learn all we can during our training here
-  For continued peace and trust of where God is leading us
-  For Elsie, Sammy, and Isaiah to continue to share joyful times with new friends

Erin and I hope you and your families are enjoying great times this summer!  We will share our exciting news as soon as we are able this coming week!

Upcoming MAF Candidacy

At Isaiah's dedication

We have been enjoying our summer here, spending time with family and friends.  We have adjusted to being and family of 5 and are loving it!  The older kids really love Isaiah and it's been fun watching them all interact with each other as Isaiah is getting older and able to smile and laugh.  He really gets excited to talk with his big sister and brother too.

Our family is getting more and more used to living in a state of transition.  I have been done working as a nurse for just over and month and have been able to spend my days with our kids which is very special, albeit difficult some days.  Lessons on love and grace abound!  Dave has just a few days left at his job as a aircraft mechanic at UND.  He has enjoyed his time there and is thankful for the experience he gained during this time at UND.  As we are closing this chapter of the journey, we are excited for the next step!


We will be heading back to MAF headquarters in Nampa, Idaho for Candidacy very soon! We will begin our road trip west July 9th and will be starting classes July 13th.  During Candidacy class we will be able to hear about the programs in each of the countries where MAF serves.  We will then be given our country assignment, which we are very excited about!  This is decided through dialogue with staff at headquarters as we learn about each base and have opportunities to talk with MAF staff during Candidacy classes.  Knowing where we will be going will help us answer many questions we have as well as common questions others have for us!  We also look forward to teaching the kids about the country we are headed to and being able to share with them some of the specific ministry opportunities we will have.  We know God is sovereign and He will send us where we are needed.  



We will be in Idaho for another 3 weeks following Candidacy
class.  The rest of this time will be security training and also ministry partnership (MP) classes.  During MP classes we will be learning all about sharing our story and inviting others to join with us as partners in our ministry with MAF.  We would love your prayers during this time!


Prayers for preparation for trip- there is a lot to do and never quite seems like there is enough time to get it all done.
Prayers for safe travel to Idaho - and an extra dose of patience for all of us during the long car ride.
Prayers for Dave and I as we discern our country assignment with MAF staff.  Also just for peace for the decision, as we aim to keep our hearts open to God's direction and will for us and our family.
Prayers for wisdom with schedules and plans following MP seminar.  We know we will head to the Pacific NW for a trip, but unsure as to many of the details at this point.  

Stay tuned for updates.  We will try to post a little on our road trip west and during classes.  We can't wait to share with you all where we are headed with MAF!  Thank you to all who continue to pray and encourage us as we follow the Lord.  We hope to connect with you soon, and hope the Lord blesses you!

Lord of the Harvest

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"And He was saying to them, 'the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'" (Luke 10:2)

We had the opportunity recently to attend a friend's church out of town, and they were praying for and sending out a team of women to Haiti for a mission trip.  Another friend of mine is a pastor of a church, where they are serving currently in Nicaragua on a mission trip.  Our church has a team currently in Ethiopia right now - sharing the love of Jesus and the hope of the gospel on the other side of the world.

As we continue following the Lord 'out into His harvest field, there are two ongoing desires of mine.  First, He is the Lord of the harvest, and it is His harvest field.  As we follow His lead in every step of being sent out, we aim to have others see Him high and lifted up as Lord in any fruit that results.  We are responders to the call, but He is the One calling, and the One they will see.  Second, we need to keep asking Him to send out laborers.  God's plan for revealing His great Name and inviting people to respond to the good news involves men and women of His choosing.  We are His vessels!  It is staggering to think of how local the disciples were reaching with the hope of Jesus as they were sent out in this section of Luke's gospel.  But, many years later, teams of disciples are being sent out to every corner of the world!  And yet there are many who have never even heard the Name of Jesus before.  The need is great!  We should be asking in deed.  May God be glorified in all the earth!

 We are so blessed with our wonderful children!  Isaiah has been doing great, and the kids have been adjusting very well to having a new baby in the home.  Thank you for all who continue to pray for us!  This season of life certainly comes with great challenges, but it is humbling to remember where it all begins - in a great place of need and complete dependency.


                                     We hope you and your families are enjoying the Spring!

Accepted with MAF!

We successfully completed our technical evaluation and have been welcomed back to MAF for the next phase of our journey!  Our two weeks at MAF's headquarters in Nampa, ID has been confirming and made us feel supported and encouraged for where God has been directing us for some time. We had great opportunities for fellowship with other missionaries who were back from the field, receiving training, or in-process toward the field.  Elsie and Sammy enjoyed playing with the other kiddos, and had a lot of fun catching up with some old friends from Washington who live in Boise now.  We have been very blessed during our travel and throughout the process these past two weeks. We are especially thankful for all those who have prayed for us over the years as we have responded to God's leading and invitation into this ministry.

We are excited to engage in this next phase of our process, which will involve inviting many others to become part of our team to share the love of Jesus throughout the world.  Specifically, the next step for us with MAF will be to return to Nampa, ID for training in ministry partnership in July of 2015. At that time, we will know our country assignment and receive the specific training for the road ahead.  MAF has two times of the year in which they conduct what they call "candidacy" training. We chose the July time slot because we are expecting a new baby in February, which would be right in the middle of the January candidacy training classes.  July seemed like a better option for us and our family.  I will continue to work as a mechanic at UND Aerospace while remaining proficient in my flying skills.  Erin will continue to work as a nurse while managing our home and homeschooling Elsie.

Thank you again for all your support and encouragement!  We are looking forward to the road ahead, and know we wouldn't be here without prayer and faithful friends/family behind us.

God bless you all in Christ!