Our Story

      God has been growing in us a heart for His Mission in reaching the lost.  Two years ago we were approached by our good friends Steven and Lauren to consider doing missions with them in Thailand. After going through the application process, praying a lot, and being accepted by the team leaders, we decided for the following reasons that the time was not right: Obie would have been 2 months old when we arrived, Liv would have had no work experience, we had little cross-cultural training, and while we lived within a different culture, we were not yet engaged in that culture - specifically the local church. 

    Since that time Obie has grown to be a year old and we have had our first experience of pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum months. Liv has worked for over a year now and has moved to part time. We are actively discipling in our community and serving in an African-American Church which has given us a small taste of living/learning/growing within a different culture.

    During this time, we have continued conversations with Steven and Lauren about one day serving together overseas.  A month ago, a need on their team opened up and we were excited to have a second opportunity to consider joining in the work happening there.  We began to pray and read. We asked God to close/open doors, direct our hearts and move us with His Spirit.  We read nearly 200 pages in that month, seeking to understand the Biblical basis for missions.  The more we read, the more excited we became as God gave us clarity through His Scriptures.  Finally after both of of hearts had come to an agreement on where we thought He was leading us, we signed up for a weekend missions conference.  Again, through the clarity of God's revealing Word during those 3 day, He further confirmed in our hearts, a desire and a leading towards overseas ministry. 

God's written word speaks so powerfully.  The theme through out scripture resonates of how God's heart for every tribe tongue and nation to know and worship Him.

Revelation 7:9

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb..." 

How God's heart is for the world...

John 3:16

  " For God so love the WORLD that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes on him will not perish but have everlasting life."

Matt 24:14

"And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the WHOLE WORLD as a testimony to all the NATIONS and then the end will come." 

Luke 24: 46-47

"Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to ALL THE NATIONS being from Jerusalem."

And how he has chosen his disciples to go out into the world of the lost and spread the gospel...

Matthew 28:19-20

  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Mark 16:15

"Go into all the world, and preach the good news to all creation."

Acts 1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

And finally, the why and how we have felt called to move to Thailand...

Romans 10:13-15

"For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” "

Romans 15:20-21

"And thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”

Acts 20:24 
"But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the
ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."

We don't deny that we have fears. There are some hard questions, that are not easily answered, which I guess is what makes them hard questions:). But in light of or fears, we are seeking answers, and praying for the gift of faith. His word he has given us great comfort to this time of our faith being tried:

...Hebrews 11...

This chapter has fill us with so much peace and joy. It has made us so thankful that God has invited us to be a part of his kingdom work.

"...but as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to
be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city." hebrews 11:16

Above all, God has called us to an eternal perspective. Where our minds and hearts dwell and beat for Him. He desires us to worship Him through us being obedient to what he has asked of us to do.   
And he longs for us to daily realize that...

"the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." 
1 john 2:17

For this is our reasonable service, to lay our lives down, on the altar, for Him... every day, in both the big and the small. May He grant to us the grace to love him with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and may we learn to do all things to the glory of Christ our Lord.