One of many...

This is one of many posts that I'm sure you will read on my blog regarding the same subject. Most of my posts do not have an angle or an intent except to just write about things that are going on. This time, however, I am writing with an intent. My intention in sharing what I'm about to share is to ask you to join us in prayer! You'll understand why...

Last April, our friends the Riecke's left Fort Wayne to move to the Cincinnati area in order for Patrick to work on his Master's Degree in New Testament. To say that we were sad to see them go is an understatement, but certainly we understood their call. And by all means, we have witnessed our friendship stand the test of time since our one and only year together as classmates/roommates when we were all freshmen at Johnson Bible College.

Then, a few months ago (I can't remember exactly when it was), we received an e-mail from Patrick with a bold request: "Please join us in praying as we consider returning to Fort Wayne to plant a church." Immediately our hearts were stirred. We caught the vision instantly! Our understanding was that they were only considering it and had not felt that God had made it clear to them yet that this was the direction He was moving. Naturally, this was the direction we wanted them to move...both literally and figuratively! We missed our friends!
At the end of October, I was blessed to have the opportunity to serve the Riecke's by staying the night in the hospital with Kristen after she delivered her baby girl--Kelsey. During that time, I had some good talk time with both her and Patrick. It was obvious to me that Kristen was not yet sold on the idea (plus, with the hormones surging through her postpartum'd body, I'm sure it was hard to make sense of uprooting her family...again). This was good for me cause I came down a couple notches on the emotional excitment and became a little more realistic about the entire situation.
I came away and was able to pray more specifically. Eric and I continued to see so many reasons why this was a GOOD idea and how it could succeed and we were definitely on board 100%. We were just waiting for the call. Which didn't come for another couple weeks. In fact, the call didn't come in the exact manner one might have thought. It came by way of some very specific prayers and needs being answered by God on behalf of the Riecke's.

One thing that I always have known about Kristen in particular is that she is not afraid to put out a fleece for God. What I mean is that if there is something specific that she is looking for, she will pray and watch for that specific answer. It's a great quality to have. I think most of us pray and then make what we see work into what we want. Kristen prays and what is...is! And that is what happened. God showed up and answered on both the emotional level and the practical level. Making this vision more and more a reality.

It's amazing how their desire and God's leading toward this ministry actually changed the course of our lives. During the time that were praying for the Riecke's God did a work in our family by breaking us down and causing us to realize that we had our priorities all out of wack. A very good, yet painful experience for us. This change in us made us more available for our friends, which incidently was an answer to some specific prayers on their end. I love how God has caused our spiritual paths to collide time and time again!

And so I am asking you to join us as prayer partners. Planting a church is something that we know nothing about. Eric and I have been a part of newly started churches on a couple of occasions, but never part of something brand new. On every level we are excited and equally scared. We take heart easily though because we trust our leader. Patrick has done more research and planning than I would have ever dreamed of doing. He is gifted and driven. We are confident that his vision will be realized and we are blessed to begin as a part of it!
Monday, January 12, is the first gathering of the people who are being called to be a part of starting this church.
Please pray for this time and those that follow. I will keep you posted and you can also visit Patrick's blog: http://www.thedevelopmentfw.blogspot.com