Talk|Dream|Pray Rwanda

New Website

2007-08-13T11:43:00.001-07:00

We've transferred to a WordPress website. Please visit us at http://ritchieramble.com !!!

2007-05-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

From the heart of a weary traveler

2007-05-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

Seek and ye Shall find.
Knock and the door will be opened to you.

If you ask the Lord for anything, take the time to Listen...or you may find it the hard way. The Lord has blessed my life abundantly, as he has promised in his Word. However, I had failed on my end of the deal to continue to seek his face as we are all instructed to do.

By faith, God will lead us to show the World His glory; by sight we lead ourselves to a road of disappointment. By faith, we trust in the Lords guidance throughout all of life's endeavors; by sight we take the bull by the horns and plow our own path to destruction. By faith, we thank the Lord for all that he has blessed our lives with; by sight we take the blessings and run, and run, and run, and run, and eventually grow tired. The Lord tells us that we will soar on wings like Eagles, run and not grow weiry, walk and not be faint; Our selfish pride tells us to call upon the Lord when we can't do it any more, until then do it on your own.

Right now I feel like the workers in Babelon, trying to build myself a tower all the way to Heaven. I'd spent a good time workin on this tower, acctually I hadn't done much work, but i've studied and planned a whole lot about how I'm going to build this tower. Now the good Lord has scrambled my language and trashed my plans. He's told me that the only way to Heaven is to "build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ" like the good Sunday School song teaches us.

God doesn't like fakes. He doesn't like people who call on his name, but don't trust him completely. God doesn't like people who take ownership for His incredible works. Jesus didn't have much favor for the Pharisee, but he loved them anyhow. It'd be good for me to learn the lessons of the Pharisee's taught by Jesus and Paul; I tend to be like them in so many ways. In fact most the people I know tend to be like them in so many ways. Its a shame I don't take the things Paul and Jesus said more to heart.

"more to heart"

Coming more to the heart of things, the Lord has spoken and Sara and I will be post-poning our plans for the mission field until further notice. In fact I don't even know what being called to the mission field means anymore!!! We've all be called to Jesus Christ. What more is there? Where we fulfill that calling could be anywhere in the world! But its the most important calling any human could recieve.

I'm just now learning that through our pursuit of the Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, all things will come to the Glory of the One who sent even him, Jesus that is. We need not work all our lives to attain a result expected of great plans and preparation. We only need to know the Lord that we may attain a result greater than our expectation from a God more magnificent of our own minds.

Paul was a fool for Christ. I want to be a fool for Christ. All that I have and all that I am is only worth as much as my oneness with my Savior. My Savior is not found in my Job, my education, or my mission. My wife is not my savior, my church is not my savior, my social status is not my savior. My car is not my savior, my talents and skills are not my savior. I can not save myself, for I did not even create myself. My mother and father, whom I came from, can not save me either. For their bodies will pass as well.

My Savior is Jesus Christ, the King. None of those things I listed above can compare to a King like my Jesus. He lives in my heart, which has been sanctified by his innocent blood which that shed on a cross for all the world. Sounds crazy right? well I think Paul was pretty crazy, so I'm ok with that. In fact Jesus was even a little crazy, so I'm def. ok with that.

I'm tired of the talk, I'm tired of the advances in my own human wisdom. I dream to feel, I feel to love, I love so that I can experience the surpassing greatness of my Lord, the King of all the world. He's given me a wife and He has called us one. I've never seen two become one before. Is it really just supposed to be metaphorical? I hope to find out.

Places I've Been

2007-03-29T11:13:00.001-07:00

create your own visited countries map

Numbers are Up!

2007-02-08T08:53:00.000-08:00

I wish I had the patience to take the time to write about all that is going on with our team right now. We've begun having weekly meetings using Skype, that usually last about an hour and a half. That along with our daily correspondence through email has allowed us to get so much accomplished.

Last week we stated some tangible documents that we wanted to begin writing. Chris is working on a team Overview. We set an agenda for our meeting next weekend that Jill typed up for us. We also decided on 5 core values that will represent this mission in Rwanda. They are:

Humility
Compassion
Joy
Community
Submission

Over the next week we will each spend time on one of the values and be able to tell what it means to us. All the things we are working on now will be leading up to the meeting we have on the 17th.

The meeting preparation has been incredibly exciting! We have enjoyed talking and sharing with others the dream that is Rwanda. Initially we were excited hearing that about 15 others will be joining us for the meeting. However, we are now thrilled to share that almost 50 people will be in attendance at this meeting, including our team. God is faithful.

