Whoops, I did it again ...

I (and Karen ... and Camille) just sent our second son Shane off to Thailand to do a DTS with YWAM in Chiang Rai. And our first son - Thomas - is still leading a DTS team outreach with YWAM students from the Chiang Mai DTS that ends in Feb this year.

What an experience! Firstly getting Shane (love you son) onto that plane, and then dealing with the adrenaline deficit that has hit since yesterday morning. And then hearing (last night) that Thai Airways misplaced his backpack - in other words it didn't turn up at Chiang Rai airport baggage carousel with the rest of his gear!

Karen was feeling the stress a bit when she heard the news ... and she reminded me this morning that it wasn't fair because we had specifically prayed that his baggage would NOT get lost. Hmmm ... crisis of faith here potentially for me ... until God inspired me that if we prayed it in Jesus name, then it would surely come to pass. And so I said to Karen, it's not lost - just misplaced. Shortly after, I rang Shane on his mobile to be informed that he was at the airport picking up his backpack :-)

Isn't God good, and He is true to His word.

It seems so strange having our two boys both overseas on missions. As I just said ... God is good. Just when we thought it would be really quiet around here with only Camille (my daughter) and Karen home, and knowing that Karen and I are going to Thailand to help Thomas bring all of his stuff home in February, and Camille would be by herself (no bro's or folks) - one of Camille's old school friends decided to move back to Perth and needs somewhere to stay. So Camille has temporarily lost another bro, but gained a "sister". So as Shane would say ... "welcome to the hood Rebecca!"

Tomorrow morning I am preaching (sorry ... bringing the word) at 11/9 Church in Langford. This is the new house church Karen and I have been attending. It started on September 11th, 2005 - which expains the name (pronounced "eleven nine church").

It's funny how God's Spirit moved in a number of loosely connected people at the same time last year to leave their established churches and to step out into something new. Karen and I had both felt that it was time for us to leave Bethel Life Centre for several months, and eventually decided to make the move in August last year. When the pastors there asked us where we were going, we answered that we didn't know yet, but that God was leading us into something new to do with missions. Maybe a church with a HUGE focus on missions, or a new church! After all, missions is our passion ( oh okay ... and worship).

Karen and I both feel that one day we would like to do a Crossroads DTS with YWAM (thats a DTS for oldies like us). I have known in my spirit for some time that we were destined to be a missionary family. It is slowly coming to pass!

I remember during one of the last services that I worship led at Thornlie CoC about 5 years ago, that I played a segment of a video recording of Bill Gaunson's message (just before he was killed in that car accident) where he says "the only kind of Christian God wants is a missionary minded Christian". Those words obviously really impacted me, and it was not long after that when God turned our lives upside down and started preparing us for what lay ahead.

And so Shane is just beginning a 5 month experience of discipleship and cross cultural missions in nothern Thailand, and Thomas is drawing to a close his 3 year involvement in the Chiang Mai DTS - firstly as a DTS student, and then 2 years of staffing.

God has grown Thomas into an awesome leader, and a fine young man whom I am looking forward to spending time with again when he returns to Perth in February. If you want to read what God is doing in Thomas' life at the moment, go here ...

If you want to follow Shane's journey over the next few months, go here ...

And in 5 months it's back to Thailand for Shane's graduation. We're already praying for God to bless us with cheap airfares so that all 4 of us can go back for the big event. Hmmm ... I wonder if the kids will come to Karen's and my graduation if we do a Crossroads DTS?

To quote Napoleon Dynamite ... "peace out".