Dear friends,
First of all, Merry Christmas! Emmanuel, God with
us... this is truly a reason to celebrate! And although I know the true
meaning of Christmas, with all the busyness, it still takes me a while
to weave through the commercialized Westernized 'Holiday' season, and
really savor our Savior's birth.
I just watched a 5 minute video clip
from a group called Journey of Faith who 'spontaneously' started
singing in a mall last week... well worth watching! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnt7euRF5Pg
Quick update on our housing situation... Praise the Lord, we have a contract pending on our house!
What
most of you don't know is that we have another house that we were
unable to sell a couple years back... No, we aren't that rich... I
worked for the largest builder in the area for 6 years and as an
employee, I was able to purchase houses at 10-20% discount. So we did!
However, when the housing market took a plunge a couple years ago, we
were unable to sell the house but we decided to proceeded with buying a
smaller house anyway, to save on our monthly costs. We've been renting
the larger house out in the meantime.
All in about a weeks time,
right after we
decided to postpone moving to Belgium, we received news from our rental
agency that our renter was moving out end of December AND a family at
church said that they were ready to move forward with the purchase of
the house we are living in now and had been trying to sell!
It also
happens to be that if I were to refinance our rental house right now, it
would lower the interest rate by almost 3%! But we have to be living in
the house to get that rate...
Hmmm... I think God is up to
something here! To make a long story short: we will be moving to our
'rental' house first week of January and closing on our other house
shortly thereafter! Through all this I am reminded of Acts 17:26b
"And He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live."
In His Service,
Jonathan & Grace
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
December Update 2011
Dear friends,
God has made it clear that we are to stay put for another 5 or 6 months. Our house did not sell in November, a deadline we had put in place in order to be able to move this year. This will allow us though, to enjoy the birth of our son in familiar surroundings (mid-February) and then after Grace has recovered, we will make the international move. Given our circumstances, both our church elders and our sending agency (OM) have agreed to this new time frame.
Praise God that we have received news that the Belgian government is scheduled to handle my Belgian citizenship application in April 2012. If they approve, I will then become dual citizen (US-Belgian) and won't be needing visas anymore... which I do not have yet either. I never imagined that when I left Belgium 10 years ago, it would require so much paperwork to move back to the country where I was born! Ironically the naturalization paperwork I had to fill out was a lot less work than the visa paperwork!
Although a missionary life isn't all roses and sunshine, I am very honored and privileged to be able to serve God and His people full-time in Belgium. A BIG "Thank You' to all who have made this possible through your faithful prayers and financial support. We are very excited to be at the 88% mark in support commitments. For those of you who have already started giving, thank you! Those gifts are adding up and will be made available to us once we arrive in Belgium.
Many of you know that I am a foreman for a 3-year old landscape company. The birth of the company was clearly orchestrated by God and it has been great working closely alongside Ryan, the (Christian) owner as well as a great friend. We are very excited that God has added another Christian brother and friend to the company this week! Jim has 20+ years of landscaping experience and will be a tremendous help in leading this company as he starts taking over some of my responsibilities.
God's hand is at work in our lives, and it's exciting to see the puzzle pieces fall in place in His perfect timing! To Him be all the Glory!
In His service,
Jonathan & Grace
God has made it clear that we are to stay put for another 5 or 6 months. Our house did not sell in November, a deadline we had put in place in order to be able to move this year. This will allow us though, to enjoy the birth of our son in familiar surroundings (mid-February) and then after Grace has recovered, we will make the international move. Given our circumstances, both our church elders and our sending agency (OM) have agreed to this new time frame.
Praise God that we have received news that the Belgian government is scheduled to handle my Belgian citizenship application in April 2012. If they approve, I will then become dual citizen (US-Belgian) and won't be needing visas anymore... which I do not have yet either. I never imagined that when I left Belgium 10 years ago, it would require so much paperwork to move back to the country where I was born! Ironically the naturalization paperwork I had to fill out was a lot less work than the visa paperwork!
