And Off We Went...

After our emotional weekend, it really was time to actually leave.  Although even THAT had a hiccup.  Bill got quite sick with a VERY sore throat, and spent a good part of the day in bed.  I would have done a lot of packing up, except that God, in His INCREDIBLE timing, enabled me to be there for the birth of our Pastor's son, Stephen.  Danielle was amazing, and I feel very blessed to have been a part of it.

Danielle deserves to be fed grapes after delivering Stephen Jonathan!

Our first stop was visiting friends Dave & Peggy Summy in North Florida.  We have been friends now for 20 years, and we always have a good time when we get together.  They were so generous in allowing us to use their trailer to haul our things to Canada.

After all these years of friendship, we are happy to see that our kids have now become good friends as well. Bronia, Simon, and their oldest daughter Hannah even spent a summer together serving the Lord in Malawi, with TMI. 

We are so thankful to the Lord for these friendships.  But alas, it was time to leave even them, and so we were on our way again.

First through Atlanta...

Then Nashville...

And finally it was on to visit with Bill's brother Joe, his wife Jamie and their 2 girls.  Unbelievably, NOT ONE picture was taken while we were there.  How lame are we?!?  But we did have a really nice visit with them.  We won't see Joe for a long time, as he leaves in about 2 1/2 weeks for a tour of duty in South Korea.  We so appreciate the sacrifice their family makes on behalf of the USA.

It Was Time To Go...

Well, we have come to the beginning of what we hope will be the rest of our life's work.  We have been working toward going back into full-time missions for about 15 years.  And then it seemed like suddenly, we were on our way.

The first weekend in August was our last weekend in Port Richey. We had a great time, saying "see you later" to near and dear family and friends.  Saturday the 4th was an open house as well as a time for us to be encouraged.

Our Pastor, Frank DiPronio, encouraging and exhorting us in what we're getting ready to do.

Dear, dear friends, Bill & Chris Pearce, who spent some time in Russia as missionaries, also giving us encouragement.

Our good friend Jason, encouraging the church to support us.

It was hard for all of us to say see you later.

Bill, thanking everyone for coming to see us, and for their support and prayers over the years.

Many friends and family praying over us.  How we will miss you all!!


Thank you to everyone who continues to pray for us, and supports us. You are a part of what God is wanting to do in and through us!

Two Weeks Left...

With just two weeks left until we leave, it's fair to say we are busy.  Bill is in the Pacific Northwest, catching up with family, speaking to churches, meeting with potential partners in our ministry, and enjoying weather in the upper 60s and lower 70s (LUCKY!).  I am at home, busy going through stuff (I'm told that WILL come to an end), packing up boxes to take with and to put into storage, filling out more paperwork (for the kids' school), closing back accounts, canceling phone/internet service, etc.  Basically, LOTS to do still.

There are moments when it catches up with me and I have a mini-meltdown.  Kind of crying with no real reason why, just needing to let something out.  I'm told this is normal.  At times it seems like just a move, then at other times I'm struck with the realization that this will change not only mine and Bill's lives, but also the lives of our five children.  That feels very heavy to me.  It's hard to know sometimes exactly how much to include them in this process, because they are very much a part of what we're doing, and we don't want to leave them behind, as we move forward with what we feel God wants us to do.

Even though we need finances to live, like everyone else, we are finding out very quickly that we are more in need of prayer.  We realized something the other day. We know that ultimately, God provides for us all. However, most people work, either for themselves or for a company, which makes them wage-earners. Then they receive a paycheck for their labor from a boss or company. But we realized that Bill is no longer a "wage-earner", having worked his last day at Chick-fil-A last Friday.  It hit us that we are now totally dependent on the Lord for our needs. And quite frankly, we are excited! So please pray for us, to remain steadfast in our trust in the Lord, never wavering.

