"Let the little children come to me.."

Hello blogosphere! I'm back to tell you some exciting news & to covet your prayers.

To celebrate our one-year anniversary, Tim and I have decided to take a week trip to Columbia and Panama. The motivation for this trip is to visit a very special little boy that God has sovereignly allowed Tim to meet about 5 years ago through an organization called “Compassion International.” His name is Alberto Jose Arrieta Zabaleta and he’s a nine-year-old living in the projects about 20 minutes southeast of Cartagena, Columbia where Tim and I will be staying.

Compassion International is an organization whose commitment and mission I respect and increasingly grow in love for. In the past, I participated in humanitarian programs like Amizade (the Portuguese word for “friendship”) and Habitat for Humanity in different areas of Latin America. I have come to appreciate those as primarily mercy ministries where the focus is on providing physical aid and shelter and increasing potential.

As I got married, God has taught me more about His incredible love for children through books like “Adopted for Life” by Russell Moore and passages like Matthew 11:25 and 19:14. Serving at Lighthouse Bible Church’s Fireflies ministry has given me a glimpse of how significant and precious a call it is to raise a child up in the fear and admonition of the Lord – to be honest, this terrifies me as I think about how I might be given care over my own little one’s soul in the next few years. It's because I’ve witnessed how important the formative years are in shaping a child’s growth & instilling Truth. It is important to provide physical amenities, but also to take in consideration the important task of sowing seeds of the gospel.

It’s because of all these things that I’m thankful for organizations like Compassion International. They are crystal clear in their commitment to the Word and state in their mission statement that they exist "as an advocate for children, to release them from their spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults."

They are "Christ centered, child focused, church based, and committed to integrity." You can find out more for yourself via the Compassion website.

As God provides these opportunities to support those who are doing gospel work overseas, especially in the lives of children, I am growing in my urgency & joy in being a part of it. There's no shortage of organizations that are trying to also do this kind of work - I encourage you to look into one you're passionate about & invest in eternal things!

If you have time, please pray for our time in Cartagena:

• · That we’d be able to build a relationship with Alberto & his family
• · For wisdom and discernment re: cultural differences & spiritual exhortation
• · For opportunities to share of our faith in the one true gospel
• · For travel safety
• · That Christ would be the one to shine the most brightly in our lives, and that we would give all glory to Him in all things

We are growing more and more excited and nervous as our ETA draws nearer! We will be gone from April 13^th-20^th. Thank you for praying for us friends, and we’ll make sure to post pictures & updates once we get back!