All our bags are packed, we're ready to go!

Our ministry seems to go through waves.  

The first wave feels almost out of control!  We feel pulled in a million different directions and it's difficult to keep up with anything.  We are like chickens with our heads cut off - running this way and that, no doubt looking to the outsider like we have had one too many Red Bulls!  In those times, we feel more than ever the truth of God's strength being made perfect in our weakness.  We run and don't get (too) weary and we walk and don't faint.  Only by the grace of God!  If I'm being completely honest, Josh and I thrive on these times....as long as they don't last too long.  Our personalities love to go, Go, GO!

The second wave is very different.  We ease into a routine on the road.  Our schedule is pretty easy.  We have concerts/church services 3-4 times a week.  The rest of the week, we focus on booking, practice, homeschooling and family time.  During these waves, we strive to invest more time in Bible study and prayer, feeding our spiritual hungers so that we have strength for the first wave, which is always on the horizon.

These waves repeat over and over again.  It is the pattern of our ministry and both bring about great blessings and trials.

This spring we found ourselves in Wave One.  I'll admit, this wave was almost too much for us.  More than once we found ourselves pulled under the water, desperate to find the surface and catch our breath.  As always, our faithful God brought us through and we are better swimmers for it.

In June and July though, we have been riding the second wave.  It has been fairly restful and we have enjoyed a lot of great family time.  As those who typically have spent most of the year under clouds and rain, we have been soaking up the sun and loving it...although over three weeks of 100+ temperatures has been a bit much for our Washington Weather Wimp selves.  Who would have thought that we'd be looking forward to the temperatures in Guatemala?!

Then this weekend we re-entered insanity! We had a concert Friday night and laundry and packing Saturday.  Today looks like this...Morning church service, drive back to RV park, load truck and unhook trailer, drop off trailer where it will stay while we're in Guatemala, grab dinner, evening concert, take music equipment back to trailer, drive 3 hours to hotel in San Francisco!  Tomorrow morning, we will get up bright and early to take the truck to parking and catch our early flight.  We have 2 layovers and a total of 12 1/2 hours of travel tomorrow!  We'd appreciate your prayers!

We have no idea what our time in Guatemala will look like.  Which, by the way, is a bit overwhelming for this planning/scheduling/controlling girl!  It will be a great lesson in flexibility and trust.  We are praying God will help us to be completely surrendered to His leading and will shine His love brightly through us in every circumstance!

I am hoping to write a very brief update here daily, but that is probably a bit ambitious.  We'll see how exhausted I am at the end of each day.  If you don't hear from me for a week, don't panic....ha ha ha...as if you'd be surprised by that! ;)  I promise to fill you in on all the details when we return next week.

In the meantime, please pray that we follow well the One who gave everything for us!