Hello to our dear friends and family! We wanted to apprise you of some work that the Lord has called us to. This spring we will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of our wedding. To celebrate this remarkable milestone, we had planned to go to Hawaii for ten days of sun, activity, and relaxation. We were so excited, we actually started saving three years in advance! But our plans are not always God's plans, and we are convinced that His plans are the best. Last year our small group Bible study was going through a video series on being a Good Samaritan. During a particular video, I felt my heart being burdened to spend the time and resources allocated for our anniversary trip on a mission trip instead. Just as the movie ended, I looked at Joel and realized that the Lord had given him the same vision. Our plans had changed.

Enter May, 2011. We will be taking our girls and heading to Vicente Guerrero, Baja California, Mexico for a week-long service project with Welcome Home Outreach (http://www.welcomehomeoutreach.org/). Joel's parents, Steve and Jackie Scott, are the directors of WHO, so we will have the privilege of serving beside them! We have been dialoguing for the past seven months or so trying to pin down what exactly we'll be doing. We're excited to get Hannah and Dana involved in the project, so we'll be doing some odd jobs around WHO, as well as throwing a celebration for the children in the Welcome Home daycare and preschool. (The girls are planning a bake-sale to raise funds for the celebration.) Only recently, however, has an appropriate project surfaced for the majority of our visit. We are hoping to raise funds sufficient to put a roof on a house for a family. They have been building it themselves but must get a roof on in the near future as they are being forced to move out of their rented home. The cost of the roof is about $1000, though the house will also need a door and windows soon as well.

We would like to ask if you would consider partnering with us in one (or both) of two ways:

1. Pray! We will be traveling about 3,000 miles with two littles in the backseat. We will also be driving through a few areas where safety is a concern. We will be doing work for the Lord, and Satan will want to battle us in any number of ways. Will you pray with us for strength, safety, sanity (!), and spiritual suppleness? (I thought the list would be easier to remember if everything started with an "s.") Also, pray for those that Steve and Jackie will put us in contact with in Mexico. We speak very little Spanish, but we're prepared to love on people through any other means the Lord puts in our way!

2. Finances. Because we had already saved for a trip, and because we are taking an extra five days to do some fun things with the girls, we have the money needed for travel, food, and lodging. That means that any financial support we raise will go directly to our building project. Any additional funds raised will go into Welcome Home's outreach and emergency fund for needy families. Online donations may be made via PayPal using the Welcome Home website "Make a Donation" link. Choose "Other" on the website and indicate "May Roof Project" as the description. We can also accept cash and checks, and will provide donors with a tax-deductible receipt upon our return. We're leaving May 15th, but PayPal donations should be made by May 13th to allow ample time for processing so the funds are ready when we get there.

Thank you for supporting us as the Lord guides and enables you. We're excited to serve Him in Mexico and to engage our daughters in cross-cultural ministry!