As we transition, some have written to say they are praying for us.  THANK YOU!  If you pray for us and haven't told us, please tell us.  We need all the encouragement we can get right now:)  We would be so grateful if you chose to commit to pray for us.  We have pledge cards made up, and if you wish to receive one please let us know.  Then on the back please write how we can pray for you.  If you have already received a card, please send it to us, so we can also be praying for you.

Thank you for loving and supporting our family!

Keep up with us on facebook, by liking our family page.  https://www.facebook.com/AbitzFamilyMission?ref=hl

I Don't Love Jesus...

Whoa, a very provocative statement you say.  Maybe, but mostly it's the truth.

This past weekend I went to a women's conference, called "Here is Our God", hosted by The Gospel Coalition.  I have never been to a national women's conference, so I didn't know what to expect.  The subtitle was, "A conference for women, but not about women."  And boy was I glad about that.  

You see, I honestly don't need more sessions on how to be a better wife, mother, daughter, or sister.  I need JESUS.  Because the truth is, I fail at all of those every day, and it's not more steps on how to be a better such-and-such that will get me through the day.  It's JESUS.

I've been a Christian my whole life it seems, and I'm pretty sure I've never LOVED Jesus.  I love the IDEA of Him.  I love His salvation, and the fact that HE called me out of the darkness and into His marvelous light.  I love my future home in heaven, and that I will spend eternity with Him. I love the relationships I have because of Jesus, and the bond I have with fellow believers.  I love that my kids love going to church.  But I don't love HIM.  There are probably many reasons why I don't love Him, not the least of which is that I'm afraid of Him.  As Dr. D.A. Carson told me this weekend, there is an unhealthy and a healthy fear of Him.  I quickly acknowledged that I have an unhealthy fear.  Where that fear comes from I honestly don't know.

What I DO know, what was made clear to me, is that I have loved the things of this world.  I have chosen the pleasures of sin, over the eternal pleasures of knowing and savoring Christ.  I have chosen my treasure, and it has not been Christ.  As John Piper said this past weekend, "No one praises what they don't enjoy".  I haven't enjoyed Jesus, and have not TRULY praised Him in my heart for a long time.  And Satan has loved that I haven't enjoyed Christ.

So where does that leave me?  In the best possible place.  DESPERATE.  Desperate for JESUS.  Desperate for joy.  Desperate for a guilt-free conscience.  Desperate for my taste buds to be made alive.  Desperate to love His word.  Desperate to have the Gospel grow deep roots in my heart.

"The life that drinks deeply at the Gospel is a life of unremitting pursuit of happiness in Jesus, not the world"  John Piper

 

Oh, that I would drink deep at the fountain of the Gospel, and have JESUS become what I treasure MOST!

It's hard to believe that we really only have about 3 1/2 months left here in Florida.  It kind of clicked in Bronia's mind last night, and I felt overwhelmed watching her process it,  feeling helpless to comfort her.  I'm sure there will be many more moments like that, so we REALLY covet your prayers during this time of transition, packing, and saying goodbyes.

Back in March, I wrote that our 3 oldest had an opportunity to go to Mississippi to continue clean-up from Hurricane Katrina.  Well, after a slow start, the Lord DID raise all of their support, and they were able to go with the rest of the team. 

They organized a place called "The Mercy Home", which is kind of like a thrift store, except that the items are given away to the community. 

They also painted the pastor's house, did yard work, had kitchen duty, handed out flyers for the church's Easter service, and had Bible study each night as a group.

They loved their time there, and would love to go again this summer.  We'll see what God has in store for them.


Also this summer, Ethan will once again be going with TMI.  He is registered for the Covered Wagon Circle Sidewalk team.  "Put your mixing skills to work for Jesus this summer. Your team will be trained on how to mix and pour concrete for sidewalks here at the Teen Missions property.  Get to know your team as you work together for our Lord. Not only will you be pouring sidewalks for the Covered Wagon Circle, you will be sleeping in the covered wagons as well.  Your team will have an opportunity to share the Gospel with nursing home residents using puppets, music and memory verses. Have fun knowing you are serving the Lord through hard work and loving others."

