He owns the cattle on a thousand hills
We arrived back in Indianapolis on April 15th and ended our 14 day April Fools Challenge. We did not reach of our goal of being fully funded before we arrived. In fact, we only gained $100 in pledges during that time. That being said I feel like It was a great success in revealing my heart and desire to control. It showed me just how much I am prone to doubt that God will provided in His perfect timing.
Consider the lilies of the field. (Matthew 6:28-34)
I also think when people see $3900 a month still needed they think like I often do, “That is a huge amount of money. How can that happen?” Then maybe they think that the $5 a month that they could give will not make much of a difference. The truth is, that every pledge, no matter how big or small, ‘represents a partnership filled with prayer. Each partner, wether church or individual, is someone praying for what God is doing and will do in Perth. Each partner is providing the financial resources needed to accomplish God’s purposes in Perth.
Does not reaching our goal to be fully funded before arriving back in Indy change our desire to depart for Perth in June? No, We still believe that June is the best time for us to arrive. This gives us a month in Perth before the Australia Team Planning retreat and the Pacific Area retreat at the end of July in Malaysia. This is a time of future thinking for Australia that will be important for Shannon and I to be present at. The retreat also gives our family, especially our children, the opportunity to connect with all the Third Culture Children who are already on the field with their families in the Asia-Pacific region. This connection is important for their adjustment to the new life that God is calling our family too. Arriving during the Australian winter also gives us time to build relationships (about 6 months) without having folks go on holiday. The more consistent time together with our growing core group will provide stability and energy for our launch. This also gives us about 6 months before the new school year to determine what will be the best educational decision for our girls. June is also important for us stateside. When we made the decision to follow God’s call to Perth we wanted to put everything we had into it. This meant putting stuff in storage and hitting the road. We moved out of our house in September of last year in order to prepare for this departure. Living in an RV has given us the ability to partner raise as a family and see the country. We return the RV at the end of May. This leaves us with out a permanent place to live when June arrives. God is good to provide friends who will host us and family willing to have us stay with them but that is only a temporary solution. We believe God has already prepared the way of our departure in June and now we are waiting to see it accomplished.
Join the team. Any size monthly pledge will help us arrive in June. Follow the link to set up your pledge and donation today. If you have questions or want to talk please contact us at lee@hinkledownunder.com
Hinkle Down Under 