We hope you have all had a great summer this year. Hot days are here for only a few more weeks and fall is right around the corner. It is hard to believe, because so much has happened, but 5 years ago this August, we were married and we started our lives as husband and wife. We have experienced so much within these 5 years including challenges, joys, disappointments, and even a beautiful daughter!! Along with these blessings, we have come to realize that marriage is a sanctification process that God uses to help us understand his view of us. The Bible teaches us that God loved us so much that he sent his own son to be born as man, live a perfect life, and then die on a cross, so that whosoever believes in him may have everlasting life. We have realized that we should strive each and every day to love each other as God loves us.  

This past spring we decided that we wanted to participate in a mission trip with our church. In addition to this decision, God has been revealing to us the sanctity of our own marriage in great detail from last fall. We had three specific mission trips picked out in order to pray about, and then we decided to leave it up to God to direct us to which one we should attend. After careful consideration and clear direction, God has called us to Portland, Maine ( September 24-29) in order to help spread the gospel in a difficult to reach area. Not to mention, after we decided to go on this specific mission trip, what better topic for specifically the two of us is our passion in: MARRIAGE!

The purpose of this mission trip is to help exemplify God’s design in marriage through facilitating a marriage class based on curriculum ( Art of Marriage by Family Life)  that discusses what the Bible teaches. We will also be providing child care services to a church located in Portland, so that husbands and wives have the opportunity to worship the Lord together, to allow them a break from their sacrificial service with the children while church is being held. The make-up of the group will be people from all different ages, many married couples that will be able to share with others what God’s design of marriage looks like from a Biblical view.      

We are asking for your help in two ways: Prayer and financial support. Prayer is the most important way you can help us. Please pray for protection from spiritual warfare, people from Portland to come to the marriage class, God to receive the Glory, marriages to be restored, and people to believe the truth of Jesus. Another important component is for our trip to be fully supported financially. God has called us to go on this trip, even at a cost of $1150 per person ($2300 for the two of us). Since we have already received some financial blessings prior to starting this fundraiser, we only have $1420 left!! We will be keeping you informed in this process and cannot wait to share what Jesus will do on this mission trip in response to our obedience to his calling.