In the Kitchen in St. Lucia

Lora has been learning to cook the local  foods, these are breadfruit mixed with other spices and things like onions, garlic, and parsley.

Lora is not the only one learning

            
                                    
                                    The process and the end results.

The first few days in St. Lucia……….

 

               

  One of the first things we are taught to do is to commit ourselves to the place we are sent. John Paul II, the great missionary Pope was known for his embracing the places he went in this way. (this is behind our residence)

 

 

Here we are with Archbishop Rivas, Mr. Frank Summers (one of the founders of Family Missions Company), Sr. Rosemary (a medical student from Tanzania) staying with the Carmelite Sisters that are hosting us on the bottom floor of their convent.

You can also see Sr. Mary Phillip with us and Sidney our mission partner. Our little chapel is, through the gate around our residence about 50 meters down a slight slope.

   A very interesting fact about the house we are staying in: it was originally intended by the Bishop as a house for…..wait for it…….Missionaries! This is one of those things that teaches us that just because we feel we are to do something for God, for a certain purpose, and it does not happen in our timeline….well that does not mean we were wrong when we tried to do what we felt the Lord was asking us. We may not have understood His timeline or maybe He just did not tell us His exact plans, but He just wants us to do what we understand to be His will and keep seeking Him.

Last Mission Formation in Louisiana

    Wednesday night was our last Mission Formation in Louisiana! Wow, a little over a year ago we were still wondering if our broke down van would ever get fixed and if the fact that we did not leave Oregon when we planned were all signs from God that we had not heard Him ask us to become missionaries. Even our first attempt to pull our 34’ trailer out of Oregon ended up with us making it to around Salem, Or. , (which is a little less than 2 hours from home) and then having to turn around to fix our van yet again.  This left us around $500 poorer for our trip which was to take us for a short visit to Kansas City then down to Louisiana less than a month later. That was not to be, but what was to be was better than we could have imagined.  This last year was full of challenges, difficulties, and growing with the Lord’s grace and provision meeting and surprising us at every turn. We made many new wonderful friends, branched out and grew as a family in the love of God. He has provided for our needs, including a mission post in the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia.

    This post is supposed to be about our last mission formation. Some are asking “What is mission formation anyway?”  Mission formation is a weekly gathering of Family Missions Company missionaries, friends, benefactors, potential missionaries, and basically anyone who wants to show up. We always have a meal, sometimes have mass, always sing praises to the Lord, usually share testimonies of what the Lord is doing in our lives, reports on recent mission trips, praise reports, prayer requests and praying with, over and for whoever wants, and general sharing our lives as a community.

                      Around the room during Praise and Worship

from our Mission formation

Christmas Cards, Benefactors, & Prayer Requests

 

As we get back to life in the Big Woods Mission for the few days we have left we have put up some of the pictures, Christmas Cards, and the cards we have received from our benefactors. The best part of looking at the benefactor cards, besides knowing that one of our friends or acquaintances has decided that what we are doing is worthy of financial support is that they trust us with their prayer requests. It is hard to explain how much grace we receive when we see your prayer requests and think enough of us to share them. I remember sending money to causes I felt were worthy and seeing the place for prayer requests and thinking, “I wonder if they really read these and then if they take time to pray for them”  It gave me comfort to think that, “I bet they do” and also I felt the freedom to share with them my real concerns.  My point is, we do read them, pray about them, and generally hold your prayer requests in our hearts. It is a real privilege to be able to pray for your needs,requests, and concerns.

The Body of Christ is a wonderful place where we hold each other up, share each others lives, and are bound together in mystical ways .

Ephesians 4:1-6

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, 3eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.

14 days left!!!!

Soo good to be home.  It is funny how endearing others can be when one lives in community with others.  We love our missionary friends.  Last night Sarah came home and we had her, Sidney, Jonathon and Kristin over for dinner.  Mrs. Gennie took the oldest five children to New Orleans to spend the night at the Granger's and then pick up Susanna at the airport this morning.  We have been praying that Susana would not have to return to India in order to get her Visa for the Philippines. 

Now we are getting the kids ready for Mission Formation.  As you may have noticed the date of our departure has been moved to the 19th.  Tickets were a little cheaper for the 19th, but the tickets are now bought!!! Praise be to God.  Thank you so much for all those who have supported us. 

Leaving on the 19th

   Back at the Big Woods in Louisiana and well, we are in the countdown, yep on the 19th we fly to Miami then St. Lucia. Packing to do and projects to finish up. Yesterday we got a background check at the Lafayette Police department. We may need this for our Visa to stay in St. Lucia for a year. I hope to update the blog often as we prepare to leave the U.S. for a year.

   Family Mission Company has two short term mission trips going on right now. One to General Cepeda, where we went during our training. We also have a trip that is in Ecuador. The team in Ecuador had a bunch of stuff stolen yesterday, computer, cell phones, cameras.....

    FMC is expanding to do more stateside ministry, specifically a youth program and continuing the weekly mission formation, but both are taking place at the old Dominican Convent that we spent so much time working at during our formation. FMC and all the teams need to be held up in prayer. I think it is easy to think that the items on our prayer lists that we don't get to see the results of our prayers for are not doing any good. This is just not the case, all the prayers we make for other people in the Body of Christ are of the utmost importance and we will not see all the results until heaven. So please continue to pray for FMC and all their works in your prayers(this obviously includes us and our mission post)

   Some of the things we are praying for as we pray our mission into being are:

• The Bishop, priests, clergy, and religious we will be working with
• That the people the Lord sends us to minister to will good soil for the Gospel to grow in
• that we would have generous hearts and love for all those we come in contact with
• for benefactors with generous heats of prayer for our post
• protection and safety
• local help for the team 
• Adequate housing
• the Lord would show us poor to serve
• a schedule that works well for the whole team

   I thank all those that take the time to read this blog, with all the information and stuff that is out there for us to do in our American culture, it can be hard to take time to read something like this.

God Bless!