Without saying much more, please be in prayer about this meeting. Who knows what God has in mind, but our will is to do the will of He who sent us.

ALSO... I have begun another blog about a new chapter in Sara and I's life. the site is
knownbyGod.blogspot.com

Counting the Cost

2007-01-26T06:21:00.000-08:00

This past week, a brother in the missionary community was laid to rest. Adam Langford was a missionary to the Busoga people of Western Uganda. Adam's life represents one of true calling and passion for the work of the Lord. Prior to leaving the mission field Adam was a very successful business man in the North West. It wasn't but a few years into his career that he realized his money wasn't getting him very far. Adam dropped what he had going for him, and used his wealth to take himself to Uganda.

In Uganda he joined up with his brother Ben Langford and Ben's family. While I was visiting there in January of 2006, the third brother Johnny was also there visiting. Being able to spend time with the three of them was real special to me. They lived out true brotherhood among them, their dedication to the calling was real, their ministry was real, and their faith was real.

The sudden loss of Adam was not expected by many of us. There's a paradox of intention about missions I believe. It may go something like this...

Missionaries are willing to Sacrifice their lives for the cause of Christ, but few expect to lose their lives doing it.

I'm not sure if thats a paradox or not, but it's something I've realized over the past years. I think that's evident in the types of places we choose to minister. Most missionaries do a lot of necessary work to be sure the places they are going are reasonably safe. However, it is always understood that no matter how much preparation we do, our lives are always in God's hands. With that being understood, I pose the question in the subject...

Q: What is the cost of discipleship?

A: Far less than the cost of not being a disciple.

Praise God for Adam Langford, for he counted the cost of not following the Lord's calling, he ran the race of perseverance, and now he is resting in the House of our Lord.

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."
-Jesus Christ

Its COLD!

2007-01-17T10:29:00.000-08:00

The new semester has gotten off to a Very chilly start. Since Monday afternoon when the temperature spiked at 36 degree's, it was not gotten above freezing. But it's winter, so the cold weather is welcomed. So far we have not seen any of the white stuff, but im hopin to see the snow before the season is over! Hope everyone is staying warm!!!

Classes have started out very well. A lot of the material from each class will tie in to both curriculum's. Both of my professors are also very good at what they do. They are encouraging me to find material from outside the classroom to research on for projects in the class. I hope to find some great material on educational systems and curriculum of African schools to learn about.
Let me know if You know of anything.

Hit the ground raining

2007-01-15T07:34:00.000-08:00

Well, the crowds are back in town after a long winter break and Searcy is once again a happening place. Sara and I enjoyed welcoming people back this weekend have dinner with the Miller's, Amy and Lauren Greek, Travis Trull, and Dana Bielfeld. We enjoyed a big pot of Chili that was totally gone before the dinner was over.

Sunday night we enjoyed the old time favorite English Muffin Pizza's! We invited John White and Jessie Griffin over for that feast. It's so great to connect with our friends again. The weather has catered to indoor activities. It started raining Friday morning and come today, Monday, its still coming down pretty good. Many might not make it to class today due to the nasty Ice storm North and west of Arkansas. We'll see how that works out.

I start my first class of the semester today. Secondary Curriculum is the name, the textbook tells me that I'm going to learn how to be a good teacher, Psychology Applied to Learning. We'll see how it all works out for me. I really hoping that Education will sit a lot easier for me than psychology, time will tell!

Sara and I's weekend schedule is filling up quick. I hope to get an online schedule posted sometime soon for you to follow our journey. Next week we head to Dallas, then we'll be in Searcy two weekends before heading to Kentucky, then Dallas in February. Other stops this semester include Dallas a few more times; Tulsa, OK; and Pioneer, TN.

2007-01-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

Gotta share this story ...

At 4:30 I get a call from Sara on her way home from work. “Joan(Jo-ann) called and said that her ride to go pick up Savita from the airport fell through and they needed help.”

Joan and Savita are both Cross-Country runners for Harding from Eldoret, Kenya. Sara has established a great friendship with them over the years and I’ve gotten to know them through her. Earlier in the Day I had seen Joan with an Kenyan friend named Matthew. He is transfering to Harding from a college in Austin, TX. On with the story…

After Sara delivered the news, I said “Great lets do it, I haven’t had a good Drive in a while!” Our house is about 100 yards from my office, so the commute is not very thrilling. Plus I love to drive, so I knew a quick trip to the airport in Little Rock would be pleasant.

