Sarah and Keane

Today is moving day for us as we officially finish things up at our apartment, put the final items into storage (some friends’ basement), and turn in our keys. It is bittersweet to say goodbye to our very first home together. And there’s a long way to go in cleaning this apartment…we feel like we’re back in college!

We wanted to share an exciting update with everyone as far as raising support for Germany. We have crossed a huge threshold and are now at 81% of monthly pledges! Keane and I admit that we were SHOCKED when we received our financial update this past weekend. God is so abundant, and when he calls people to give, he really calls them!

We want to give you all another breakdown of what it would take to become fully funded. If we received the following monthly pledges, we would be fully funded.

2 people support us at $25 a month (down from 15 people!)
6 people support us at $50 a month (down from 25 people!)
5 people support us at $100 a month (down from 15 people!)
0 people to support us at $150 a month (down from 2!)
0 people to support us at $200 a month (down from 1!)

To give, please visit http://www.give.teachbeyond.org/ and click “USA Giving” or “Canadian Giving.”

We are so grateful that the Lord has called so many to support us already. It is a weighty, wonderful thing to be entrusted by so many to minister to MKs and TCKs at Black Forest Academy. YOU are part of that ministry, and it is so good to see the Church coming together to spread and support the Gospel around the world.

As I sit in our living room, looking around at the suitcases and belongings that litter the floor, I am at a loss for words to describe what life has looked like for us over the past few weeks. This is partly due to the online German lessons I have been taking. The part of my brain that deals with foreign languages has been awakening from an eight-year slumber…and it hurts. Like, physical discomfort is happening in my head as I try to figure out conjugations and memorize articles based on gender; my melting brain seems unable to force my mouth to form the necessary shape to pronounce the words Buch and Brot. (These are simple words, people. Heaven help me when I need to learn a word with more than two syllables.)

Two Years’ Worth of Belongings…

But in between packing, writing emails, grappling with German, and meeting with ministry partners, Keane and I have been unbelievably touched by lunches and dinners with dear people who, somewhere along the line, have become more like family than friends. My heart could burst. We are so fortunate to be surrounded by our church, our friends, our coworkers, all of whom shower us with love and encouragement. I am so excited for Germany. I am so sad to say goodbye. This has been a regular occurrence in my MK life, but the first time I have experienced it as a full-fledged adult. I praise God that, as full as my heart feels right now for all the people in my life, he’ll give me more room for the students and coworkers and friends we will meet in Germany.

These past few weeks have been good and not-easy. We seek to trust the Lord more for his provision in the two weeks we have left before we need to leave for Germany. As soon as we trust him, we are attacked in ways that try and rob us of joy and peace. At times, it has been difficult to continue preparing for Germany (selling our furniture, ending our lease, etc.) when we don’t yet have the financial support to actually go. But we know what God wants us to do, and so we are getting ready. And when he wants us to go, we will go. When I described our situation to a good friend recently, he replied, “But that seems like a picture of the readiness we should all have in our hearts.” And he is right. I might be packing suitcases for a trip yet unseen, but how many times has my heart been unready for what God has called me to do? I am grateful that God gives grace upon grace, even as he is getting our hearts ready to trust him more.

You don’t have to know the details before getting ready to go. What is God asking you to get ready for?

If you read Keane’s blog post on Friday, you found out that we were at 62% of monthly pledges needed. We created a potential breakdown of how we could be fully funded if we received certain pledge amounts, and in this scenario we needed 23 individuals to support this ministry on a monthly basis.

Just wanted to let everyone know that, two days later, we are at 67%! We thank God for continuing to answer the prayers of so many people. We trust God and his timing, and while we don’t know what the future holds or even where we will be living in four weeks, we know that God is good, that he intimately knows this situation, and that he will take care of us (even if that doesn’t look the way we always want it to look!). We are praying that God’s will would be done. Thank you for praying with and for us!

So here’s a revamped breakdown of our support needs. If we received the following monthly pledges, we would be fully funded.

2 people support us at $25 a month (down from 15 people!)
8 people support us at $50 a month (down from 25 people!)
7 people support us at $100 a month (down from 15 people!)
1 person to support us at $150 a month (down from 2!)
1 person to support us at $200 a month

Here’s another support-raising update!

We have hit 62% of the monthly pledges needed. In addition, we have raised the entire $12,000 needed for start-up costs in moving to Germany. Praise God!

We continue to need monthly pledges of $1,694 in order to be totally 100% funded for Germany. New staff orientation at BFA begins in just over 3 weeks. We are praying to God to supply these needs!

For the visually inclined out there, here is one possible scenario in which we could reach our goal of being 100% funded.

If we received the following monthly pledges for support, we would be fully funded!

4 people support us at $25 a month (down from 15 people!)
9 people support us at $50 a month (down from 25 people!)
8 people support us at $100 a month (down from 15 people!)
1 person to support us at $150 a month (down from 2!)
1 person to support us at $200 a month

Some people have expressed a desire to financially support us but have been hesitant to offer what feels to them like a “small” amount. Friends, you have no idea the impact that a $10, $20, or $30 monthly pledge can make. We believe that God calls people from every economic background to give, and we believe that he sees that generosity and blesses it. We are so blessed by those who generously give, even if the actual amount seems small. You are our ministry partners no matter what, and we love and appreciate each one of you.

If you would like to become monthly partners, please click this link. If you have more questions or would like to meet and discuss this, please email us at keaneandsarah@gmail.com and we would LOVE to meet with you.