The next step

So, here we are.  We've received our calling, we've gone through some training...and what's the next step?  Support raising.  Those short two words are so intimidating and daunting.  Our minds wants to shut down and cry because I know that life as a missionary involves this act of support raising.  But as our human nature wanted to cry and shy away from this step, our hearts was oddly at peace with this scary, but humbling task.  So...
Let us catch you up a little since our last post:
Jared, myself, and our teammates Brett and Nicole Ricley (as well as their baby, Jonathan!) had been praying about a date in which we are shooting to be out and living in Salt Lake City.  We knew going into this idea of asking God about a date would require a lot of prayer, meditation, fasting, and wisdom from others.  So we prayed about a date that had popped up while in conversation with our team, and God made it very apparent that we are to work towards this particular date: August 15th, 2011!  We believe the reason this date has been given to us is because of the new incoming freshman on the campus we will be working on, University of Utah.  We want to be there for them when they first start up a new step of life in college and allow God to utilize us to impact them from the get-go!
So, in order to make steps towards getting to this date we need to be in full time support raising, and quick.  We knew what this meant, and as young newlyweds we felt we were not ready to take this next step.  What was this next step?  What did being in full time support raising mean?  For us it meant giving it all to God and trust that He will provide.  Translation: it was time to put in our two weeks notice(s) at our jobs.  Again, we buckled down and prayed hard about this decision, and the answer was given in time.  I (Anna) was given this confirmation over a course of a couple of months as I am looking back at it.  I didn't realize that this was what God was preparing me for until I really started asking and seeking about this bold move.  So the answer was given and we gave the notice.  April 1st is the last day of work for Jared and I, and then we head to Iowa to meet with potential supporters.  We're really doing this!  Our hearts are racing and set on the next goal...to get to Salt Lake City!  We are excited yet nervous at the same time.  Will you pray with us as we start in on this faith journey?  At this point we need all the prayer support we can get as we walk in faith!

Burning the Ships

"This phrase 'Burn The Ships' comes from a historic conquest of history when, in 1519, Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez landed in Mexico on the shores of the Yucatan, with only one objective…seize the great treasures known to be there, hoarded by the Aztecs. Cortez was an excellent motivator, he convinced more than 500 soldiers and 100 sailors to set sail from Spain to Mexico, commanding 11 ships, to take the world’s richest treasure. For Cortez, the answer was easy. It was all or nothing! When Cortez and his men arrived on the shores of the Yucatan he rallied the men for one final pep talk before leading his men into battle, and utters these three words that changed the course of history. 'Burn the Ships'." (successsecretsatkempskorner.blogspot.com/2007/09/burn-ships.html) 

While we don't ascribe to the motivation of Cortez' speech given to his men, we become enthusiastic about the idea of "burning the ships".  For Jared and I, "burning the ships" means a taking a risk, or what is also known as walking by faith.  This is it!  We are fully giving our lives to ministry, and this is no easy road, folks.  Since our decision to devote our lives to full time ministry it has been one heck of a crazy roller coaster.  We've cried, we've struggled, we've been joyful, we've been "pee your pants" excited, and whatever else you can think of!  God is moving, and we've burned our ships to begin our journey of walking by faith.

So, let us catch you up a little...

A few years ago, 2 to be exact, Salt Lake City became a fairly consistent prayer in both Jared and I's lives.  And that's when the roller coaster started.  I (Anna) couldn't really jump on board with the whole idea of SLC (Salt Lake City) because it wasn't a big enough mission for me.  Missions for me meant going overseas or going to a place that no one else on earth would even dare to think of going.  Somewhere crazy, somewhere wild and dangerous...THAT was missions to me.  But as time went and as I grew, God continued to bring SLC to my prayers.  Jared was always praying about it, but I was so reluctant.  Little did I know that God was going to soon break me down and start yelling, "ANNA!  Listen!". 

   Jared and I spent a summer in Spain a couple years ago for our internships for school with a few others on our team.  One of those nights, in Granada, Spain, I was out for a run.  I was starting to take a run more often to have more time to pray with God.  This particular night I happened to be running around a corner and spot this odd looking line of something on the street.  So me, being a person who is easily distracted, decided to stop praying and running and look at this odd looking line...that was moving?  What??  I looked closer and it was a line of ants!  So what did I do?  I followed the line, of course!  I walk for a while just following it and followed them as the line walked up a tree.  And just as I was looking at the top of the tree my eyes caught gaze of this beautiful view of downtown Granada.  "What's so cool about that?", you might ask.  That view immediately brought the view of the valley of SLC, which we saw our very first trip out there a few months earlier.  God had captured my heart at that moment.  I cried and all I could do was thank God for opening my eyes.  I then ran back to the missionary host home down the street to get Jared and show him.  We came back to that same location almost every night to pray about SLC...while in a different city, in a different country and on a different continent!!  God is SO COOL!

So from there on out Jared and I pursued SLC, and we said we'd keep pursuing unless God gave us a stop sign...and thus far He has not.  God has developed both Jared and I's hearts for the young college aged people of Salt Lake City.  God has called us to love him and love each other, for that is how people will know we are followers of Him.  We are passionate about being involved in that age group's life.  So we were led to apply to Impact Campus Ministries and got accepted!

So...here we are...burning ships and allowing God to put our faith to the test, giving our lives away.

...To be continued   :)