Sara told me that Savita’s flight comes in at 6PM and that we’d pick Joan up at her apartment at 5. I by-passed eating dinner because I wasn’t so hungry and I figured Savita would want to grab something after her flight from Amsterdam. So at 5:15 we left our house to get Joan right on time, African time that is. We pulled up and Sara went to knock on Joan’s door. When they began walking back to the car, I noticed Matthew was walking with them. “They said they’d squeeze in when we pick up Savita” Sara said. I grined and shook my head thinking, of course the only way to travel is shoulder-to-shoulder in Africa! So in our small 4-door sedan we took a turn out of the apartments to go to Little Rock. After a turning down a block to go South, Joan speaks up,
“Where are we going?”
“To the Airport.” Sara said.
“In Memphis?” Joan replied.
“No, are we supposed to go to Memphis?” Sara answered.
“Yes, Savita is flying into Memphis.” Joan said

Two blocks from their apartment I slammed the brakes and said, “Oh I’m sorry, thats too far for me to drive.” And I let them out.

No, No, No. I couldn’t do that.

I thought to myself, well we’ve already committed to this one, and I do like to drive so, “Well I suppose we are going to Memphis then!”

Sara and I just looked at each other thinking, “Oh well, I guess we’re going to Memphis.” I thought more about having the three of them in the back with luggage in the trunk for a two hour drive home. This could only be more African if I could find a roof rack for the top.

After a half hour or so, the car was truly smelling like Africa, or maybe its more accurate to say it was smelling like Africans. It’s God’s humor that I associate the smell of African’s with some of the most memorable times of my life, thus the smell was welcomed in an odd sort of way. As were driving along managing our way through conversation in broken English, I asked them, “Did you guys eat dinner yet?”
“Uhhh, Dinner? oh no, its too early for dinner, we’ll eat when we get back.”
“Isn’t that late?” I replied as my stomach started to feel empty
“No,” they kinda laughed, “I usually wont eat until 9 or sometimes 10” Matthew responded.
My stomach began to tighten as I looked at Sara thinking, I can’t wait til then!
We quized them on this eating schedule. Sara asked
“When do you eat?”
Matthew responded “Breakfast at 9 or 10, then lunch at noon or so, tea and bread at 4, and then dinner at 9 or 10.”
So this is an everyday thing, I thought to myself.

Well the rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. We got Savita only 40 minutes after she had picked up her luggage. I was afraid the whole Africa experience would have intensified with the gift of a live animal to take back from Memphis with us, but that never happened. We stopped at Captain D’s on the way home and I got some fries to hold me over till we got back to the house. The three stooges in the back chttered in Calingen almost the entire way home as if they hadn’t seen each other in years. It made us smile to hear the sweet sounds of Africa in our own back seat.

So that’s my story on how Africans are Africans no matter where they are. Chris and Jill, we can’t wait till you get your taste of Africa.

Moving Along

2007-01-10T06:16:00.000-08:00

Since coming off the break, a lot has been stirring in me. Someone mentioned during our retreat that when we trust God and we take one step closer to His plan for us, the other steps start coming shortly there after. Since the retreat, things have been rolling. There has been so much action on the Team side of things that I'd love to share with you all.

We all left the retreat extremely exhausted. From the 28th through the 1st we spent about 18 hours a day with our teammates. 14 of those hours were spent in discussion. after four solid days of that, Monday night Sara and I were dead in our bed before 9pm and continued to sleep for about 10 hours. The weekend of discussion filled my mind with all kinds of suggestions and possibilities. There were many things accomplished however, above all was the forming of strong friendship with each other

We decided to push back the planned time of our Survey trip to December of this year rather than trying to squeeze it in right before School starts in August. Despite this change, we don't plan on pushing back our date of departure for full-time work, which is still August of 2008. After changing that date, the Shelby's launched a new plan for their family. The have decided that they will spend about 4-6 months in Rwanda after our 2 week survey trip in December.

We've all supported them in this to help get a clearer picture of what Africa is like. Along with that, this would be a great time for their son Fred to get a taste of his home for the next few years! Although we would miss them here in the states, we'll have plenty of time with them after their trip.

The other great step taken since the break was the Full commitment of the Amos's to our team. They took a few months to truly discern God's plans for them on this team. We have all been blessed by their decision to join us. Amy Greek also expressed her desire to continue to work with our team, however she feels its best not to be fully committed just yet. We are praying for others who may be interested in our team! We are planning our next meeting to be a meet and greet for those who have not come to a meeting yet. If anyone is interested in this, we are hoping to plan this meeting in February.

