2017: The Year of F.O.A.M.

So it is officially the first of January. A New Year. People are making their resolutions and trying to improve themselves and "turn over a new leaf" and all of that. But for us, we are not really worried about our leaves or what side is facing up. We are more concerned with what will be taking place within the next few weeks.........
In a week, on January 8, I (Jeff) will be getting ordained by our sending church, SRC. Our entire family is also being commissioned, so the entire day is going to be HUGE in terms of the spiritual encouragement that we will be getting before we fly out, which is the next thing. Our flight leaves on January 17. That is sixteen days from when I am writing this. In sixteen days my wife and I will be taking our three small children on a plane for the very first time, with (almost) all our worldly possessions in about five checked bags to fly across the ocean, around the world, leaving the U.S. and moving our entire lives to the Philippines. So prayer is needed. For sanity, for our kids, who have been having a hard time with this whole transition. We have moved out of our apartment, about two weeks ago, and have been staying with family until we fly out. Our poor girls have had to say goodbye to friends, watch the house they have been living in for the past three years empty out, not have any stability or know where they will sleep next (we do, so don't worry) so they have all made themselves sick with the moving, constant travel, and all the business of the holidays on top of it! Whew! Ok, I think that is enough of the freak out.
So this is the year that we finally go overseas. This is the year that we finally see the hard work put in by everyone at our church who has been working on this with us to see what God is going to do with us in the Philippines. This is the year of our Family On A Mission, living out the work that God has given us and our church to take His Gospel to the ends of the earth, may God give us His grace and mercy and strength as we transition from what we have known and been comfortable with to the unknown and putting more and more trust and faith in Him, our God, who deserves all praise and glory. Happy New Year.

Summertime

It is Memorial Day, the first day of summer, and one of the first hot days here in Texas. It reminds me that I am not in school. I now do not have to be in class at 7 in the morning, I no longer have tests to study for, I no longer have homework to be busy about, seemingly ignoring my family.
But the summer reminds me that fall is soon approaching, October/November feels like it`s right around the corner. I do not feel ready for the fall! There is training to complete, passports to purchase, still more stuff to sell, pack, and ship, language still needs to be learned. Decisions about where to live, what to take for the new house, what to get rid of, what to keep for when we return, and so much more! Not only that, there is still money to raise, still more connections within our church we need to make, still more books to read, and of course, still another Rathbun baby to be born!
Needless to say, God has a lot in store for us this summer, and while it is going to be exhausting, and very very time consuming, I know that it is going to be a fantastic adventure that God is preparing to send us on and I know that i speak for all the Rathbuns when I ask for your prayers as the summer gets going. That we will make sure to work hard to get ready, but that we would not forget to take the time to maintain our times with God in the Bible and prayer.