Supporting a Missionary

Wow, you send out one email saying that you are switching to part-time, but still fully committed to see the project through and people start dropping like flies. This month I got only half of the support that I need. Now I am desperately looking for a job to make ends me and wondering how I will complete my commitment if I have to start working full-time someplace else.
People are so faithless! It is like the last ten years of my life don't count for anything. The faithfulness. The sacrifice. The commitment. I never took a high salary, most years my gross income was less than $12,000. There were times when I didn't have enough money to buy groceries, but the Lord was faithful to make sure that I was able to eke it through the month. The Lord was always faithful. And obviously still is. I just wish people were more so.



Struggling with my attitude today. Could use a little uplifting in prayer and encouragement. I just feel deserted in my hour of need.
Sigh. Maybe I will elope after all. That would at least cut down on some of the cost for the next few months: both because I wouldn't be trying to pay for a facsimile of a wedding celebration and because Ken and I could consolidate our living expenses! Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Mission's Fest

I am off to Mission's Fest Vancouver this weekend. I leave tomorrow morning, God willing. There seems to have been a lot of "resistance" to my going to this conference for some reason. Spiritual resistance. I was in Klamath Falls visiting Ken two weeks ago for a few days and got stuck there by the weather and wasn't able to make it down until yesterday. I ended up coming back to Salem by train because of concern about my driving through the icy/snowy roads. The train ride was supposed to take 5.5 hours and took about 7.5. It was four hours late to start with, so instead of getting to Salem at 4pm I didn't  make it till after 11pm.
That has only left me today to finish my preparations and pull my booth display together and iron out all the other details and pack. My flight is at 10am Thursday morning. Since I had to leave my car family is dropping me off and then I'll figure someone out to pick me up too or take the shuttle.
This Mission's Fest is a bit different for me as I am also supposed to be taking a workshop. Please pray for that too as I know what I want to say but am still nervous about it. There will be up to 75 people there. Please pray for God to use that and to help me say what He wants and to know how to communicate and get my audience's attention and challenge them. Please pray that the booth will come together as well. And that I won't completely stress out. :)
Thanks.

More About Ken

Ken and my niece, Seraya

I am sure that many of you are curious about Ken. I told you a little in my last blog about how we met and what not, but there is always more to tell. :)
I've been traveling down to see Ken a few times over the last couple of months and of course he has come up to see me a couple of times too. It is a little more difficult for him because of the hours he works (usually 4am-2/3pm. But since I can work from my computer anywhere... Besides, I'll be moving down here in a couple of months anyway, so it is nice to begin the adjustments. I'll have to include some pictures of the area next blog.
Ken is 15 years older than I am.

Ken and Max

But yes, we are still planning on having a family. We've talked a lot about that and what we want. I want a few more kids than he does (but then, most people don't want 20, so that wasn't a big shocker. Eventually, we are hoping to move to eastern Oregon, but for now we will stay in Klamath Falls.
We're in the middle of renovating the house. Well, Ken was when we met and I have been able to join the process. My contributions consist mainly of organizing and cleaning, but sometimes those are very valuable things. And cooking (and maybe a little baking ;)  ). Hopefully we'll have the house done in a couple of years. It is a pay-as-you-go project, so it'll take a while, but that's ok. We both have plenty of other work to keep us busy too!
Yes, Ken has a dog. Max is going on 11 and he is absolutely loveable and a shameless beggar! I think I'm going to enjoy having a dog in the house!

A New Journey!

This last year has been full of journeys, from the kind you take in a car or airplane to the kind you take with your heart or mind. The journey that I have been on most recently is one the incorporates a little of both of those, but is primarily a journey of the heart.

Ken and I

In October I met the man that God has for me. We met on eharmony which sets you up to get to know each other well in the emotional sense. As soon as we could we met in person and things just took off from there. I've never talked on the phone so much in my life! Thank goodness for cell phones! We got engaged in December and are planning our wedding for May. It's been a wonderful whirlwind so far!
His name is Ken. He lives in southern Oregon about five hours south of me. He works locally as a logging trucker. And he's the man God has for me. I've wanted to get married for more than twenty years (I'm 32, and no, I wasn't planning on getting married at 10 or 12, but was looking forward to it and figured I'd get married between 18 and 21 like my mom and other family members), but Ken is worth the wait. I've never met a guy before that I didn't feel that I would have to "settle" for in some way or another. Ken and I are very much in step with each other. We share the same spiritual foundation and are both active in our faith. We share dreams and goals and a sense of humor! Our household will certainly be full of laughter!
I am very much looking forward to this coming year to see how this journey that God has brought us on will continue!
And we would very much appreciate your prayers for us as we begin building our two lives into one.