“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11).

After preparing for so long to serve in Ireland (our pen name was the O’Donnel family), it has definitely been an adjustment to begin preparing for our new destination, Thailand. We had fallen in love with the Irish people and planned for cold, rainy weather, but now we are going to a place that has a totally different culture, and the weather is hot. We had purchased winter jackets (we are from Florida, and we don’t have real winters here), but thank God, we were able to return them. Now I have given away all of our jackets and sweaters and kept just a few things to use when we go somewhere cooler. I have to admit that giving so much away has made us feel quite light. We are now planning to ship perhaps one box and take the rest of our things in our suitcases. Rene and I were talking about how hard it can be to get rid of all the little things accumulated over the years that have sentimental value, but at the same time it is so liberating.

All of this reminds me of our spiritual life. Sometimes we collect bad habits, memories, thought patterns and sins and carry them throughout our lives. But God wants to clean our hearts of all these things and liberate us from their weight that holds us back from what He has in store for us. God’s plans for our lives are always the best. We are excited that He is the One who leads us and that life transitions are best with Him.

We are excited that this fall we will be in Thailand to share this liberating, life-changing message of salvation and God’s love. Please join us in prayer and become part of our team.

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