Just two short years ago if someone had asked me if I went to church, I would have answered hesitantly.  Not because I didn’t want to go, but because we hadn’t found a place where we could be firmly rooted.  We both grew up in church and knew we wanted it for our family, yet finding that fit wasn’t easy.

Now, we can’t imagine being anywhere else.  The growth we have experienced both separately and as a couple has been life-changing.  To see this ministry develop from the very beginning has given me such a new perspective on my faith.  Today, as we send our first mission team to Panama, I pray for safety, growth, wisdom, strength and renewal, both for the team members and those with whom they’ll be working.

While I am most definitely no theologian, I knew I wanted to include a scripture so I began to search.  When I arrived at Acts 13, I felt it was very fitting as it seems to relate the story of Paul’s first missionary journey.  Just as we are sending our first team, it seemed completely perfect.  The final verses really hit home for me, discussing how Paul and Barnabas faced persecution. 

So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them…and the disciples were filled with joy and wtih the Holy Spirit.  Acts 13: 51-52

I certainly don’t pray for opposition or persecution, yet in the face of such, I pray that my friends too will be filled with joy and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.