Just a couple weeks ago, we woke up at my parent’s house in NH and started packing for our trip back to Dallas.
Last Minute Trip Home
We hadn’t planned to be home this summer, but after a several year battle with cancer and dementia, my grandmother passed away on August 9th. Thanks to the generosity of several people, we were all able to be there while I (Luke) conducted the funeral the next week.
Grammie was very special to us. Our daughter Grace Vera carries her name because of the deep and lasting impact she made on our lives.
Grammies legacy to our family is one of deep faith. She endured a very difficult life, losing her first baby at birth and then enduring a difficult marriage to an abusive alcoholic. Through all her difficulty, she never became bitter over her circumstances. Instead she maintained a deep joy.
The reason for this was simple. Instead of staking her claim in her circumstances, she staked her claim in her God. She found strength in Him and that produced deep joy.
(If you’d like, you can listen to what my Dad and I shared about her life here.)
One of the things drawing us to Haiti is that we see this same joy there.
Our friends there face incredibly difficult circumstances. The poverty is mind bending. Yet in the midst of that, in the lives of many believers, we see profound joy. The reason: they aren’t staking their claim in their circumstances, but in their God.
But the work is not done. So many do not yet know this joy.
Our hope, as we serve in Haiti, is not only to help people improve their circumstances, but also to help them develop a deeper trust in something that transcends them – in God.
Prayer Requests
As we dive into September, would you pray with us about a few things?
Personal Development Plans (PDP): Currently we are in a phase of spiritual preparation in our Crossworld PDP’s. Would you pray that God would help us to see the things we need to see in this phase?
Dogs: As much as we love our two dogs, we know it would be difficult to bring them with us. As we begin to look for a new home for them, would you pray with us that God would help us find the right place?
Fall Travel: Fall is a busy season for us. This month Luke will head to Chicago to visit with students at Moody and Wheaton for DTS. Next month, he’ll head to California. Would you pray with us that God would help us to function well as a family during this busy season?
We’d love to know how to pray specifically for you. If you have something we can pray about for you, reply to this email and let us know!
Love,
Luke, Becca, Grace and Lydia
