theTREIFactor

In the Old Testament, Israelites would use different names to describe God's character.  Most of the time, it was as a result of the Lord meeting a need.  One of His many names is Jehova-jireh and it means God will provide.  The first place you find it used is in the story of Abraham being told by God to go sacrifice his son Isaac (Gen. 22).  At the very last second, God provided an animal for Abraham to substitute instead.  The story is a great illustration of how God responds to a faithful servant. This past year God has proven himself "Provider" over and over again.  Even in the little things.  When He showed himself in such ways, at times I was completely amazed by what He had done!  I literally would smile at just how awesome He was and what He accomplished...  Mike would laugh and say, "Why are you so amazed?  You should expect it!"  And he's right--I should have expected it.  Sometimes, it takes me a while to learn. ...

A few posts ago, I told you I would share some stories about how I saw God working through this process of becoming "missionaries."  I need a break from Spanish homework, so I'll start off at the beginning.  That's as good a place as any. Mike and I got the "bug" a few years back after taking a few short term trips.  I had gone on 4 trips to El Salvador and Mike had several trips under his belt to Venezuela.  (I hadn't been there yet.)  In 2006 we casually talked about what we would like to do for "retirement".  We were all about traveling to different spots and spending 3 months or so helping missionaries.  It wasn't something we talked about all the time, but we had a plan.  That summer, we started the process for an international adoption. The more time Mike spent in Venezuela, the more drawn he got (he generally took two trips a year).  My first trip to Samuel's House was in September 2008 (and it was our first missions trip tog...

We arrived in San Jose a week ago after getting travel approval the afternoon before our departure.  Do you ever feel like God waits until the very last minute to "act"?  Personally, I think it's an exercise to strengthen our faith. There are 11 of us studying Latin American culture and learning Spanish--4 couples and three singles.  What an awesome and diverse group of people!  It didn't take long for them to become our extended family.  (Many of them share names of Mike's family even--we have: Jonathan, Zach, Denise, Emma, Chad and Leah!  Not named in any order of importance--just went from furthest apartment to closest!)  We spent the first few days in orientation--getting to know the area, shopping for food and other essentials, finding the nearest Taco Bell... All the important stuff.  (Just kidding about the Taco Bell.  But there is a KFC and Pizza Hut within walking distance!) This week started with our multi-culture classroom work...