The Kick

Back in the day...I ran on my high school's cross country team. I was never the best runner, but I was on the varsity team for four years. Our coach, Bob Bonk, was a great coach. He instilled in our team that everyone played a role in winning. My role, as the 5th runner, was to finish ahead of most of the other team's 3rd & 4th runners.

My strength in running was the last quarter mile of the race. I don't know why, but I would get to a point where I would just sprint. It was like..."who cares about the pain, I am almost done!"
In cross country terms, it is called, "The Kick". Everything turns into a blur, since you are going so fast. Your arms and legs are pumping. Your heart is in overdrive. You tend to hold your breath, depriving your body of much needed oxygen.

I thought of the above illustration, because our family feels like we are about to start "The Kick" to the finish line of deputation. A couple days ago, we received an email from a church in Indiana that stated their desire and commitment to partner with family for 9% of our total support!

We are thankful to the Lord for His provision in His timing. Our current support level is at 79% with 13 supporting churches and 21 individual supporters.

Once we reach 80%, we can seriously start looking for plane tickets and start the process of going through the ever growing list of things to take care of before we can fly to the field of Chile. 100% support is still our goal, but we now see that the end is very near.
So using the analogy of "The Kick", we are about to embark on several insane months of busyness.

-David's 2nd semester of language training,
-Researching travel logistics
-Starting new and existing paperwork
-Packing and repacking our stuff
-Getting rid of stuff
-Communicating with our co-workers on the field for advice
-Saying goodbye to family and friends
-Not to mention we have a family with three kids under 7

Deputation to us was never a race, meaning, we were not racing against others on deputation or racing against a set deadline. God had and has many lessons for our family to learn during this time of ministering to Mid-West local churches and raising support. We are excited that all things are pointing to our last lap on deputation, but we must live one day at a time and continue to stay focused.

In the coming days, things will feel like a blur, we will be weak and lack energy, due to the many things to cross of the "To Do" list. Our hearts and minds will be in overdrive as we anticipate many transitions and changes in schedule, housing, language, and lifestyle.

Please pray for the following things during "The Kick"

-Wisdom in using our time wisely

-A fair price for 5 plane tickets from MN to FL to Chile

-The safe shipment of our vehicle to Chile

-A profitable final semester of language school

-That the remaining $900/month would be raised

-Strength when we are weak

-That God would provide housing, a mentor, and a profitable transition to the land, language, and culture of Chile.

-For our children's transition, as they will probably wonder what in the world is going on from now on.