Monday I start a new semester. I'm excited about all that this next semester will teach me. Be praying for God to teach me that which i really need to know. This is only the beginning of a really exciting 2007. I hope to keep everyone up to date as more of God's plan is revealed to Sara and I!

Talking, dreaming, and Praying

2007-01-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

The Winter Break was packed full of family and Rwanda. After a few days in Garland, TX with Sara's mother, step-father, and half brothers we took off for Camp Deer Run. There we met with our teammates!

The Lord was hard at work twisting our minds and hearts as we discover some of the plans He has for us. I can't hardly sum up all that we talked about, but it all grew us closer to each other and to the Father. We spent about 13 hours a day in discussion about the future. In the end we finally had the right questions to ask.

I would love to spell out more concrete points from our meeting, but i haven't been able to summarize much yet. Thanks for following!

Finals are over

2006-12-12T14:13:00.000-08:00

Well I've dotted the t's and crossed the i's on my last final today and I think all of the academia is getting to me(as seen in the previous mix of words). I'm certainly ready for a long break. Now I can focus back on three aspects of life: My Wife, Work, and God's plan for us in Rwanda.

My two course this semester, Counseling Theories and Abnormal Psychology, have made a huge impact in how I come to understand and counsel people. I'm excited about the places this education may take me once on the ground in Rwanda.

I'll be honest though, for now I'm glad to take all of it off my mind. The last chapter of my studies in Counseling was on Family Therapy. It made a good impression of what problems may come if i don't put good effort into preventing them. This next month is going to be a great gift to me. I really hope to focus more of my time just getting to be with my wife with no other hindrance's such as school work. We've got plenty to do together as Christmas time nears and our retreat with the team gets worked out. But this is all fun stuff.

One blessing God has given me over the past month is time to read for pleasure. Its kinda been my way of procrastinating on school work, but still with good intentions:) I've finished two books that will affect my ministry in huge ways. I'll share the synopsis and applications of these books in later blogs.

I'm gonna get a little more work done here in the office, then get out of here and enjoy some 65 degree temps in December.

Month by month

2006-12-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

Well its been about another month since my last post. I really hope to pick up the consistency of my blogging as time goes on. It is certainly not the lack of new information that keeps me from writing, it is more the lack of devotion to writing about it.

This past weekend was a huge milestone for Christ Church Rwanda, as well as for myself. Since Sara and I's joining of a team of other families to go to Rwanda, things have been a little different than I anticipated. It has required a lot of patience on my part to allow God to conduct our team in a way that will bring Him Glory. This weekend, God revealed to a larger group of people participating in the work in Rwanda, that this mission is going to be very significant for the Country and God's Kingdom. It certainly reignited my fire for going to Rwanda.

On the plate for now are the plans for our upcoming retreat. I've also been working on a Missions Plan Overview. This Overview will be an introduction to the final mission plan I hope to finish in the next 6 months. If you or anyone you know may be interested in the mission plan, please send me an email. I'll look forward to getting the plan out to as many as I can. Let it be known that this plan will forever be dynamic in its nature. God will have His way in the end.

Love you all,

Thomas

Missions Update

2006-11-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

I sent out an email containing an attachment with this letter in it. I thought I'd post it on here to give an overview for all who read this!

Introduction
When God put a desire on my heart to go places beyond my experiences or imagination, I believe he also had expectations of me to live a life beyond that which can ever be predictable. It has been a blessing to have you in partnership with me in all that God is working through me. I wish to tell you that none of it has been without immense gratitude in my heart for the prayers and financial dedications you have provided. I am eager to hear how God has returned the blessing to you because of your support with-in the past 18 months. I want to share with you a review of what the Lord has done through me the past year and a half.

