September Praise and Prayer Requests

What an awesome God we serve?! He is always perfect in His timing.

This month has been another amazing month. August has been a month of preparations and planning. We started the month thinking we would separate in September with Lance heading to FL to begin his work with Agape and I staying back with the house, but after more prayer and consideration, those plans changed quickly.

In the middle of the month, Lance and Chris Damewood drove the first load to FL. While they were there, they looked at houses, attended meetings at Agape, and scoped out the area for schools and churches. They had a very successful trip and while they were gone, God kept leading me to change our plans and go as a family in September. God continually reminded me in that week that He was in control and the house here was His business not ours. So Lance and I talked it over and we decided it was time to go, no matter what. The week Lance and Chris returned, we started packing and planning the trip. We lost focus on the house and let God do His thing. Six days, after making the decision to go, we received the offer on the house. (See previous post). Which by the way, has been accepted and is getting finalized. I believe God had this all planned from the beginning, but it took the act of us stepping away from the house to let Him step in. He is amazing and we are so grateful that He is in control.

So now the plans are in motion for the big move. We are packing the trailers this weekend and heading out the day after all the inspections are complete on the house. We hope that will be Tuesday, September 8th. We are not sure about how many stops we will make or if we will drive straight through. We are leaving those details up to how everyone is handling the drive. Remember, we are traveling with a 3 year old, a 4 year old, and a cat. Oh, please pray for lots of patience for that trip.

With all that being said, I think it is time to get to the prayer requests and praises for this month.
Praises

• God has brought a couple to our house who is "ga-ga" over the layout and design. (That's our realtors words, not mine) He created these people years ago and He knew they would love this place. Praise Him that He made this all happen.
• We have sold the ATV. We advertised that ATV for a few months but it only sold this week, so His timing is perfect, once again. We also get to use it until we leave, which makes the girls very happy.
• Lance and Chris had a very safe and productive trip to FL this month. We are very grateful for Chris and Linda's generosity. It was a huge blessing to have someone share the driving with and share the week with in FL. We are so thankful. Praise God for the amazing friends and supporters we have.
• Our temporary housing situation in FL is arranged. God overcame some hurdles for us and gave us a wonderful place to stay while we look at houses and get started at Agape. Lance's parents are allowing us to reside at their home in nearby Nokomis, FL, just 12 minutes from the airport and Agape.
• Praise God that He is God of all things. He has truly made this journey a joy and not a burden. He has take care of every detail and He is providing for our every need. We are so blessed to have been able to partake in all He has been offering to us. We are so thankful that He overcame our material possesions, our home, our fears, our uncertainies, and our less than perfect lives. He has made every step of this journey happen and we are so grateful to be witnesses to all He is capable of doing.

Prayer requests

• Please pray that the house will close on time and there will be no glitches that come up. The house sale is on a contigency of the buyers home in GA closing also, so please pray for their house in GA to close on time. God is bigger than any real estate deal in the universe and we are trusting that He will make all things happen on time and in perfect order.
• Please pray for the tractor to sell quickly and easily.
• Please pray for our move to FL. Pray for many helpers on Sat. and Monday to load. Pray for safe travels as we are on the road. Pray for patience, guidance, and alertness as we make the 24 hour trip.
• Please pray for our girls. This move has been something we have been talking about for almost 8 months. They have given up alot and been challenged alot. They are doing great but they are showing some signs of uncertainity as we pack up and make the big transition. Please pray for a sense of security for them and a understanding that we are doing this because of our love for God. Pray that this will draw them closer to Him and help them begin to see the purpose He has in this for all of us.
• Please continue to pray for a hedge of protection over this family. The more we step out to serve God, the more Satan would like to deter us. God has been faithful to shield us and we are thankful for every prayer that has helped to derail Satan's plans. We thank you for every prayer and we encourage you to keep praying that no weapon formed against us will prosper. Sooner or later, Satan will get the message that he has no power and God is in control.

Well, that should wrap things up for now. We are planning on discontinuing our internet in Iowa on Friday so we will not be on line again until we are in FL and are settled into our temporary home. Please feel free to contact us via our cell phones or on the home phone until is it disconnected. Thank you so much for all you have been doing for us. We appreciate every word of encouragement, every prayer spoken at the throne, every hand that helps in the labor of the move and every gift sent to Agape on our behalf. None of this is possible without YOU. Thank you for listening to God's call in your lives and for investing in our lives. You are a blessing and we love you all.

We will be in touch soon.

Never give in!

In His service, Lance, Lynn and the girls.

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3
We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.