In just 7 days our family will *If I can get my tush in gear and pack for 6 people* be packed up and headed to the airport to take off on our Cru Summer Mission to Athens, Greece.

Cru at KU has had a partnership in Athens for many years and its been our joy to see the ministry to college students in Athens grow over time. We send students there every summer and we send STINTERS there on yearly trips. It has been our prayer for a long time for Greek people to know Jesus and experience His love for them.

Last year we started sensing God asking our family to take a step of faith and serve in Greece. We prayed about moving there for a year but ultimately felt God leading us to spend the summer there leading a group of college students on a 6 week mission trip. We are thrilled to lead alongside our friends and co-laborers from here at KU who are also bringing their daughter.

I often explain to students that faith is a tunnel you walk through in obedience to God. We take Him at His Word and obey not knowing what the outcome will be. We know because of scripture that God’s will is for people from every tribe, tongue, and nation to know Him. And even though we serve in full time vocational ministry, Josh and I sometimes find our faith muscle growing weak. Its easy to start depending on our own strength, ability, and resources. As we prayed about Greece, we sensed God asking us to step out in faith and say yes to this mission trip before we had the answers or solutions to some of our ‘how do we get there’ questions.

We’ve learned that the only way to grow our faith muscle is to step out in faith without wavering. So we said yes. We started making plans for the summer even though the finances weren’t there and the details were overwhelming.

A friend asked, “What if you don’t get the money you need and the details don’t fall into place?” And by faith, and God’s grace, I answered, “Its not an option. God has said go so He will meet every need. Its what he does because faithful is who He is.”

A week ago Sunday, Josh told me a hard reality,  “Plane flights are booked. Air BNBs are confirmed. 7 students are coming with us. And we still need $8,000.” Gulp.

So we prayed. We asked God to provide $5,000 last week. He provided in amazing ways. A friend came to mind while we were praying and they sent $500. Another friend of our ministry sent thousands of dollars in a one time gift. God provided $6,000 last week. I like to picture Him smiling and saying, “Don’t forget who I am. I am the God who does immeasurably MORE than you can ask for.”

I write this for two reasons. One, God says our testimony is powerful. Maybe he is asking you to step out in faith in some way… maybe lead a Bible Study, reach out to a neighbor, serve at church, foster or adopt, serve the community, share about Jesus with a loved one, switch jobs, or anything else. So here is a reminder from one friend to another, faith is a tunnel you walk through. God won’t provide the answer or fix every detail BEFORE you step out in faith. He will meet you AS you step out in faith.

Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

The second reason I write this is a step of faith for me personally. I deeply value our friends and partners who keep up with our lives through this blog. And if God prompts you as you are reading this to partner with us prayerfully or financially for our trip we would be honored to link arms with you. If you are led to pray for us, will you shoot me an email and let me know so I can add you to our prayer letter list for monthly updates? If you are led to give to our trip, would you be a part of God answering our prayers for the $2,000 we still need by giving a gift of $100, $200 or any other amount? You can give a tax deductible gift here: give.cru.org/0617770

Thank you for stopping by. Thanks for prayers and for loving us well. We can’t wait to work with university students in Athens and share with them the best news we’ve ever heard.