The Past 18 Months

In June of 2005 you helped me board a plane to Kara, Togo for 6 weeks as an intern with the Kabiye Missions team. While in West Africa I spent a full month in language learning with the 8 other interns that accompanied me for the summer. This experience taught me the constructs of many African languages, often using letters not in our own 26-letter alphabet.
Following 6 weeks in the heart of Kabiye land living with the missionaries on the field, I hopped in a truck and rode 19 hours north to survey the Dogon people of Mali of their receptivity to the Gospel. This trip immersed me into a culture that was 80% Islamic and only 10% Christian. Through this experienced I gained a greater understanding of the power the Gospel can portray in such a strong Islamic community. The experience of being on survey also taught me the process of planning and executing a venture into a land where I am an alien.
Upon my return to the states I began my last semester of school at Harding University. In October I was invited by two very experienced missionaries, Amos Allen and O’Neal Tankersley, to return to the area they planted churches for 19 years. I accepted the invitation on a step of faith, trusting God would provide for me if it were His will. Indeed, within a 2 month period you helped send me back to Africa in January of 2006. I spent almost a month traveling from Nairobi, Kenya across to Kigali, Rwanda.
My second trip to Africa taught me many valuable lessons on the phases of missions in East Africa. Many of the churches I visited in Kenya were 5-15 years old. I was able to experience the long-term affects of different mission’s approaches in a matter of 5 days in the Eldoret region of Kenya. Not many other places in all of Africa is this possible, but your support gave me the opportunity. After my time in Kenya I ventured across other parts of East Africa experiencing the facilitation of different mission works in Jinja, Uganda; Kampala, Uganda; Mbarrara, Uganda; and Kigali, Rwanda.
The work I observed in Western Kenya was begun in the late 1970’s, where as my time in Rwanda was spent with missionaries Dave and Jana Jenkins who had just moved to Kigali less than a year prior to my coming. This amazing spectrum of missions from 1970’s to the present has given me a unique perspective on tested and tried mission’s principles throughout all of East Africa. Thank you so much for taking me there.

Looking Ahead
September 2, 2006 marked my life long commitment to Sara Beth Ritchie. Sara is a dedicated woman of God who has agreed to follow my lead where ever God takes us. Little does she know how much her trust in God has inspired me to take my faith above and beyond what it was prior to my meeting her. Sara Beth and I have both committed to pursue a dream God has shared with each of us… full-time mission work in Rwanda, Africa.
October 14, 2006 marked another significant event in our lives as God confirmed his plans for us by providing three other families committed to the work in Rwanda with us. Little has been determined in the development of our team, however I want to invite you to begin praying for this great blessing. We have, however, set a target launch date of August of 2008. Over the next two years Sara and I will be traveling the country in search of congregations and individuals willing to partner with us in this long-term mission work to the people of Rwanda.
If you know of any churches searching for a partnership in the work of the Gospel outside of America, please feel free to contact me. If you know of someone who would like to receive this Quarterly newsletter please tell them to contact us at the information provided below.

Because of Jesus,

Thomas and Sara Ritchie

Catching Up

2006-10-24T06:22:00.000-07:00

I'm not very good at keeping up with this blogger thing. So much to write about. My life is split up between four main, but not equally significant, parts...
Work
School
Rwanda
and my beautiful wonderful wife.

With the help of God, I will get the most out of all of them...

Work is going great. I'm establishing great relationships with all the people I work with. Its incredibly encouraging to work along side Christians who act like Christians should. Since I first came on here at Harding, a few things have changed. I thought I would be the new guy for a while, but it turns out that we've hired 4 new people since i started working in May. Amongst the changes I got a new officemate. Debbie Plybon is sitting accross the desk from me now. Deb speant many years in New Hampshire before her and her family moved south the Searcy. Its fun being able to converse with a fellow Northerner. Carol Kell is more of an immediate supervisor to me. She's one of the most encouraging people I know. It has been a blessing to have her laughing and having fun at work. Not only that but her encouragement of me to pursue missions really means a lot.

School is chugging along. I had a dream of getting all A's in Grad school. Turns out I'm just not made for that. But I will do my best to maintain B's or atleast a B average. The two classes I'm enrolled in are Abnormal Psychology and Counseling Theories. These classes have blessed my life so much through learning how people work. My professor for Counseling Mr. Patten, has a heart for missions that I've really connected with. We've had a few really good conversations about missions and reaching out to people through some of the techniques we learn about. I hope he will continue to be active in the work in Rwanda I'm pursuing.

About Rwanda... We've got a team!!! Saturday, Oct. 14th, Three other couples commited to work together on the ground in Rwanda. Chris and Jill Shelby have a 10-year old son they adopted one year ago. Chris is a youth and Family minister at League Street church of Christ and Jill is a Elementery school teacher residing in Sulpher Springs, TX. Heath and Rebecca Amos are in Lubbock, TX both teaching there. Finally Sam and Nancy Shewmaker have committed all they feasibly can to function as team members with us. This is only the beginning of something really big. We look to add more team members along the way, should God provide them.

We have already begun planning events and team building retreats. We also hope to take a survey trip to Rwanda the beginning of August in preperation for a move to Rwanda in August of 2008. Please pray for all of us as God molds out team into a force Satan can not break apart. Also that we will find Congregations willing to partner with us in this mission.