Although a missionary life isn't all roses and sunshine, I am very honored and privileged to be able to serve God and His people full-time in Belgium. A BIG "Thank You' to all who have made this possible through your faithful prayers and financial support. We are very excited to be at the 88% mark in support commitments. For those of you who have already started giving, thank you! Those gifts are adding up and will be made available to us once we arrive in Belgium.
Many of you know that I am a foreman for a 3-year old landscape company. The birth of the company was clearly orchestrated by God and it has been great working closely alongside Ryan, the (Christian) owner as well as a great friend. We are very excited that God has added another Christian brother and friend to the company this week! Jim has 20+ years of landscaping experience and will be a tremendous help in leading this company as he starts taking over some of my responsibilities.
God's hand is at work in our lives, and it's exciting to see the puzzle pieces fall in place in His perfect timing! To Him be all the Glory!
In His service,
Jonathan & Grace
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Time for tickets?
Dear friends,
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3: 5-6
Crunch time has arrived... As most of you know, we are working towards moving this year in order to arrive in Belgium at least a month before Grace's due date (mid February).
Praise God that we have reached 81% in support commitments! This is a HUGE answer to prayer and it means that we can purchase plane tickets now, while working on the remaining 19%. However... we cannot board the plane until our house is sold.
We are torn between purchasing the tickets by faith vs. what if God has a different time table... It is our desire to be able to move this year, but we are at peace to whatever time frame God has for us. We are eager to close a chapter in our life and open a new one in Belgium with the birth of our son.
Other than the practical and emotional implications of not moving this year, we have seen God move through people in the area of support commitments, which leads us to believe that He wants to move us sooner than later.
However, we will not be moving without a couple more miracles... Would you pray with us for these miracles? As I was struggling through the timing of our departure this weekend; praying, seeking council and reading His Word; two verses stood out to me...
"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." John 14:13-14
"Apart from me you can do nothing. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you." John 15: 5b,7
Our Father knows what's best. We think we know what's best. We rest in His sovereignty. We make plans, commit them to Him, and He will make our paths straight. Jesus taught us to "ask and it will be given to you" (Matt 7:7), so by faith we are asking for:
- our house to sell in November. If it doesn't, we are probably looking at early summer next year before we would be able to move to Belgium
- our visa's to process quickly
- the remainder of the support to come in
Would you also pray for us as a family. Not knowing for sure when we are leaving combined with the desire to 'nest' in preparation for the baby is emotionally very taxing...
Thank you so much for battling with us on this journey.
In His Service,
Jonathan & Grace
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3: 5-6
Crunch time has arrived... As most of you know, we are working towards moving this year in order to arrive in Belgium at least a month before Grace's due date (mid February).
Praise God that we have reached 81% in support commitments! This is a HUGE answer to prayer and it means that we can purchase plane tickets now, while working on the remaining 19%. However... we cannot board the plane until our house is sold.
We are torn between purchasing the tickets by faith vs. what if God has a different time table... It is our desire to be able to move this year, but we are at peace to whatever time frame God has for us. We are eager to close a chapter in our life and open a new one in Belgium with the birth of our son.
Other than the practical and emotional implications of not moving this year, we have seen God move through people in the area of support commitments, which leads us to believe that He wants to move us sooner than later.
However, we will not be moving without a couple more miracles... Would you pray with us for these miracles? As I was struggling through the timing of our departure this weekend; praying, seeking council and reading His Word; two verses stood out to me...
"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." John 14:13-14
"Apart from me you can do nothing. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you." John 15: 5b,7
Our Father knows what's best. We think we know what's best. We rest in His sovereignty. We make plans, commit them to Him, and He will make our paths straight. Jesus taught us to "ask and it will be given to you" (Matt 7:7), so by faith we are asking for:
- our house to sell in November. If it doesn't, we are probably looking at early summer next year before we would be able to move to Belgium
- our visa's to process quickly
- the remainder of the support to come in
Would you also pray for us as a family. Not knowing for sure when we are leaving combined with the desire to 'nest' in preparation for the baby is emotionally very taxing...
Thank you so much for battling with us on this journey.
