.An Invitation.

I want to invite you to link arms with my family and I and join in a story that is so much bigger than us. I want to extend an invitation to you to partner with us in our ministry in Ethiopia. Let me be clear, in order to follow Jesus, one does not have to have a passport. We are called to go, but not because we are any more special or spiritual than the family that is called to stay here. I want to apologize if that is the message that I have communicated here. That has truly not been my intention. It has been a long five years of growth for me, and it has taken me awhile to learn that we all must follow Jesus wherever it is He calls us, however it is He asks us. All Kingdom work is essential, and following Jesus with our whole being can happen anywhere.

Having said that, I also believe that all Kingdom work is collaborative and cannot be done in isolation. Our family needs you. We need you to invest in our story and join it. God has clearly called our family to move across the ocean to Ethiopia, and we believe just as much that He is calling other families to stay here and to pray for us - to stand in the gap and fight for the souls of these street children - and to sacrifice financially for them -for us to go to them. We are all needed in this story. It is how God will bring Himself the glory. It is not about our family. It is about Jesus and His fame!

It is humbling and embarrassing for me to be back in this place - asking sisters and brothers for money. I cannot even tell you how much my flesh hates this. HATES it. It seems as if God keeps pushing us to places beyond ourselves where we have to stoop ourselves and ask for help. I do this nervously, almost crouching in defensiveness, weary of judgment from others.This is pride, and I confess it. It is also a lack of trust in my God. But I know that I know that I know that God is calling us to this, and that we cannot do it alone. I know that He is already putting a desire in hearts of His people to partner with us. And that is so mind blowing. Our God is so big and creative, and He has the perfect plan for this to all fall into place.

So I am swallowing down my biting pride, and I am just coming out and sending you an invitation to help us. We have a need that we have to reach in order to move to Ethiopia, and we cannot do it without you. Would you consider joining this story? Would you consider sacrificing for our family in one or some of the following ways?

• Pray. I know, I know it sounds obvious, but we need people holding our arms up in prayer. Would you commit to praying specifically for the finances that we need to launch Mercy Branch Inc. and move our family to Ethiopia by January 2014?
• Give. We need financial partners. We need monthly supporters committed to giving a set amount every month until our guest house is sustainable, and we need one time donations to help us with our move and getting established in Ethiopia. All gifts are tax-deductible pending our 501(c)3 clearance.
• Share. Maybe you are just not in a financial position to give. We get that. We really do. But maybe you know of someone who has a heart for missions and a little change to spare.Would you please invest in us by sharing about our ministry and needs on social media, your friends, your spheres of influence etc., or connecting us with your faith family?

To learn more about our ministry and needs go here, or to make a secure donation, please go here.

We will also be launching a 50fifty50 campaign starting this Thursday. To learn about this, please go here.

{deep breath} Okay, we have swallowed our pride and asked,and now we leave this need up to God believing He can do far more than we could ever imagine or think! (Ephesians 3:20) Will you believe with us?

Thank you so much in advance. Thank you for continually encouraging our family, for your grace and mercy and love for us. If you choose to partner with us in one of the three ways above, please leave me a comment and let me know. I would love to be able to personally thank you.