The last week has been a whirlwind!

This past weekend, we got to share about our future ministry with a local Hispanic church. It was a great time of worship and encouragement. It's so exciting seeing God raising up more people and churches who are passionate about the gospel and bringing it to all people. Thanks so much for all your prayers!

Currently we are in Northern Alberta (Canada) for my sister-in-law's wedding. We flew into Seattle on Wednesday and then drove up here arriving Thursday afternoon. We had a fun drive up and were able to see lots of wildlife. Here are a few pictures!

Man, God's creation is so magnificent! It was so awesome getting to see so many different kinds of animals so close to our car and see such breath-taking scenery!

It's also been great seeing the whole Teele family and getting to spend time with them. I'll post some pics from the wedding soon!

Awesome Inadequacy

I just recently decided I love feeling inadequate. Ok, maybe I don't love it, but I love seeing God work through my inadequacy.

One of the things we've been doing recently is sharing with various groups and families about our future ministry and the need for missionaries around the world. It's been awesome to get to connect with people in this way and be able to share some of our hearts with them. But boy, oh boy, do I feel inadequate!

Just last night, we had a chance to share with a youth group. It was fun hanging out with the kids and talking about missions, but it was amazing seeing how God took our inadequacies and used them. So cool and so humbling!

Our heart's desire is not that people would learn more about us necessarily, although it's great that they can get a better understanding of what we'll be doing. But really, we want people to see the desperate need for missionaries all over the world and God's heart that all people would come to know Him. Honestly, we're completely inadequate for that task. But we have a God who is more than adequate, and that is awesome!

We have two upcoming presentations this weekend, so we definitely appreciate prayers for that! And maybe I can share a few pictures as well!

To My Mom

My mom is amazing.

I know I share the same sentiment with many other people around the world, but it's definitely true for my mom. She is amazing. 

She's always been there. Some of my earliest memories of her are when she'd come in the room to wake us up in the mornings. She'd always call us, "Angel faces," and I thought that was funny when I was little.

She was the one who led me to the Lord when I was 7.

She home schooled me all the way through until graduation. That was an enormous feat in and of itself...

She brought me up to know and love God.

She was and is a beautiful example of Christ-like love and service to others.

She was a steady rock when circumstances in life were crazy difficult.

She knows the meaning of sacrifice.

She gives from the heart, all the time, no matter how little she has.

She's an understanding and sympathetic person. One you know you can share things with.

She is definitely a Proverbs 31 woman.

Mom, I love you. Thank you for being such a blessing to me and so many others. You could have had a prestigious career in the world's eyes, but you didn't. You sacrificed to be our mom, and I am so, so grateful for that.

I love you!

P.S. Sorry this is a few days late. :-)

Life Right Now

It's a weird stage of life right now. We're not working an 8 hour job. We're not in classes. We're not learning a new language. We will be. But we're not right now.

Right now, we're focusing on people. On building relationships and friendships. On spending lots of time with family and friends, since we won't see them for a few years. It's kind of weird. I don't think I've ever been at a place where I wasn't working consistently, wasn't studying, wasn't constantly busy. And I like it. I like it a lot.

But it's also insanely challenging in a way I never imagined possible. It's humbling to tell people that we're not working all the time. I'm not sure exactly why. I guess it's just the way our culture focuses so much on work. It's become our identity.

I don't want to be defined by how much I worked or even what kind of work I did, but instead by how much I loved people.

So yeah, I guess we're not working consistently right now. We will in the future. But right now, it's been an awesome time. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Family

There's always something so comforting and familiar about being with family, whether it's immediate or extended. It's been wonderful getting to spend time with family here in Georgia, especially since we won't get to see them for several years after we move to Papua New Guinea.

This past week, we spent time with some extended family in North Carolina. We had a blast with them and their six kids! It never ceases to amaze me how quickly kids grow. This may be the last time I see them for four or five years, and most of them will be teenagers by that time.

I have to admit, saying good-bye to them this morning was really hard. I guess it just made it all the more real that some day very soon, we'll be saying good-bye to all familiar faces for the next few years. It kind of feels overwhelming.

But it also makes me so grateful for the time we have with family now. I want to treasure every second!