In His Service,
Jonathan & Grace
Sunday, October 23, 2011
OM Belgium Video
Dear friends,
Follow this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9x6-AJXSaY and this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_PRFQhYReA
to watch video testimonials about the work we will be involved in with OM Belgium.
Please pray for God to send out more workers to this harvest field. Pray for strength for the team members at OM Belgium as they are very under-staffed at the moment.
It is our desire to be able to join the team before the end of the year, giving enough time for us to unpack and settle before the arrival of our son in February. Please bring the following items before the throne of our Loving Father:
-The sale of our house
-Belgian Citizenship or visas
-The remaining support needed (27%)
Some have asked what 27% means, so here is how that breaks down. We need an additional $1400/month for the next two years.
This can be met by:
-14 people committing to $100/month, or
-28 people committing to $50 a month or
-140 people committing to $10/month, or by
-one time gifts totaling $33,600.
Or a combination of them all!
Thank you for your prayers! We serve a great God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills!
In His Service,
Jonathan & Grace
Follow this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9x6-AJXSaY and this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_PRFQhYReA
to watch video testimonials about the work we will be involved in with OM Belgium.
Please pray for God to send out more workers to this harvest field. Pray for strength for the team members at OM Belgium as they are very under-staffed at the moment.
It is our desire to be able to join the team before the end of the year, giving enough time for us to unpack and settle before the arrival of our son in February. Please bring the following items before the throne of our Loving Father:
-The sale of our house
-Belgian Citizenship or visas
-The remaining support needed (27%)
Some have asked what 27% means, so here is how that breaks down. We need an additional $1400/month for the next two years.
This can be met by:
-14 people committing to $100/month, or
-28 people committing to $50 a month or
-140 people committing to $10/month, or by
-one time gifts totaling $33,600.
Or a combination of them all!
Thank you for your prayers! We serve a great God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills!
In His Service,
Jonathan & Grace
Monday, September 26, 2011
The battle is the Lord's
Dear friends,
Life is a battle! And the more we seek to do the will of our Father, the more intense the battle gets. Aren't we glad that the God we serve is far greater than he who is in the world?!
Work has been busy and very taxing on me lately. I have not had much time for family and certainly no time to communicate about our calling to serve with OM Belgium! Is it a coincidence that after a focused and determined effort in support raising, that work gets hectic and consumes all of my time and energy? I think not!
Am I super spiritual that I recognize this right off the bat? I think not! Actually God convicted me last week after reading this passage in I Samuel 17:47
"All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."
Here you have a young David standing in front of Goliath, a seasoned warrior. I'm sure David was a talented and skilled young man. He knew what he could do with a sling and a stone... yet he recognized that this was not David vs Goliath but GOD vs Goliath! He could have relied on his God-given skills and taken down that giant... but he didn't. Instead, before taking down the giant, he proclaimed victory to all and accredited this to God, knowing that this was not his battle, but God's. Then, relying on God, he used the skills God gave him to take down the giant.
So here is what many of my workdays look like... I have tasks to accomplish and deadlines to meet. I make plans and then get thrown a curve ball. No problem, I have skills and resources, I get the job done. Oh yeah, did I mention that God wasn't one of those resources...! Ouch!!! I could learn a thing or two from David!
I am a bigger-picture kind of guy, but I certainly often fail to see the BIGGER picture and thus fail to involve the God who is bigger than the situation! Work is a battle... one I fight all too often in my own strength...!
But let me also tell you a GOD-story! July 25th we were at 38% in support commitments. By the end of August, God brought us all the way up to 70%!!! This battle belongs to the Lord! We are currently just under 73%. With our son due to be born in early February, it's important to make our international move soon. We are hoping for the end of November. Would you continue to lift us up in prayer?
-Please pray that we get to 80% very soon, so that we can buy plane tickets!
-Please pray for all 100% to come in by the end of November.
-Please pray that God will sell this house and relieve us from this financial obligation (Or if someone would like to pay off the rest of our mortgage, I'm OK with that too!!! My dream would be to turn this into a missionary guest house!)
