Hello family and friends!
Happy Wednesday. We hope your week is going well full of fall colors and smells. What a beautiful time of year!
As most of you know, our journey to Rome has been in full swing for a few months now. Our initial training with International Teams ended at the beginning of August, and we began fundraising immediately after. It has been, and continues to be, such an incredible time of faith and dependency on God as we learn this new form of ministry: of building a community of supporters for the next couple years of our lives.
And God has been so faithful. We are thrilled to report that 10% has been given/pledged! We want to share a special story related to this 10%.
Before we actually move to Rome we have to take a confirmation trip. It is a trip designed to introduce us to the Italian culture, people, and team. We will explore our compatibility with our new role and team, and pray for God's leading as we choose a community to live in. This trip is a part of our fundraising budget. As a result, we figured it would be a few months before we were able to go.
A couple weeks ago God laid it on my heart to begin specifically praying for our confirmation trip and those who will be providing for it. Just three days later, I logged on to our fundraising information and discovered someone had given an incredibly generous donation that literally put us at the exact amount we needed to take our trip! Our hearts were overjoyed beyond words. Not only that, but a couple weeks before we were talking with the Uthmanns (the couple who lived in Rome before us and who will lead us through our confirmation trip) about how they would be in Rome at the end of October. They said it would be amazing if we could coordinate the time. I put October 25 in my phone in good faith...little did I know that we would actually be leaving for Rome October 29! Wow - how beautiful.
We will be spending a week in Rome with Tim and Rachel Uthmann and their daughter Joy, as well as our teammate Danielle. They will help us identify needy communities and pick one in which to live and begin our ministry next year. Additionally we will be spending a lot of time meeting individuals and ministries Tim and Rachel had relationships with and worked with while they lived in Rome. Afterward we will be flying back to London to stay with the Uthmann's for a couple days. We will meet our area director, their 2020 team, and process together.
We are beyond thrilled and ask that you join us in prayer as the time draws quickly near. Please pray:
1. For God to prepare our hearts to discern His voice and guidance while in Rome.
2. For the hearts of those we will meet.
3. For the Uthmanns and Danielle as we walk this journey together.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to those who contributed. You were a direct answer to a very specific prayer. And thank you to those who will support us in prayer!
We can't wait to share what God does while we are there - keep a look out for our updates!
Happy Wednesday. We hope your week is going well full of fall colors and smells. What a beautiful time of year!
As most of you know, our journey to Rome has been in full swing for a few months now. Our initial training with International Teams ended at the beginning of August, and we began fundraising immediately after. It has been, and continues to be, such an incredible time of faith and dependency on God as we learn this new form of ministry: of building a community of supporters for the next couple years of our lives.
And God has been so faithful. We are thrilled to report that 10% has been given/pledged! We want to share a special story related to this 10%.
Before we actually move to Rome we have to take a confirmation trip. It is a trip designed to introduce us to the Italian culture, people, and team. We will explore our compatibility with our new role and team, and pray for God's leading as we choose a community to live in. This trip is a part of our fundraising budget. As a result, we figured it would be a few months before we were able to go.
A couple weeks ago God laid it on my heart to begin specifically praying for our confirmation trip and those who will be providing for it. Just three days later, I logged on to our fundraising information and discovered someone had given an incredibly generous donation that literally put us at the exact amount we needed to take our trip! Our hearts were overjoyed beyond words. Not only that, but a couple weeks before we were talking with the Uthmanns (the couple who lived in Rome before us and who will lead us through our confirmation trip) about how they would be in Rome at the end of October. They said it would be amazing if we could coordinate the time. I put October 25 in my phone in good faith...little did I know that we would actually be leaving for Rome October 29! Wow - how beautiful.
We will be spending a week in Rome with Tim and Rachel Uthmann and their daughter Joy, as well as our teammate Danielle. They will help us identify needy communities and pick one in which to live and begin our ministry next year. Additionally we will be spending a lot of time meeting individuals and ministries Tim and Rachel had relationships with and worked with while they lived in Rome. Afterward we will be flying back to London to stay with the Uthmann's for a couple days. We will meet our area director, their 2020 team, and process together.
We are beyond thrilled and ask that you join us in prayer as the time draws quickly near. Please pray:
1. For God to prepare our hearts to discern His voice and guidance while in Rome.
2. For the hearts of those we will meet.
3. For the Uthmanns and Danielle as we walk this journey together.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to those who contributed. You were a direct answer to a very specific prayer. And thank you to those who will support us in prayer!
We can't wait to share what God does while we are there - keep a look out for our updates!
Shay+Haley
Praise the LORD! Our hearts are so excited for you both! Thank you for being obedient, patient, and intentional along this journey. You are dearly loved.
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