Here's the mail it never fails it makes me wanna wag my tail. When it comes I wanna wail: MAILTIME!!!

Not long ago I stepped outside into a downpour to feel the cold splash of reality and the rawness of Creation. It was fantastic. Then, just as I began spinning around in a circle like a little girl, I was klunked in the head by a pea-sized piece of hail.

That put an end to my soaking, but as I watched the rain from my front step, I saw the mail lady coming, and what she brought prompted me to type up this post!

This is not my passport, my hand, nor my photo.

It came! And I applied for it less than a month ago! Praise God!

Its presence makes me even more excited about the upcoming trip to Mission, and reminds me that I need to update ye readers who may not know much about it. 

There isn't much to tell, I suppose. We're going back down to do VBS again, only this time with less chaos and more learning, Deo volente! We'll be going down during Spring Break, so we can spend more time with the kids. Plus, we want to help the church as much as we can.

I'm excited to see what God is going to do on this trip. Our team is much, much bigger than last time, which seems like a recipe for order and productivity, but I'm learning that God often chooses to glorify Himself through apparent chaos. Who knows, maybe we'll have so many kids that we will be even more understaffed than in January! 

Whatever happens, it is a joy and a comfort to know that it will be the best thing that could possibly happen. We serve a sovereign, perfect God who doesn't allow any harm or discomfort or irritation that will not bring forth perfect fruit.

That being said, He uses our prayers, so here are a few for your list:

1. Pray for us as we prepare to go

As we plan and pack and study, pray that we will make the wisest decisions, and that God will begin preparing our hearts for the work that lies ahead. 

Also, money is scarce and travel is expensive. Pray that God will abundantly supply all needed funds.

2. Pray for those we will come in contact with

While you're praying for our hearts to be prepared, pray for those we will be meeting with. Pray that God will soften the hearts of unbelievers, and encourage His children.

3. Pray for us as we travel

Three by train, and I think eight by van. I don't expect there to be any difficulties, but it is a rather long trip, in rather confined areas. Pray that our love for each other would abound more and more, and that it would manifest itself in patience with each other. 

Also, gas is much more expensive than it was when this trip was budgeted. Pray that when we need to refuel, there will be cheap gas nearby. How awesome would that be?!

4. Pray that the trip would be blessed

Pray that the lessons that will be taught would be clear to the children, and that God would use them. More than that, pray that the way we live our lives (both while in Texas and always) would point to the greatness of Christ. Pray that we would be a help and encouragement to the saints, and never a burden to anyone.

Also, pray that God would use this trip to give much clarity for the future.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support! I will do my best to keep this blog updated while we're gone. If you would like to get a better feel for the area we will be visiting, I encourage you to watch this video that Billy put together.

Love and Peace,

Sarita