-Please pray for margin, that we will have the time and energy to share about our calling.
-Please pray that my (Jonathan) Belgian citizenship will come through soon, so we don't have to mess with visa's.
-Please pray for unity and understanding in our family.
-Please pray for Grace and the girls, as the implications of moving away from friends and family are already starting to have their emotional effects.
Thank you so much!
Jonathan & Grace
Life is a battle! And the more we seek to do the will of our Father, the more intense the battle gets. Aren't we glad that the God we serve is far greater than he who is in the world?!
Work has been busy and very taxing on me lately. I have not had much time for family and certainly no time to communicate about our calling to serve with OM Belgium! Is it a coincidence that after a focused and determined effort in support raising, that work gets hectic and consumes all of my time and energy? I think not!
Am I super spiritual that I recognize this right off the bat? I think not! Actually God convicted me last week after reading this passage in I Samuel 17:47
"All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."
Here you have a young David standing in front of Goliath, a seasoned warrior. I'm sure David was a talented and skilled young man. He knew what he could do with a sling and a stone... yet he recognized that this was not David vs Goliath but GOD vs Goliath! He could have relied on his God-given skills and taken down that giant... but he didn't. Instead, before taking down the giant, he proclaimed victory to all and accredited this to God, knowing that this was not his battle, but God's. Then, relying on God, he used the skills God gave him to take down the giant.
So here is what many of my workdays look like... I have tasks to accomplish and deadlines to meet. I make plans and then get thrown a curve ball. No problem, I have skills and resources, I get the job done. Oh yeah, did I mention that God wasn't one of those resources...! Ouch!!! I could learn a thing or two from David!
I am a bigger-picture kind of guy, but I certainly often fail to see the BIGGER picture and thus fail to involve the God who is bigger than the situation! Work is a battle... one I fight all too often in my own strength...!
But let me also tell you a GOD-story! July 25th we were at 38% in support commitments. By the end of August, God brought us all the way up to 70%!!! This battle belongs to the Lord! We are currently just under 73%. With our son due to be born in early February, it's important to make our international move soon. We are hoping for the end of November. Would you continue to lift us up in prayer?
-Please pray that we get to 80% very soon, so that we can buy plane tickets!
-Please pray for all 100% to come in by the end of November.
-Please pray that God will sell this house and relieve us from this financial obligation (Or if someone would like to pay off the rest of our mortgage, I'm OK with that too!!! My dream would be to turn this into a missionary guest house!)
-Please pray for margin, that we will have the time and energy to share about our calling.
-Please pray that my (Jonathan) Belgian citizenship will come through soon, so we don't have to mess with visa's.
-Please pray for unity and understanding in our family.
-Please pray for Grace and the girls, as the implications of moving away from friends and family are already starting to have their emotional effects.
Thank you so much!
Jonathan & Grace
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Meyer Update
Dear Friends,
Praise God! We have reached 63% in support commitments! We serve a great God!
As some of you might remember, our goal was to have at least 80% by the end of August. We are still praying for that! We have less then a week now, so would you join us in prayer for this? God is not bound to our time frame, but he does takes pleasure in giving good gifts to His children.
So what happens if we don't meet the goal?
1. Pray! Pray! Pray!
2. Then Pray again!
3. Commit to giving $10 or $20 / month
With over 600 friends receiving these updates through Email or Facebook, $10/month adds up when given by many. Our remaining need is just under $2000/month. (Less then $1000 to get to 80%).
The commitment would be for 2 years. Automated giving is an option for those in the US. All gifts can be send through the OM office in the country you live in.
If God has prompted you to become a financial partner, let me know since it takes a couple weeks for it to process through OM. I challenge you to overwhelm my inbox with replies!!!
A BIG thank you to all who are praying and to all who have already committed to support us financially!!!
In His Service,
Jonathan
Praise God! We have reached 63% in support commitments! We serve a great God!
As some of you might remember, our goal was to have at least 80% by the end of August. We are still praying for that! We have less then a week now, so would you join us in prayer for this? God is not bound to our time frame, but he does takes pleasure in giving good gifts to His children.