My Wife. So much to say about the past two months with my wonderful Sara. Life together with her has been packed full of newness. We know that God is looking down on us pushing us this way and that. I'm hoping i can start to let go of some of my strong holds in order to allow God to mold us into a tighter Oneness in Him.

I gotta get back to work...

Thomas

Back on track

2006-09-12T15:26:00.000-07:00

I'm ready to go.

Ready to get life back on track.

Ready to go full steam ahead and live the way God has always wanted me to.

Ready to never hold back.

God has made life very new for me again. I'm officially writing you as a happily married man. Sara and I legally authenticated the bond the God started in us many months ago. As planned, we have begun to refocus our eyes on Rwanda where we both still feel convicted to do full-time mission work. This weekend is going to be a wonderful time to connect with other brothers and sisters, some we know and some we don't, who are interested in Rwanda as well. Sara and I are both so excited about this gathering and are praying for God's wisdom in words with those we come in contact with.

Hold on for the ride.!.!.!..!!..!!..!!...!!!...!!!.......!

Education

2006-07-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

I've completed one full week of Advanced Educational Technology with considerably more to ponder on than I expected coming into this class. The subject matter is rather elementary to me, mostly because of my experience in technology, but i have been able to think about the skills i've gained from a new perspective. I've also learned a whole lot about the state of technology in Schools today. The issues brought up in my class have really begun to mold how i approach teaching technology in a classroom environment. Even more so, I've learned more about how to raise children in a hyper-technological society.

Lots of good questions have come up in this class about how much we use technology in schools. How much of basic learning do we let the computer replace? Expounding on that topic, where is technology appropriate and where isn't it. The biggest issue i've come to understand isn't the lack of or saturation of technology in schools, but its the lack of appropriate training for teachers and those using the technology.

To me, that seems like such a simple fix. But I also know many many computer people, and they aren't so hot at communicating effectively to none computer people. This creates a barrier that I believe is letting more advances in Technology go to Waste. What do you all think?

Well some of you may be wondering why all this matters in a Pray Rwanda Blog. I'll tell you. Examining how America is using and abusing technology, allows me to understand the best approach to teach those in developing coutries how to appropriately use computers. I'm grateful for the unexpected lessons i'm learning in this class.

On another note, Sara Beth has been away from me for two weeks with another 10 days before i join her in Virginia. God has blessed our time apart with more confidence in the choice to walk this earth forever together. Its been hard being apart in many ways, but the time afforded to us to do somethings has been very beneficial.

Sara has had a up and down adventure in East Tennessee where she is working at a missions camp. Her experiences with the people that surround her has been priceless. She has grown close to the Meeks and Greeks, two families living in Jelico, TN. However, she does miss home and is anticipating visiting my homeland soon. On Sunday her laptop was stolen while the missions camp group was visiting a church in Louisville, KY. We don't plan to see the laptop again, but We trust God will provide her everything she needs.

I'm gonna wrap this up for now, but life has continued to press on full steam. We hope to send out Wedding Invitations in the coming week.

Adventures

2006-07-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

God fills our life with Unexpected adventures I believe. However, most of us miss it because of our lack of perspective. How many of us get frustrated at the manotany of work. Or what about when weekend plans dont go our way. Or when people dont turn out to be who we thought they were. Why do we catch ourselves being disappointed when somethings never change, and again when things change but not how we wanted. I've been learning a lot about looking past just what we can see and to explore the battle going on behind it all.

Jesus made it pretty clear that the battles of this earth aren't the ones fought with our hands, but they are spritial battles. Most who have been to Africa and other less modern places of the world may contend that so many Christians in America have lost touch with the spritual realm. I certainly experienced that after my trips to Africa. In Africa everything seemed to be related to the spiritual realm. Their Christian walk was involved in everything they did. Back here in the states i've been reading Wild At Heart and learning more about the battle within our selves. A lot of battles, I believe, are battles for Godly perspective. Just to be able to see things the way Jesus did, will enable us to see life in a more spiritual way.

We bring everyday life into the spiritual realm because we who believe in Jesus Christ as our savior know that He has won the victory over Evil. So Why not bring everyday life into the spiritual realm is what i ask. The more i see the small adventures and victories over evil He is winning for me each day, the more i see how God is alive and active everyday.

I've gotten myself involved in a lot over the past couple months with starting a new job, deciding its time to get married(wedding planning), and on Monday I start Grad School. With all this going on, God has still provided me with overwhelming peace to charge ahead in life. Trust God with all your heart, and he will provided you with all that you need. I say all these things just to convey the message that we have a God who is alive and working continously in our lives. Daily He is providing us with twists and turns that make each day unique. He gives us those things not that we may just get a good laugh, cry, or even get mad b/c it didn't go how we wanted; I believe he gives us those adventures so that we again have the choice of who we are going to serve and give praise to...God, Man, or Satan. You choose.

