50/50 Challenge

Today is the day!  Today, we begin 50 days of asking God for 50 new ministry partners.  We have seen the Lord do some mighty things along this journey to Indonesia and we have had enjoyed the last 10 months of focus on building our ministry team of financial and prayer partners.  It is no doubt that the Lord has done great things for us and we are excited to see how He answers our prayers for the remaining 25% of our support goal.

If you don't already know, Pete and I (Ashley) have been called into mission aviation and will be moving to Indonesia soon!  We are entering the final stretch as we begin packing and complete some training at MAF headquarters, but we cannot go to Indonesia until we are at 100% of our ministry support.  We look forward to seeing the Lord complete our ministry team and to beginning ministry in Indonesia.

If you are feeling led to be a part of the team that SENDS US - please check out the "50/50 Challenge" tab at the top of the blog, watch our video, and sign up online at www.maf.org/greenwald.

Send Us | Video

The Lord has called us into mission aviation with Mission Aviation Fellowship. We will be serving Him in remote areas of Indonesia, using Pete's skills as a pilot/mechanic to meet others' physical needs and sharing the love and transformative power of Jesus. We look forward to all He has in store for the years ahead! Check out this video for more information on our calling, MAF, and how you can be a part of building His Kingdom in Indonesia!

Over a Year in the Making | A Haircut

Over the past 16 months of Cade's life, he's grown in a lot of ways.  He's gotten taller, he's grown stronger, he's moved from a liquid only diet to eating everything (even spicier foods) he can get his hands on, he's started walking (I'll post a video of that - it's precious), and he's even learned some key words and signs to help us know what he wants/needs.

One thing that has grown along with all of these great things, is his hair.  While we loved the blond, wispy, curly locks on his head, it was time for a cut.  Here's a before and after shot of our little man.

Hospitality

hos·pi·tal·i·ty

  [hos-pi-tal-i-tee] 

noun, plural hos·pi·tal·i·ties.

1.

the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers.

2.

the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way.

We've been told time and again that hospitality is key, that when we move to Indonesia we will be face-to-face with a hospitality that surpasses anything we have known.  I would posit that we do not need to leave Georgia to witness such hospitality.  In fact, the hospitality that we encountered yesterday overwhelmed our spirits and was used by God to increase our excitement for our move to Indonesia.  

You see, on Sunday we had the pleasure of joining some Indonesian families in Atlanta for worship and teaching and fellowship.  As we entered the church we were received with a warm reception.  We were blessed by kind words and friendly faces.  We sang, we listened and we spoke.  We watched children dancing for their moms, I received a special gift for being a mom, and we smelled amazing Indonesian food as we shared time loving and worshipping our Lord together.  And then, then came the fellowship with delicious dishes, encouraging conversation, and too many "thank you's" to count.  We were thanked.  We were served. We were given generous gifts.  So that we can move to their home country and speak of Jesus to a people they already know and love.

                    

As I sit back and reflect on the generosity and hospitality we experienced yesterday, I am in awe.  I am grateful.  I am convicted... to be more generous.  To be more welcoming.  To be more hospitable.  And to serve Him more by loving and serving His children both here and in Indonesia!

Sunday we caught a glimpse of what is in store for us in Indonesia.  We experienced hospitality at its best.  And we heard more Indonesian words in the span of 4 hours than we have ever heard before!  

God continues to remain faithful to His call on our lives and is preparing us for the next part of our journey with Him - in Indonesia!   

We serve a good and faithful and mighty God!

Open Seas

Pete and I are approaching our 5 year anniversary.  CRAZY, huh?  5 years of life, love, many dreams fulfilled, and so many more to come.  To celebrate this half-a-decade of marriage, we took a much-needed vacation and paired it with some great friends.  Here are a few of the outtakes from an amazing week on the open seas.

The Boys

The Girls

Greenwald's

Webb's

Enjoying Vacay!

Karaoke... Why Not?

Yay!!!

Good Times, Great Friends!

God Gave Me You*

Second Date: Flying - Mom needed to take a picture "just in case"!

Our First Flight Together - Many more have come and gone since then, and many more will take place!

When Pete and I began at MAF, one of our tasks was to write our story on paper.  The story that God had planned and purposed, the reason we have gone through the ups and downs, the ways He has always guided, loved, cared, led, and carried us - both individually and together.  

As Pete and I were writing our testimonies, we noticed something very special, incredibly unique, and yet so very perfectly us.  Each of our personal stories start out differently.  They speak of when we came to the Lord, when we actually put our allegiance in Him instead of just offering Him lip-service, and how He has continued to grow us.

Individually called, uniquely created, and specifically gifted to serve Jesus as a mission aviation couple.  

Recently we were sharing with a Sunday School class and I was standing back in awe all over again at how God took two very different people, called us separately into full-time, overseas mission, and brought us together to do life and share Jesus.  WOW!  Sometimes it still blows me away.  

We could not be more grateful for His call on our lives and for bringing us together and showing us, after 8 years of friendship, that He had bigger plans, a better life, support, love, and encouragement to give through the gift of each other.  He can use us together better than separately.  

On our first date, Pete and I wore a hole in a Dave Barnes CD.  We still pause when we hear Dave, when our song comes on Pandora or the radio, and we even sing some Dave to Cade.  It is music that reminds me of God's faithfulness to provide ALL we need, and offers some extra blessing as well!

On my own I'm only half of what I could be

I can't do without you

We are stitched together and what Love has tethered

I could never undo

God gave me you for the ups and downs

God gave me you for the days of doubt

God gave me you for the ups and downs

God gave me you for the days of doubt

For when I think I've lost my way

There are no words here left to say, it's true

God gave me you

Gave me you

Gave me you*

*Lyrics copyright of Dave Barnes

Reflections During Holy Week

Today, as I was driving to the airport pick Pete up from his trip to AK, I heard a song as though it was the first time.  Perhaps it's because this is Holy Week.  Perhaps it's because I've been reading a book about speaking of Jesus (not religion) to people.  Perhaps it's because we are getting close to a big move to demonstrate Jesus and the power of His love to people who have never heard.  Perhaps...

The song goes like this:

 Let the glory of Your name be the passion of the church.  

Let the righteousness of God be a holy flame that burns.

Let the saving love of Christ be the measure of our lives.

We believe, You're all to us.

As we enter into a time of celebrating His sacrifice, love, and resurrection, may this also be a time of reflecting on our own lives - how do we speak of the beauty of Christ, His free gift of grace, the power of His resurrection, and the transformation He has made in each of our lives.  How do we speak of Jesus?