So what happens if we don't meet the goal?
Both OM and our church have told us we need to be in Belgium by January. If we aren't, they will reconsider whether they still want to send us.
Introducing the budget friendly way of being part of His ministry in Belgium!1. Pray! Pray! Pray!
2. Then Pray again!
3. Commit to giving $10 or $20 / month
With over 600 friends receiving these updates through Email or Facebook, $10/month adds up when given by many. Our remaining need is just under $2000/month. (Less then $1000 to get to 80%).
The commitment would be for 2 years. Automated giving is an option for those in the US. All gifts can be send through the OM office in the country you live in.
If God has prompted you to become a financial partner, let me know since it takes a couple weeks for it to process through OM. I challenge you to overwhelm my inbox with replies!!!
A BIG thank you to all who are praying and to all who have already committed to support us financially!!!
In His Service,
Jonathan
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Perfect Timing
Dear friends,
Perfect timing! Oh yeah, for those of you that haven't heard the news yet, we are expecting our third child in February 2012!
Soon after the weekend that the Lord confirmed for us to move forward on plans to move to Belgium this year, we were pleasantly surprised with the news of new life. We still believe we are to stay on track with the timing of the move, and pregnancy has only fueled the cause. If any doubt existed before Sunday's sermon on 'pursuing God's call on your life', it is now gone!
"Come, follow me" Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Matthew 4:19-22
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, " I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family," Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
Luke 9:57-62
Earlier last week I (Jonathan) ran across the verse below during a Bible study... it hit particularly close to home for me.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. Luke 5:4-7
Sometimes I feel like I've been working hard all week and not made any progress in regards to fulfilling the call to move and minister in Belgium... Still God is telling me to let down the nets once more. Will you pray with us that our nets will be overflowing with people who desire to be part of the work God is doing in Belgium?
-Praise God that we are nearly half way there, support wise (46%).
-Continue to pray for the sale of our house and for Belgian citizenship.
-Pray for clear focus as Grace helps prepare the girls for the school year amid the occasional bout of nausea.
-Pray for Ryan, the owner of Pinnacle Landscape & Design (where I work), as I transition out and he presses forward without his right-hand man.
-Praise God that the summer heat wave has broken and it's 10 degrees cooler now.
-Pray for unity and peace, as the adversary fires his darts at us, trying to discourage and derail.
Thank you again for praying! We are well aware that we can work hard and cast nets all we want, but without prayer, we work in vain.
Jonathan & Grace
Perfect timing! Oh yeah, for those of you that haven't heard the news yet, we are expecting our third child in February 2012!
Soon after the weekend that the Lord confirmed for us to move forward on plans to move to Belgium this year, we were pleasantly surprised with the news of new life. We still believe we are to stay on track with the timing of the move, and pregnancy has only fueled the cause. If any doubt existed before Sunday's sermon on 'pursuing God's call on your life', it is now gone!
"Come, follow me" Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Matthew 4:19-22
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, " I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family," Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
Luke 9:57-62
Earlier last week I (Jonathan) ran across the verse below during a Bible study... it hit particularly close to home for me.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. Luke 5:4-7
Sometimes I feel like I've been working hard all week and not made any progress in regards to fulfilling the call to move and minister in Belgium... Still God is telling me to let down the nets once more. Will you pray with us that our nets will be overflowing with people who desire to be part of the work God is doing in Belgium?
-Praise God that we are nearly half way there, support wise (46%).
-Continue to pray for the sale of our house and for Belgian citizenship.
-Pray for clear focus as Grace helps prepare the girls for the school year amid the occasional bout of nausea.
-Pray for Ryan, the owner of Pinnacle Landscape & Design (where I work), as I transition out and he presses forward without his right-hand man.
-Praise God that the summer heat wave has broken and it's 10 degrees cooler now.
-Pray for unity and peace, as the adversary fires his darts at us, trying to discourage and derail.
Thank you again for praying! We are well aware that we can work hard and cast nets all we want, but without prayer, we work in vain.
Jonathan & Grace
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