Our home church is awesome.

They asked us to share our story with our body last Sunday.

I (Stacy) spoke in front of hundreds of people and I didn't die. That equals success.

 

God is faithful, guys.

Check out the video of us sharing below.

Muchas gracias!

 

the vision {that ring story continued}

This post won't make sense unless you've read this one.  So read it.  Do it. 

After church that day my mom texted me and said something like "I have to tell you something.  but you might think I'm crazy.  but I have to tell you!"  So we headed over to my parents' house to get our BBQ on and celebrate our dad and my sweet husband on his first Father's Day.  My mom pulled me aside in the kitchen and whispered "Okay, I have to tell you!  So this has never happened to me before.  I mean God spoke to me in a way that I've never experienced.  Don't think I'm crazy."  "Okay okay I won't.  TELL ME!"  I said.  Her voice started to get louder and she began to speak faster as she got more excited.  "It was so clear.  I hope you don't think I'm crazy.  During worship I had this picture of you guys, it was like a video playing in my head.  I saw Brian and he was building something, like hammering, and he was lifted up and there were men all around him and he was teaching them.  Then I saw you in a kitchen and you were surrounded by women.  You were lifted up too, and they were surrounding you and you were teaching them to cook.  And then I saw Lola.  She was on the floor surrounded by kids and she was laughing and playing and she looked so happy.  She was older though, like two or three.  So I was wondering 'where is this?' because it looked like Latin America.  I heard 'HONDURAS HONDURAS HONDURAS.'  I mean I don't even know where Honduras is but it was so clear."  I didn't know where it was either.  But I.  was.  excited.  My mom hadn't known, no one had known that missions were on our heart.  And let me tell you guys, my mom would be the last person in the world who would want to see us go into the mission field.  I think if it were up to her we would live even closer {and we live like five minutes away} so you get the idea.  We immediately went upstairs and pulled Honduras up on the map.

 

There it was, I was in love with a country I knew nothing about, but I knew I was called.  Called to love, called to pray, called to GO.  So that night I went home and a litttttle nervously told Brian.  He wasn't really sure what to think.  I knew he had to hear it straight from the horse's mouth {sorry mom}.  So I called mi madre on over {see, my Spanish is coming along you guys} to tell him what she had told me.  Immediately he was sold.  He knew it was God.  We had our pastor over a few days later to hear my mom tell the story, we wanted to test it against Scripture and get his take.  My mom told her story, our pastor asked us how we felt, to which we replied "pretty freaking excited" Okay I didn't say "freaking."  I probably wouldn't say "freaking" to my pastor.  But I will say it to you, because I was freaking excited.

 

The very same day I was praying for courage and strength to follow Him wherever He would call us during worship. 

 

The very same day I sacrificed my ring to build a well for thirsty people in Kenya, was the very same day we got a vision, a calling to GO. 

 

It's blowing your mind right now, isn't it?  I'll give you a minute...

 

A few days later I started to do some research on Honduras.  I was looking up traveling tips while visiting Honduras and one site said it probably wasn't a great idea to wear any diamonds or flashy jewelry.  I wasn't going to have that problem anymore now was I?  Very funny, Lord. 

 

God is so so SO good.  He is so faithful.  Getting to write our story and share it with you is such a blessing for us.  We get to remember and reflect on how God has moved so mightily.  How boldly He speaks to us.  How loudly He's called us.  Thank you for sharing in this journey with us and to everyone who is loving us, supporting us and praying for us.  For everyone walking on this journey with us.  Thank you.  A million times, thank you.

 

 

 

will you pray for us?

When we first felt a calling to the mission field in Honduras some very wise missionary amigos told us first things first, we needed a team of people who would support us in prayer.  Not just any people, but people who love us, love the Lord and would be willing to steadfastly lift us up on a regular basis.  We need some serious warriors, people.  We are asking that you prayerfully consider being one of those warriors.  We've committed to a six week trip this April to serve the poor in Honduras at Rancho Oasis for Youth.  We are going to get to do things like this:

 At the ranch, they use soccer as a ministry.  Brian grew up playing soccer, is an avid Sounders fan, loves kids, and well, cannot wait to get on the field with these awesome kids in Honduras!

 

One thing I love about the ranch is that they incorporate prayer and Bible study into each and every activity they use as ministry.  They teach the kids that Jesus wants to be a part of our whole lives.  And I love that.

 

 

Meet Oscar.  I hear about Oscar a lot through the Beard's blog and he seems pretttty amazing.  He loves the Lord and loves kids.  Can't wait to partner with him and others serving at the ranch!

We are so excited to see how the Lord will use us in this time of serving Him.  We also believe that this six week trip will be the first leap of faith into long-term missions in Honduras.  In order to get there though, we have some mountains to be moved.  So would you pray with us friends?  If you feel a nudge to join our prayer team, please comment with your e-mail below for regular prayer need updates.  I can't express how much your support in prayer means to us.