Please pray that all his support would get raised, and that God would prepare him to have a servant's attitude, along with humility.  We love that he desires to go again, and pray that God would grow him during his time of involvement.

Getting Ready...Or Am I?

So, it seems like our family moving on to continue our "Adventures in Missions" in Canada is becoming a reality.  The reason I know this is because I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by all the things popping up that need to get done before we go. 

I'm actually grateful to tie up loose ends that should have already been tied up.  Things like getting rid of all the extra's we've accumulated over the years, updating our snail mail/email lists, finalizing life insurance policies, and getting the kids' Canadian citizenship cards.  That is just the tip of the iceberg of course, but it does feel good to at least start there.

I know so many who have been where we are, and they managed to get to the mission field in one piece, so I know it can be done.  I just don't want to ignore life/ministry/kids/husband in the process of "getting ready".  Sometimes I feel like that is exactly what is happening though.

I can relate to the disciples, when they were rebuking the people who were bringing children to Jesus so He could bless them.  We're not told what their heart's intention was in refusing the kids, but it probably was in an effort to do other, "more important" ministry.

I confess I do that with my kids sometimes.  I do other "more important" ministry things, instead of engaging with them.  So they end up watching something mindless on netflix for the wii, or wandering around the house, not sure what to do, probably thinking, "Is this the best there is?"

I can't believe I just confessed that.  But you probably already knew that about me.  You might even be like me in some way.  As I'm typing, I'm listening to Pandora Radio, and Jeremy Camp is singing "Holy fire, burn away, my desire, for anything, that is not of you, and is of me, I want more of you, and less of me."  I really do want to get rid of the things in my life that are not of Him. 

The list might be lengthy...

Things are moving along...

As usual, it's been too long since we've given an update.  I keep hoping we'll get better at this, but so far...not so much.  In any case, we do have an update, and want to share what's going on with us.

On Monday the 12th, we received the actual "official" acceptance letter from New Tribes Mission (NTM).  In the same packet was the paperwork for Bill's visa to study in Canada.  Needless to say that got us a little more excited about going.

Today I the kids drove into Tampa, to get pictures taken for their applications for a Canadian citizenship card.  They are automatically dual citizens because I'm a Canadian, but they need the documents to prove it.  I have a feeling this is only the beginning of paperwork/visas/passports due to missions!

Speaking of missions, our 3 oldest are going on a little missions trip at the end of this month.  ALL of our kids wanted to go with Teen Missions Int'l (TMI) again this year, but we just didn't see how we could raise their support, as well as support for our family to start training.  So they were really excited when an opportunity arose for them to still serve.

Most of you will remember that Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of the gulf coast back in 2005.  All the camera crews and news media have long since gone, but believe it or not, MANY are still without permanent housing.  It is to a small town called Lakeshore, Mississippi that our kids, along with others from our church, will be going to, and serving. 

They will be involved in a variety of ways.  They will knock down walls of buildings that were destroyed in the hurricane and haul away debris and garbage for future and current construction sites, clean the bunkhouse and other buildings at the church camp, and help cook meals for the teams who come.  They will also spend time learning from the Bible, praying and singing together, as well as going to Lakeshore Baptist Church on Sunday morning.

They have already worked to help raise funds for the trip.  They participated in a car wash, and have spent the last 2 days baking a variety of cookies for a bake sale that will be held tomorrow.  Please join us in prayer for Bronia, Simon, and Liam. 

    *Pray that they would first seek the Lord and His kingdom. 
   
    *Pray that they would be a blessing not only to the people they will be ministering to in MS, but also to their team.

    *Pray for safety as they drive to MS.

    *Pray that the team would be able to raise all the money they need to go.

Thank you for being a part of our lives, and for continuing to support our family in different ways.  We'd also like to hear what God is doing in your lives, so please feel free to drop us a note:)