the Dave and Shawn show: 53 Days and Counting...

We countdown to a lot of things in our family. We countdown to birthdays, Christmas, going to Antigua—and this time, Canada!

The last time we were in Canada was for Christmas 2014. That feels like a million years ago, especially considering everything that has changed. We’ve moved to Lake Atitlan (which is completely different than living in Antigua!), my sister gave birth to her second child, and my brother is about to get married. We’ve missed hundreds of days of normal life and all the laughter, and conversation, and fun that could have been had together. We’ve chosen to say yes to God’s call, and the cost of that decision has been high. Often painfully high.

We leave in 50something days to spend two months with our precious families and friends in Canada. The preparations are well underway, including buying gifts, scheduling to visit churches, and hiring a photographer to take some whole-family photos. I couldn’t be more excited about this trip... and thankful to the God that has made it possible by resolving our residency paperwork in time, and inspiring someone close to us to pay for our flights. God is so faithful to me in my weakness and homesickness.

As I’ve been preparing our ministry updates, I’m amazed to see how God has provided for us. We didn’t have the money to do everything we did in the past two years, and yet God figured it out every time. We’ve been lonely and discouraged, and He sent us friends to visit and encouraged our hearts with His Spirit. We’ve been sick, and tired, and hurt, and He’s picked us up and given us strength.

He’s been faithful. So very, very faithful.

In the past two years we’ve seen breakthroughs in both our personal life and our ministry. We’ve seen healings, a salvation, spiritual growth in the kids in San Pablo and in Z. We've learned about spiritual warfare in both the classic "casting out demons" sense, and in the prayerful rejection of depression, and discouragement. Prayer is no longer an optional activity, it's a life-source for survival. It's been an amazing two years, it really has.

As I reflect on my life away from Canada I realize that perhaps it is I who have changed... and I'm thankful for a God who holds my hand and guides me in the way I should go. It's not the easy way to go, but it's the right way and I am growing and changing and learning more about His loving character every day. The crazy thing is that I'm sure the same thing is happening to my family member too-- we have so much catching up to do!

So as we get down into the 40's, and then the 30's, and eventually to the days of actually packing suitcases and driving to the airport... I fix my eyes not on the sadness of missed days and "lost" time, instead I remind myself of the God who loves me enough to bring me to Guatemala-- and then help me get home again for a glorious two months as a family.

One of the ways God has provided for us is by sending friends to visit-- like the Snyders (Canadians!) in early June. The Snyders were our leaders during our DTS in 2013.