Events

Announcements and updates on the events we will be doing to raise awareness and support.

We HEART Washington!

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Going on swings is a luxury!

Our WA Visit, so far

WOW! It has been a bit too long since we last posted. We sincerely apologize and we blame it on the fact that we are still in the states and keeping busy each day. Our time in WA has been wonderful and we are so thankful for the rest and relaxation that we have been getting while at our home away from home away from home (make sense?) :) I know that I feel completely blessed to have some help with Asher, especially since I am becoming more and more pregnant each day! I think it’s safe to say that our little guy is loving being surrounded by his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and several cousins. Not to mention running around in the grass, going to parks, going on walks, picking blackberries and pretty much everything that we do not have the luxury of doing in Honduras. It actually brings a tear to my eye to think of taking him away from everything he seems to love so much here.

Taco Feed

Right now we are busy planning our 3rd Annual Taco Feed, which is our main fundraiser of the year (Thursday, Sept. 6th). It’s a time where we get to say our many thank you’s to all who support us while on the mission field. There is also a silent auction, free tacos, and a short time of sharing about our ministry in Honduras. We appreciate prayers as we prepare for this up and coming event!

We still have a couple weeks left in WA, until Sept. 20. We are looking forward to spending that time with family and friends and celebrating Asher’s 3rd birthday. Thanks again for your continued prayers and support. God bless!

Loving some smores at Birch Bay.

Believe it or not, we actually had some “fall like” days where Asher got to try his first hot chocolate. Him and his cousin Tye at Nana’s house.

And we can’t forget the Fair! Asher and his cousin Daisy on one of the many rides that we went on that week.

Asher and daddy at a Mariner’s game over Labor Day Weekend.

Goodbye Lynden

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Goodbye

Goodbye Woods Coffee. Goodbye outside runs and walks to the park. Goodbye grocery stores that have everything. Goodbye non-crazy driving conditions. Goodbye flushing toilet paper down the toilet. Goodbye delicious sushi. Goodbye purified tap water. Goodbye carpeted floors…I think I will miss you the most!

Bittersweet

So as you can tell, we have to say our goodbyes once again, and very soon. We leave this Sunday, after being home in the states for almost 5 weeks now.  Our goodbyes are bittersweet, as they usually are. We have loved being home in Lynden, seeing family and friends and enjoying all the wonderful conveniences that there is a lack of in Honduras! And I get a gulp in my throat about leaving both our families again, and taking Asher away from all the people that he is just starting to get used to and love again. But having a life in Honduras means we have loved ones there that we must get back to.  We have a job to do and God has called Chad, Trina, and Asher to do it. So alas, off we go once again!

In the pool at Sun Lakes Resort...Asher loved pool time!

Time Spent

We spent a week camping with my family in Sun Lakes for my parents 40th anniversary. We had a great time relaxing and watching Asher play with his cousins. From there, we spent the weekend in Seattle for Chad’s 20th high school reunion. We enjoyed taking Asher to Gas Works park where he could just run around and be free! And Chad had a great time seeing some old friends. After that it was just time spent with family and friends and some much needed dates with my hubby!

Asher and his cousin Tye playing together.

At Gas Works Park in Seattle. We had so much fun there!

Tacos, Tacos, and more Tacos!

The Taco Feed was a huge success and we couldn’t be more happy with how the night went. It was amazing to have almost 200 people come out and show their love and support to us. We are so thankful to my brother, Travis and his wife, Allison for coordinating the whole event, and to ALL who helped make that night possible. I wish I could personally write down all their names, but I will just say that our hearts are humbled and we are very grateful.

Getting food for the Taco Feed!

Out with Style

And to wrap up our time in Lynden, we are going out with style by attending the Northwest Washington Fair all week. Day one was a success with corn on the cob, corn dogs, kettle korn (do you see the theme?) and the Demolition Derby, which Asher loved. We hope to see some of you there, who we haven’t got to see yet. So if you see us, stop and say hi!

Asher enjoying some yummy corn on the cob!

At the Demo Derby!

Prayers Answered

By in Events, Personal Reflections, The Road No Comments

Well this has been a crazy week. You never know how much crud you have until it is time to move all the crud. The process of moving out of our house seemed like a never ending task – there was always just a little bit more or one more thing to take care of. But, I’m happy to report that we’re finished and officially homeless. It is a strangely unsettling and exhilarating feeling. It is unsettling just because we are without the security of home and facing a great unknown. Exhilarating because there is a sense of freedom being released from all our “stuff” and having life reduced to two suitcases. And then there is the bold and dashing adventure we’re about to embark on.

Adjustments

As Trina said in her last post, it was a rough first couple of nights while Asher adjusted to his new surroundings. On top of being exhausted from moving we got hardly any sleep those first couple of nights. Since then Asher has settled in and is back to sleeping through the night. What a difference a good night of sleep makes!

A Huge Answer to Prayer

God is good. If you read Trina’s previous post you saw our plea for prayers for her mom. She had a CT scan that showed a mass in her lung. On Friday they went to see a specialist in Seattle. What happened next is nothing short of incredible. Here is what Trina’s sister Lindy posted on Facebook:

Just leaving Seattle with amazing news for my mom! The cat scan report from Bellingham was my moms personal information but someone elses report! They did another cat scan here and her lungs are completely clear. The scans match up but the info reported to my mom did not match up as the report with the large mass in the lung were in a women with breast implants which my mom clearly does not have!

It was all a huge mistake and there is nothing wrong! After an emotional roller coaster we’re praising the Lord for that answer to prayer. Of course her good news is someone else’s bad news so we continue to be in prayer for that person.