Here are some of our most pressing prayer needs:

1. Brian still needs approval from work to take six weeks off in April for our trip!  We are full of faith that God can open this door.  Please pray that his supervisor would be open to him taking this leave as well as for wisdom in the right timing to ask.

2.  Support raising- that the Lord would begin to work on the hearts of those who are to support us financially.  That the Lord would provide the funds for us to go.  Wisdom and direction with upcoming fundraisers.

Muchas gracias y bendiciones!

that time I gave my ring away

It was about a year and a half ago when this crazy little adventure God has us on all began.  It was Father’s Day 2012.  We asked my parents to come to church with us because who doesn’t want to hang out with their dad on Father’s day?  As we were singing praises that morning I remember a new song playing.  This song captivated my heart and made my soul dance.  It goes a little something like this:  

Love unfailing
Overtaking my heart
You take me in
Finding peace again
Fear is lost in
All you are

And I would give the world to tell Your story
Cause I know that You've called me
I know that You've called me
I've lost myself for good within Your promise
I won't hide it
I won't hide it

Jesus, I believe in You
And I would go to the ends of the earth
To the ends of the earth
For You alone are the Son of God
And all the world will see
That You are God
You are God

This song met me on a morning when I needed to proclaim that truth to the Lord.  You see, I had been feeling this yearning in the deepest parts of my soul to go.  To go out into the world and make a difference for Him.  To help the hurting and the hungry and love the poor and the needy; to be His hands and feet wherever He would call me.  The Lord had begun to show me this world in a new lens, through His eyes.  My heart was broken for mamas who couldn’t feed their babies, for children being born into slavery and for all the hurt and devastation in this world.  So I prayed.  During that song I prayed my heart out.  I asked the Lord to give us the courage and strength to go wherever and whenever He wanted us to go.  The service was nearing the end and I remember our pastor talking about some missionaries our church body supports in Northern Kenya.  He said something like “wouldn’t it be cool if we could raise $1000.00 today to help build a new well for these people who need water.” 

 

{Now, rewind to a few weeks earlier…ya know how I said that God was breaking my heart for the world?  Well I had decided a few weeks prior that I really wanted to give my wedding ring away.  I wanted us to give more so more mouths could be fed, more people might hear the sweet news of a Savior who loves them madly, but we just didn’t have much to give.  Now, I have always hesitated telling this part of the story, {which is why I have told a total of four people} because a) I fear people thinking I am crazy pants and b) that I am boasting or puffing myself up with a good deed.  But I think this is a part of our story that’s so necessary to tell because God has done something with it and through it that blows my socks off.  Stay tuned!}

 

After much prayer I had asked Brian a few weeks earlier if he would give me his blessing to give my ring away when I felt like God told me where.  He so graciously and lovingly did, even though I know it was hard.  He scrimped and saved and sold his beloved '69 camping trailer {thank you, Jesus, that I didn’t have to camp in that beast} to buy that ring.  This man blows me away by his selflessness every day people.  As I sat in that service, listening about people who had a desperate need for water, I felt like God was saying "this is it, this is what I am calling you to now".  So I very sneakily pretended to fill out a prayer request form but instead of a prayer need I wrote “please put the money from this ring towards the well in Kenya.” and very, very sneakily slipped my ring off and into an offering envelope with the note.  It was bittersweet.  Ninety nine percent of me was overwhelmed and overflowing with joy knowing that this ring was going to provide a basic necessity for people that I take for granted every day.  That this well would be an avenue to bring the story of the gospel to those who desperately need it.  My hope and prayer is that it made an eternal impact for the Kingdom.  But there was also part of me that had to grieve that precious token of love and of a covenant that my husband and I made three years ago.  Scripture doesn’t tell us this walk with the Lord will be easy.  It tells us to pick up our cross and lay our lives down to follow Him.  There are times that sacrifices must be made by each of us.  Each of us is called in such unique and different ways to serve Him and in turn He sweetly and graciously refines us.  The story doesn’t end here.  What the Lord did next would change the course of our lives forever.  If you’re still reading {yay!} I want to thank you for listening to this little piece of my story and our journey.  My hope and prayer is that it all points to my Father and how loving and faithful He is. 

Oh and here’s the ring I slipped into that envelope.  Isn’t it a beauty?

 

 

 

in the beginning

Hey there! We are Brian and Stacy…

daddy and mama of Lola May and little Ralph
lovers of new adventures
on a journey of discovering who God created us to be
thankful for grace.

We like the idea of living with less
counting our blessings
laughing a lot
drinking lots of coffee in the form of iced lattes.

We believe that God can do BIG things with little people who have BIG faith
that we are called to Honduras for the glory of a great big God.

Here you can expect to hear our story
why we feel called to Honduras
how you can pray for us (we need it!)
how God’s changing us from the inside
awesome ways people are supporting us
what’s happening in Honduras now.

Many thanks for stopping by!
Check back soon for more of our story and updates on the journey!
Please consider supporting us by clicking the donate button at the bottom.

Muchas gracias y bendiciones para ti!