His Power in My Weakness

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.  ”Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."

2 Corinthians 12:9

I haven't stopped thinking about this verse all night long.  Last night we received a message from a family friend letting us know that they wanted to be a part of our ministry team and they were hoping that we would ask them to join the ministry of MAF as we seek to follow Jesus in Indonesia.  Needless to say, we were (and are) thrilled that they would want to join our team.  But all night long, all I could do was think about how it would have been so easy for them not to send us a message, for it to just slide right under the table and not ever have been mentioned, for my lack of faith, my timidity in sharing His call, my weakness to have kept a generous and caring long-time friend from being a part of His Kingdom work in Indonesia.  


And all night long, as I have been thinking through my weaknesses, I have been reminded that He is perfected in my weakness.  That His power can come through in my weakness.  That it's not about me, it's about what He can and will do regardless of my fears and failures.  And for that I am thankful.


Thankful that He is the One who soften hearts.  He is the One who draws people near to Him.  He is the One who tenderly speaks to our heart and desires to be loved, because He first loved us.  It is He who does the work.  Whew!  A relief, and yet we are still called to share, to speak of His truth and love, and to act it out as His body here on earth.  


I am grateful, that despite my weakness, and in fact because of my weakness, He is made GREAT!  He can show His power.  He can dwell in me and strengthen the work that He is doing in my heart.  And He can give me the grace to boast only in Him and have faith in His plans and purposes!  


He is made strong and is glorified in my weakness, as I surrender to Him and let His power move me.

UPDATE: 50/50 Challenge

Yesterday was the official end to our 50/50 Challenge.  We have spent the past 50 days asking the Lord to build our ministry team by 50 financial partners and boy, did He answer our prayers!

Over the last 50 days, the Lord has added 27 new monthly financial partners and 38 new one-time partners.  Along with the increase in ministry partners, He has added over $6000 to our outgoing fund, which is now complete at over 100%! We have also seen an increase in our monthly giving by over $1600 per month!  Join with us as we rejoice in the goodness and faithfulness of our Lord!

We now lack only $760/month in order to be fully-funded and on our way to Indonesia!  That's only 30 people giving $25/month!

In the coming weeks we will be packing all our belongings into crates (or getting rid of them - email me for details on the items we are selling at agreenwald@maf.org).  After we have completed packing, we will head up to MAF Headquarters in Nampa, ID for Pete to complete his Flight and Maintenance Standardization, followed by MAF Orientation before our departure.

If the rest of our funding comes in and our Visas are approved by the Indonesian government, it looks as though we will be heading to Indonesia early November!

Shopping & Packing

A year ago we prayed for (and were assigned to) serve in Indonesia with MAF.  Just one year later we are seeing the Lord complete our financial ministry team - if He is leading you into financial partnership with us, it's not too late - and are beginning the tough job of shopping for and packing our crate.  

With lists from wives living in different Indonesian programs, along with our own personal preferences and items we already own, we have begun the adventure of shopping (the packing will come once our crates arrive and the shopping is completed).

To date, a couple trips to SAMs Club and a lengthy stay in the bedding section of Target have occurred.   With every trip, items on our list get checked off (not crossed, so I can see what we have purchased later on).  And with every trip our move seems more real.  This idea of moving half way around the world is becoming our reality... YIKES and YAY!  

Some friends, knowing the task of purchasing all the items we will need is large, have begun an online Going Away Party/ House Warming Shower.  Here is Valerie's invitation:

It's about time for the Greenwalds to take off to Indonesia.  We sure will miss them and I know you will, too!  I've asked the Greenwalds for a list of items they need in order to set up their home on the other side of the globe.

These items will be much needed and are either difficult or impossible to purchase in Indonesia.  

If you would like to help them, please choose an item(s) from the list on amazon.com or Sign Up Genius and send it to them as soon as possible.  Or, you can send a cash gift if you prefer.

Please postmark your gift by July 20th, so that they can begin packing their crates.

          Pete & Ashley Greenwald

          5650 Preserve Circle

          Johns Creek, GA 30005

Thank you so much for helping Pete & Ashley!  I know this will be a huge encouragement to them.  Please keep them in your prayers during this time of huge transitions.

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/2U006WZIRSNVP/ref=cm_wl_search_1

Sign-Up Genius: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090C4EAAA62CA02-greenwald

As our move becomes a reality, we are reminded of the amazing friends and family that we will miss so dearly when we are in Indonesia.  Many people have asked us if we are concerned or scared or nervous about our move.  The truth is that we are not.  We are only sad that each of you won't be able to physically join us on this journey, but we are so glad that through technology and your faithful prayers and support, we will remain in one another's lives!

Eternally Grateful and Incredibly Overwhelmed...

The last two weeks of our lives have been an absolute blur - to say the least.  On our drive out to Houston, we had the privilege of meeting the newest member of the Shanahan family, and oh my word is he PRECIOUS!  It's always so much fun for us to see them and we had a blast playing with Andrea and Jackson, and holding little Owen.  Did I mention that although I am a momma, I had COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN how to hold an infant.  Seriously, it looked like I had never been around babies in my life as I stood there in the kitchen holding Owen as Holly made dinner.  Pete thought it was hilarious, but I can honestly say that it made me nervous about ever adding another to our family...

We then completed the journey to Houston and had an amazing time with many Indonesians at the house fellowship, Indonesian Consulate, and IFGF Houston.  We are always overwhelmed by the generosity and hospitality of our Indonesian brothers and sisters in Christ - truly blessed, and overwhelmed (in a good way)!   We had the chance to fellowship, sing praises, and share in the Word of God, not to mention try the infamous Durian fruit.

Our host in Houston was a kind, caring, and incredibly hospitable man who will forever hold a special place in our hearts as just one of the many ways the Lord has shown himself to us along this journey of support raising.  No words can express the depth of our gratitude and the blessing we experienced while being in Houston with Irfan and the IFGF community.

We also had a chance to see some friend in Houston - shout out to the Gibson's, Uncle Tim, and Skinny - before heading to Longview for a much needed face-to-face goodbye with dear friends.

In Longview, we updated a very special small group on our journey and timeline, enjoyed dinner with our dear friends the VanBrocklin's, and had some dessert as we met little Logan Arnold for the very first time!  Our home away from home, the RV in the Ash's back yard, was as comfy and peaceful as we had remembered and we enjoyed being with the Ash family - picking out paint colors, shopping for Indo supplies, sharing meals, and being amongst family who have been where we are going and have helpful advice and tips for our journey!

Upon our return we said a few more goodbyes to Pete's brother's family.  The hugs were a little longer than usual and a few words my sis, Stephanie said will forever ring in my ears, "I can't believe I'm about to have a sister in Indonesia."  For this only child, those words are very special and even as I type this, I find myself tearing up - grateful that the Lord has provided in so many ways, including that childhood prayer of having sisters!  To both of my sisters - I love you and thank God for you (and my awesome brothers, too)!

God is incredibly good to our family and we are eternally grateful and incredibly overwhelmed by His faithfulness and love which is lavished on us.