"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirits fire"

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

Life Update

2006-06-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

I must appologize to all who have been trying to keep up with the events of my life. The past couple weeks have been packed full of life. My internet time has been invaded by a mile long to do list at work and a lot of quality time with Sara Beth before she leaves for East Tennessee for 4 weeks. God continues to do great things with Sara and I.

We have traveled to Colorado and back with a lot of good quality time with her father and his wife Carla, and also time with other important family(Andy, Aaron, Sheila, David, Hillary, Brittany, Matthew, Samantha, Rachel). I was put to the test in large ways; socially, physically, and emotionally... I'm still alive so I passed.

Things I did while in Colorado:

Ate Steak
9 miles of Moutain Biking
Picnic at the Park
White Water Rafting the Royal Gorge
Hike the front side of Pikes Peak(Total of 12 Miles, 14,110 ft Altituted, 10 hours)
Ride the Cog train down
Plan a wedding

Patriotism

2006-06-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

Sara Beth is a real person, here's some proof...

I'm sensing a theme in the colors ;-)

Rwanda National Flag

Motivation

2006-05-27T21:01:00.000-07:00

The past year of my life has been the my favorite by far, but whom shall i give credit to at the end of the day. I can't begin to list the events in the past years that have been shaping who i am, but I do know where it is taking me, closer to God.

When I realized all the times I have been blessed to experience in the last year and especially few months, it becomes easier for me to step up proudly and say "All those things that I have done, that is who I am and they define where im going." But there has got to be more than that. From World Mission Workshop, to Graduating from College, trip to East Africa, Tulsa Workshop, Acceptance into Grad school, and now a wonderful missions minded fiance; those all have helped shape the vision that has been put on my mind. However, I believe the more significant thought should be, "what is my motivation?"

To stand on the events that have guided me thus far, and claim that they are the reason im pursuing the life that i am, is pretty weak. Those may be what we would call "defining moments" but they do not make a "firm foundation" for us to build a life on.

Let us all be open to have God define us through the daily events of our lives, but let us most of all be confident in who God is First. It is in those times of intimate connectedness to God that you will discover true motivation.

Live by it.

Love

2006-05-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

Big News...

Following a scenic drive in the beautiful foothills of the Ozarks I proposed to Sara Beth Matheny in a cow pasture of the Bush Family's Ranch in Romance, AR. As evidence to God's amazing grace, she said Yes!!! She and I are more than excited to began a life together and hope that you all will share in this excitement with us.

Every day, the Lord has increased our confidence in this union He has inspired and led. Both our families have voiced wonderful words of support and encouragement in this happening, which has blown us away. We also want to recognize all those who have been praying for this to happen, we feel like the prayers we have prayed weren't all that ushered this amazing relationship.

The big Wedding is planned for September 2nd, 2006 in Searcy, AR. A more exact location will be announced in the coming weeks and months. Until then, there's lots to do!!!

For better or for worse..

Prayer Time

2006-05-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to those who have already volunteered to pray for me and this venture. I'll hold off on listing the names of those who have responded for the sake of all those praying without my knowledge. It is incredible to see that God is alive and working out all the details. I'm anticipating Him revealing things to me at the right time.

Lots to say

2006-05-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well I have great news from the home front, I am now officially employed by Harding University. I was recommended the job by Jon Roberts, Financial Aid Director for Harding and Son-in-law of Sam and Nancy Shewmaker. I owe Jon a lot for getting me the hook-up. Its also nice that my father went to school with my boss, but what ever it was, I count as a blessing. This job will certianly help pave the way for a lot of my up coming ventures. Such as Grad school.

Small steps are still being taken to be enrolled in the Masters of Science in Education program at Harding. Getting this new job nailed down took a lot of precidence as I try to take care of my needs here and now. I've had to look deeper into arranging my school schedule for the next year and a half as not to conflict too much with work. This has been a difficult task. I'm sure the two parts of my life will come into conflict more in the future, but I have great faith that the good Lord will take care of it if its His will.

Sara Beth and I have just wrapped up a weekend trip through Nashville and then to Kentucky.The purpose of our trip was to attend a wedding and then visit close family of Sara. Thoughts of a future together are continually being fed into our minds, but its nothing that scares us, its acctually really exciting. Before the weekend was over, I believe Sara's grandmother, Betty Lou Matheny, was ready to call me one of her own. Sara's family has really taken me in and expects great things to come of our relationship. So do I.

