Sarah and Keane

Hello dear people,

We wanted to share some very exciting news: We have reached 25% of pledges needed for us to move to Germany! Wahoo!! We are especially excited because this does not even include a number of people who have verbally committed to supporting us.

We’re incredibly grateful to the Lord for placing some specific people in our lives who have really encouraged and challenged us in this process. He is also giving us some very sweet stories along the way, examples we can carry with us of his loving care. One evening we were having dinner with dear friends from church who have been missionaries in West Africa for several decades. They told us story after story of God’s miraculous provision for their family during some very stressful times. They encouraged (more like commanded) us to not worry. What’s the point? God is in control, he wants us in Germany, and he will call people to pray and to give. Sharing a meal with these friends was a wonderful, perfectly-timed breath of fresh air in the midst of the busyness of work, getting medical clearance, renewing our passports, and all that fun stuff. At the end of our evening together, we all spent some time praying for each other. They asked the Lord to find small ways to encourage us that week in the fundraising process. Later that evening, we logged into our TeachBeyond account and found a completely unexpected, generous gift from dear people whom we have not even met, who heard about us through mutual friends. We were SO moved by God’s care–that he would hear our prayers and the prayers of our friends, that he poured such incredible encouragement on us that night, and that he moved in the hearts of people unknown to help send us to Germany.

So please know, all you friends, that your prayers are being answered. You who have prayed for us–we are encouraged and excited, the Lord is calling people to send us and support us, and Keane and I are at peace in the shadow of the Almighty.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” -Matthew 6:25-27

On Thursday we hosted a Passover Seder for some friends at our church. It was a great time of sharing the Passover tradition and remembering all of the prophecies that Christ fulfilled. This was the third Passover I have ever led, and it is always amazing to me to be reminded of how exciting the Passover is to those that have never experienced one — sharing in the same meal that the Jewish leaders and prophets of the Old Testament participated in, the same celebration that Jesus and the disciples remembered together the night before Jesus was crucified.

It is wonderful to be able to share in the Passover and remember that, even as Jesus led the Seder, he was also fulfilling so much of the Seder’s symbolism. And, as was so often the case, Jesus not only affirmed the tradition but also took it further. During the part of the meal when you traditionally wash your hands, Jesus got up, wrapped a towel around himself, and washed the disciples’ feet. He was a true servant leader, but his actions also symbolized our need to be washed clean from our sins. Similarly, we take time during the meal to remember the lamb that was killed in order for the Jewish people to be protected from the Angel of Death that passed over the land of Egypt. Jesus’s shed blood protected us from death, as well, except that, unlike a lamb which needs to be sacrificed again and again, Jesus’s shed blood was enough for all time.

Sharing in the Passover meal on Thursday was a wonderful time of reflecting on the depths of meaning within traditions that have been handed down for generations.

Side note: Planning this Seder helped me realize how much work my mom and dad put in every year — not just in leading the service, but also in preparing for it. I am realizing more and more how much of their work I have taken for granted. Sarah and I also could not have pulled off the Seder without the generosity of all who attended from our young adults group and our small group. We feasted on a lot of tasty food, and everyone who attended came with open hearts, eager and willing to learn about the traditions and symbolism of a Messianic Seder. We will treasure the memories of that night for a long time.