The Little Light House

These last several weeks have been the best of times and the worst of times. It has been painful to say goodbye to so many friends and family, and we've dealt with some major curve balls. Praise God, we have a potential buyer for the house, but our working visa still seems distant. Our plane tickets are ready for us to leave on March 11, so we are praying for visas! It has been quite complicated. Once we receive some paperwork from China, I will need to travel to Austin to see the Secretary of State to verify some notaries. We pray that God can use the trip to Austin for his good and that he will clear a way for us to get to China ... quickly.

There have been many wonderful moments. After our glorious trip to California with Joni and Friends, I was able to volunteer for two weeks at the Little Light House in Tulsa, a Christian school for young children with special needs. What precious preschoolers! Not only was I able to learn some practical training, but also the Little Light House has offered to serve as a resource. Along with Joni and Friends and a few individuals in Texas, the Little Light House will be part of our “special team,” experts in the area of special needs. Thank you, Lord!

Also, we are so thankful for your continued support, which has been extremely encouraging. We are beginning to disperse our photo magnets, and we look forward to our Commissioning Service at 5 pm on Sunday, March 4, at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Waco, TX. If you are anywhere in the area, we hope you will come. Last Sunday, we had a great send off from the Tulsa area at Braden Park Baptist Church, and the Sunday before, we were blessed by a Free Methodist congregation near Stillwater, OK. Even in the midst of trials and setbacks, God is so good!
~Kevin

Joni and Friends

“You must be tired,” the man said. He was right, of course. Our whirlwind trip to California was tiring – exhausting – but I smiled and said, “Empowered.” We will always remember these days as amazing and challenging and invigorating and rewarding.

We didn’t get a chance to meet Joni Eareckson Tada herself, but we got to embrace her vision and ministry and legacy. When Joni’s accident left her paralyzed in 1967, she thought her life was over. Her injury was so severe that she wasn’t capable of suicide, but she was ready to shut off emotionally and spiritually. But through the gracious hand of God, Joni has done way more than survive. Motivated by love and redemption, she has been able to impact the world. Her organization Joni and Friends currently ministers to people with disabilities in 45+ countries, including the city in northeast China where we will be living. The organization we are joining partners with Joni and Friends.

From the time we landed in California to the time we left 48 hours later, Dayna and I got to visit with leaders in Joni’s organization. A conversation with one of these leaders would have impacted our lives ... much less several staff members. It’s hard to describe the effect of speaking with one leader after another after another. It’s why I can only smile at the end of the day and say, “Empowered.”

~Kevin

Divine Appointments

It is truly incredible how God brings people together for his purposes. Divine appointments have consistently surfaced throughout our lives, but they never cease to amaze us. Today, we were at Baylor to have lunch with a friend who is from Beijing. In fact, she just returned a couple of weeks ago from visiting her family in China. She shared how she was privileged to lead 64 people to Christ in 14 days – 64 divine appointments with taxi cab drivers, family members, store clerks and fellow passengers on the plane. God is so good!

While still at lunch, we randomly (or not so randomly) encountered some friends we haven’t seen in months. Also, I (Kevin) was able to visit with Dr. Gloer, my favorite professor from seminary. I hadn’t seen him since I graduated in 2006.

God has been bringing others into our lives as well. While speaking at First Baptist Crawford on January 4, we were able to meet a leader in the special education field. She has passionately worked with children affected by disabilities for over 20 years, and she wants to help us in any way she can, giving advice, creative ideas and even equipment if possible. In a few weeks from now, we are excited to meet with more special education experts, and we’ll be honored to meet with representatives from Joni and Friends, a ministry that “is dedicated to extending the love and message of Jesus Christ to people who are affected by disability around the world.”

And we believe that you who are reading this post right now are not reading by accident. In some way, you too can serve the Chinese people. Even if you aren’t fluent in the Chinese language or aren’t an expert in the field of special education, there are still important roles to be filled. After all, we are not fluent or certified either. We just care.

So whether God’s divine appointments are “planned” or “spontaneous,” they are exciting. We are honored to be a part of God’s plan; we hope you will join us.

Diaper Duty

Hudson had a look of panic. “Daddy, my diaper, my diaper.” I stood there. Did Hudson really just say that? Wow, I didn’t even know he could say the word diaper much less put together a phrase like that. I was really impressed. He’s growing up. But then my proud moment turned into concern. I couldn’t remember the last time I changed him, and I knew Hudson generally doesn’t like his diaper to be changed – that is, unless things had gotten particularly unpleasant … “Oh, okay, Hudson. Sorry. But wow, good job just now.”

We weren’t exactly sure how January would look, though we knew this month would be about preparation. We’re still preparing our house to sell; we just paid for a new roof (ouch). We have long to-do lists of arrangements and China VISA requirements and last-minute doctor visits. We are meeting with people and speaking at a few churches. It is amazing how God brings us together to carry out his work. It’s exciting.

We also have been able to practice the Chinese language. Of course, this often translates into repeating phrases while building foam block castles with Molly and Hudson. But hey, just two days ago, Molly told me, “Dad, I want to speak Chinese,” and Hudson joyfully threw in “wu” (the number “five”) when Molly and I were counting, “yi, er, san, si ...”

Most importantly, though, Dayna and I have been able to devote more time these days in spiritual preparation. God is empowering us and teaching us that he is enough, that we can fully trust him as we move across the globe. And maybe just maybe … God will empower us with great perseverance as we guide Hudson from the land of diapers to the land of potty training. Now that will take much prayer, indeed! Thanks for journeying with us. ~ Kevin

40 Days

The plane tickets are purchased! On the morning of March 11, we will be flying from Houston to Beijing. On my birthday, March 13, we should arrive in our new apartment in northeast China. Of course, there’s still a lot to do in the next few months. For one, our house hasn’t sold yet. It may seem surprising, even crazy, that we have already purchased plane tickets, but we are trusting God’s provision and timing.

Also, in terms of timing, my last day as a hospice chaplain will be December 31. From a human perspective, this does not make sense either. Being a chaplain with Texas Home Health Hospice has been a wonderful job, allowing so many ministry opportunities, and it has allowed us to take care of our financial needs since I started in 2007.

But a few weeks ago, when I was reflecting on a passage in the book of Matthew, the words “40 days” and “preparation” really stood out to me. I asked the Lord what this meant for us, and immediately, the thoughts that were given to me were: ‘You need to resign in 40 days.’ Really?

Later that day, I asked a coworker, “What’s 40 days from now?” She looked at me and said, “Why? Will that be your last day?” In surprise, I said, “I don’t know. Maybe.” 40 days were the remaining days of 2011. When I mentioned this to Dayna that night, she said, “Let’s pray about this some more.”

I agreed. I didn’t want us to do anything foolish. If God was behind the thought of 40 days, he would confirm it. So we continued to pray. Every time I read Scripture, God confirmed it with words of trust and faith and obedience. Every time I simply thought about it in my own perspective, the resignation seemed ridiculous. I would say things like: “But God, we’re able to do so much good ministry right now, right here in Texas. Besides, I could at least work another month or two.” And each time I would debate with God, he would remind me of passages like Acts 8 when God sent Philip away from Samaria (which was in the midst of revival) so that the Good News could impact another country.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, Dayna and I were in agreement. We felt God’s peace for me to turn in my resignation for December 31, 2011. China, here we come.

~Kevin