We have been busy traveling to churches and conferences, sharing our call stories, and growing our network of support. We look back and it can be discouraging that we haven’t made it to Oaxaca yet. Our goal was to be at 100% by now and in country. But that’s just it, it was our goal. God’s timing is not ours, and God knows when we will get there. Praise the Lord that we have a God who we can lean on, that teaches us patience, and that brings things together for good.

Sarah sharing at the IM workshop about our call to Oaxaca, Mexico.

In February we went to the annual Transformation Ministry conference in Pomona, California. While there we were able to connect with many individuals. We had the opportunity to participate in the IM led workshop titled “A Gospel Worthy Mission.” But I wanted to take a moment to share and reflect on an encouraging message we received from one of the main sessions, a message about God’s timing and serving for the long-haul.

We learned that in Arizona there is the largest closed ecological system ever created, known as Biosphere 2. It was originally created to test the viability of using eco systems like these in outer space as a substitute for earth’s own biosphere. One of the things they tested there were a tree’s ability to grow and thrive within this sphere. And what they found was very interesting. You see the tree’s actually grew quite rapidly, more so than outside of the dome. And while this seems like a promising start, what they realized was that before the trees could reach maturity, they would fall over. Rapid growth, but unsustainable. It was a head scratcher because as far as we could tell the atmosphere here should have been the same as out on earth. But there was one key thing that was missing, wind. Wind created stress on the trees. This stress caused the trees to grow more slowly. But it also creates stress wood in the bark which allows the trees to position better for sun absorption as well as grow more solid. 

The stress that causes us to slow down and prepare ourselves for the journey is important in our lives. We want things to go fast, to be ready in our timing. But for longevity we must be first grounded in God. And we must be patient to accept things in God’s timing, for the Lord will bring it together for good. Thank you all so much for being our support as we continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord. We will continue working and believing in God’s timing for our family. And we pray for all of you as well, that your walk with the Lord will be in understanding and patience. Through the stress, God is with us. And the Lord is building us up for longevity.

Thank you for praying for us and supporting us for the long-haul.

Blessings,

Luis and Sarah