The Three-Fold Joy of Itineration!

The last seven months has been quite the journey for us as we began our itineration process. We've traveled all over the state of Florida and will continue to do so until our support is raised. When we received approval to itinerate, I must admit, we were quite nervous. What will we say?...How will we be received?...All questions that ran through our minds. Before itineration, I'd mostly preached in youth settings, what would it be like to preach in main services? Now that we are in the middle of this exciting process, I must say that the positives far outweigh the negatives.

It certainly is challenging, with the pressure of trying to fill our schedule, traveling thousands of miles in our car, sometimes getting home in the late hours of the night, and being away from our church family at our local body...but it is worth it. I want to briefly share three elements of itineration that make it all worthwhile:

1. The Joy of Being With God's People
Traveling from church to church, we have been able to meet so many wonderful people who have brought joy into our lives. We get to hear stories of God's faithfulness and how He is working in churches in special ways, and we would not have that opportunity without intinerating.

2. The Joy of Seeing God's Power
Through this process of traveling and speaking, we've had the immense joy of seeing God's hand at work. We've seen the Holy Spirit show up in some of our services in special ways. The Lord has not only minstered through us, but to us as well. I can honestly say that if it were not for this season in our lives, I would not be as equipped to go onto a foreign field and minister.

3. The Joy of Witnessing God's Faithfulness
If there is one thing that has brought us joy in this process, it is seeing God's faithfulness and the faithfulness of His People. In a time where the world is worrying about the economy, the stock market has turned into a roller coaster, and much of the attention is: How will this affect ME?- We have seen the Body of Christ come through for us in a miraculous way. Thank you for your faithfulness, which has helped us to raise over 65% of our budget so far!

I was thinking this morning, and if someone had come along seven months ago with a check written out for our entire budget and offered to pay the whole thing off if we wouldn't itinerate, knowing what I know now, I'd have to say "no." The joys of itineration are too great, and getting to know you has been too wonderful and growing in the Lord has been too valuable to us and our lives.

New Way To Communicate

This post begins a blog of our journey through the itineration process and onto the mission field. We wanted a way to keep in touch with family, friends, prayer and financial supporters, and contacts we've made in our travels. We hope that you will join us on this journey and feel free to respond to us through this blog.