Written by Mary.
Dear friends,
The last few months have been so full - Ben going to EMT School, me farming through the summer, and of course us getting to meet our beautiful Joya Tov - that it's been easy for me to put off the question of funding for our mission.

Unfortunately, despite my greatest hopes, this question doesn't disappear with neglect. Neither does the process of funding magically become easier if just I slim our budget down to bare bones. While consulting with a veteran missionary (per. our pastor's advice), I was told with blunt honesty that this is going to take as long as God wants it to take in order to teach you what He wants you to learn.

I'm pretty sure He has a doozy of a lesson coming up because at this point three out of the four Churches that we were hoping might support us have said that they are not at a place financially to do so. If I could predict the future in my current mood of apprehension, I would say the fourth Church will probably have a similar response to our inquiries.

So, here we are again, hoping so very much that God gives us an open door to go to PNG in April and craning our necks to try and see the top of the wall that seems to be blocking the path.
Meanwhile, we are faced with the decision of whether or not to go ahead and purchase the tickets for our training trip to Romania. We have enough money set aside in savings to do this out of pocket if we do it soon and if we don't mind slimming our buffer fund down to a sliver.

TRUST. I do, but....
WISDOM. Are we just kidding ourselves?
ACTION. Do we take our current situation as a sign to back off and wait or to step forward boldly in faith?
Your prayers would be much appreciated... as would a monthly pledge (just being honest).

I know that getting into each others business is generally frowned upon in the Northwest, but we really, truly want your feedback on this one. Pray and tell us what you believe God would have us do. We are trying to listen to Him and to His people, the Church (that's you).

Thank you for your love, prayers, and support.
As ever, we are full of gratitude to God for the good people He has placed in our lives. Whatever comes of this season, we are thankful for you.
Love,
The Grimm Crowd