My Rwanda mission plan is still coming together. Given the events of last week, not a whole lot of progress was made. The way life unfolds between Sara Beth and I has brought up a lot of questions between us, again about the future. We've both participated in a week of silence on the subject of Rwanda to be sure that country is not our motivation for the relationship. Its not. So we've proceeded on with a life together and a pursuit for the Way God would want us to go. For More information call me or wait for the next post.

Speak now or forever hold your peace.

Welcome All

2006-05-05T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends and Family,

For those of you reading this for the first time, Thank you for your interest in my story. This blog is meant to be a place for me to write about the road God is taking me down, not neccessarily a slate for me to post pertinant information regarding my trip. As exciting news is revealed to me, I will be sure to post it, but there will also be more formal means by which i will notfiy everyone of milestones in my journey. Hold on and enjoy the ride!

Moving Along

2006-05-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

A curriculum has been estbalished for me to have a Masters of Science in Education with an emphasis in Behavioral Sciences. According to the plan I will have it completed by next Summer. There are still a few things to be accomplished before i can begin classes, such as letters of recommendation and MAT testing, but thats all just ground work. Pray that God will provide me the strength to accomplish great things during this adventure.

Meanwhile i would also like to introduce Sara Beth Matheny into the blog. Sara Beth decided last Fall that she would be committing atleast three years of her life to the small country of Rwanda. I've always looked up to her level trust in the Lord to make that decision as a single female, but there was also a hint that felt like she was just stubborn to let a guy into her plans.

It all began with an innocent and adventurous bike ride. Now we both have seen that God has much much much bigger plans for the both of us. Its a time that can be best described with words such as: Exciting, Truthfulness, Peacful, Honesty, and Overwhelming Joy. Those are merely a few of the words that should be used to describe the bond being constructed between Sara Beth and I.

We both have come to know the Lord on our own in such a confident way, that we recognize his dominion over this relationship that is being built. As this exciting time of relationship building is going on, we both recognize His ability to open and close doors and opportunities. I will say however, that in the past couple weeks, he has not just opened doors between us, he has put us on the Fast train(like the one from London to Paris for those European Travellers) and sat us in First Class. We expect there to be twists and turns along the way, but so far its been straight. The future is in God's hands, we are merely here to obey.

So pray for this crazy time in our lives and what this may mean for our future plans in the country we desire to become a part of.

Steps

2006-04-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

I'm in a stage of my missions planning where my visions of ministry becomes words on a page. Forming the visions takes lots of prayer and a good bit of research. Combining the two takes patience and understanding. Last week i began reading Rwanda's Vision 2020, hoping to discover the countries socio-economic goals and aspirations. Having this information would allow me to discover what part of it God has prepared me or is preparing me to help accomodate.

I have come to understand two different aspects of Jesus' message: Service and Ministry. Service focuses on the needs of the person, ministry focuses on the person. Thus i hope to signify what my service will be and in turn describe the people I hope to minister to.

By attending to the countries socio-economic needs, you imitate Jesus' model of meaningful service. From a worldly perspective, this will also help give me a more legitimate ticket into the country. Through my means of service, i will minister to those i form working relationships with.

In the Vision 2020 I saw three distinct ways that God may use me: Technology, Education, and Leadership. I have spent the last four years in college being educated on the proficient use of technology in an institutional environment thus satisfying the ability to use Technology as a means of service. I currently call Searcy, AR home, which gives me the resource of Harding University right accross the street. I will be searching out possibilities of attaining a Master's in the Science of Education all this week. Should it not come to fruition, i should still find ways to instruct students with my current level of education and understanding. Leadership is a gift God is revealing to me as I walk in His light. I hope to connect with "future thought leader's of the country" in ways that empower them to be men after God as they lead others on this earth.

Wellllll this is all a mouth full, some may be a surprise, some may not. Let it be the Lord who determines my steps(Proverbs 16:9)

Let the Journey Begin

2006-04-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

Today I start my blogging adventure as I plan for a move to Rwanda. The road has been more exciting than any life path I've taken thus far. It has been from this that I come to know God to be a God who calls His people out of a life of complacency and normalcy, into a more invigorating, risk taking, faith building walk, sometimes run, with him. My hopes and prayers are that through this window into my world, you will get a better idea of the road less traveled by(its odd that so many people love that poem that Robert Frost wrote, but they don’t appear to comprehend what its encouraging us to do. Hmmm)

Well Until the next time, I’m headed to bed.