Send Off Party Reminder

Our families are throwing us a “Send Off” Open House Party and we would love to have you join us. There will be appetizers and dessert to enjoy too! More details are below:

Where: Blake and Jody Starkenburg’s Shop (575 Pangborn Rd. Lynden)

When: Thursday, September 23, Open House between 5:30pm – 8:30pm

Prayers Needed

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Finally

Well, we finally did it…we are officially moved out of our house. It was a lot of work and we are glad to be done with that phase. Thank you to all those who helped with the moving process. We are currently staying in the basement of Chad’s parents house. It is comfortable and perfect for a short stay. However, Asher is having a difficult time with his new surroundings. He has been a bit out of sorts ever since we started packing things up. My heart breaks for him as he must be so confused with all that is going on in our lives right now. He does not sleep well at night, which means we don’t sleep well at night. We feel a bit burned out from all of this and appreciate the prayers.

Please Pray

As if we didn’t have enough going on right now, we recently got some scary news regarding my mom’s health. After a CT scan, doctors have found a mass on her lung. We are not sure what the mass is quite yet. She is going down to Seattle on Friday to have some testing done and hopefully get some answers. She is very scared, as are all of us. I have a tendency to think the worst, but we are hoping and praying that it is NOT cancer. This makes leaving all that much more difficult. It is clear that the devil does not want us to go to Honduras. He is attacking us in more ways than one and it is more than we can take right now. But God is good and we are trusting in Him through all of this. Again, we appreciate your prayers.

You’re Invited

We would love to see as many people as we can before we leave. Our families are throwing us a “Send Off” Open House Party and we would love to have you join us. There will be appetizers and dessert to enjoy too! More details are below:

Where: Blake and Jody Starkenburg’s Shop (575 Pangborn Rd. Lynden)

When: Open House between 5:30pm – 8:30pm

Progress Update

By in Events, The Road 1 Comment

Well we are about two and a half months from our move (September 25) so I thought I should give a quick update on our progress.

Goals Reached

As of right now, with what people have pledged and given, we will have all our living and travel expenses covered for our first year in Honduras. This is extremely exciting because it frees us to focus on ministry and helping the kids. To that end, this is what we are now focusing on:

New Goals Set

  1. The Raspberry Festival in Lynden – Every year the Lynden Chamber of Commerce has a booth where they sell raspberries and ice cream. They have given us the booth to use as a fundraiser. We just have to staff it with volunteers. The money we raise  will go towards a Christmas outreach and to purchase gifts for the kids in the feeding centers who’s families are too poor to get them a Christmas present.
  2. The Eagle’s Nest is a home for teenage girls who have been sexually abused and abandoned. Currently they live in a rented house. It costs on average a thousand dollars a month to house, feed, and school the girls. The Eagle’s Nest is currently funded until this coming November. It may be ambitious but we are hoping to raise $60,000 to purchase a house for the Eagle’s Nest and thus insure these girls have a home well into the future.
  3. The Feeding Centers provide meals for children who otherwise go to bed hungry. We have an opportunity to build another feeding center on donated land if we can raise the funds to build it. This will cost around $20,000. I just found out that we may have someone who is going to fund the building of the feeding center. We should find out by the end of the week if this is going to happen so please be in prayer for this.

Upcoming Schedule

Here is our schedule as it stands right now:

  • July 16-17 Raspberry Festival in Lynden (we need volunteers so pleas let us know if you can help)
  • July 18 Chad is speaking at Mission Christ the King in Mission B.C.
  • August 27 Chad and Trina will be speaking at Trailblazers
  • September 25 Leave for language school in Guatemala

If you would like to have us come to your church we would love the opportunity to share our hearts for caring for the needy in Honduras. If you would like to be part of any of these projects please contact me via the Contact page.

The Unexpected

By in Events, Personal Reflections, The Road 2 Comments

This post is way over due. I finally have a little time to catch up on a few things. Right now Trina and I and Asher are in a hotel room in Oak Harbor taking a little break over this long weekend. I know some of you are interested in the continuation of my previous post about how we were called to move to Honduras – it is coming but I need first tell about last week.

Last Thursday was our Taco Feed. We had a silent auction, fed everyone tacos, and told about what we will be doing in Honduras. The week leading up to the event was stressful. Trina and I found out it is a lot of work putting something like this together. On the Monday before the event I was feeling kind of overwhelmed and a bit discouraged. A lot of people, who I had hoped would be there, for one reason or another weren’t going to be able to make it. As I prayed Monday morning I said to God, “God I could really use some encouragement. I’d really like to know we are doing the right thing here.” I’m not sure I really expected God to answer that prayer. I thought I was just going to have to push through whatever way I could.

A Surprise Gift

I got to work at the church Monday morning and had an envelope arrive in the mail. I opened it up and inside was a note with a check. Someone who had come across our Facebook page and then went to our website had decided to send us some support. It was from a husband and wife and they explained that they are students so they couldn’t support us on a monthly basis but still wanted to help. The check was for $1000! Trina and I are incredibly humbled and thankful for their generosity. They brought us one more step closer to our work in Honduras. And I believe God used the timing of their gift to give us the encouragement we would need for the rest of the week.

A Place to Live

Another unexpected thing happened on Tuesday. A missionary family in Honduras that works with the same ministry we will be working with contacted me. They have been there for a number of years and are wanting to take a sabbatical for a year. So they offered us the use of their house and vehicle for the year while they are gone. This was another big boost of encouragement. Having a place and vehicle all lined up for us when we get there would be a huge blessing. It would give us time to get settled in instead of dealing with the pressure of immediately setting up a home from scratch. There are still details to work out so please pray that it does work out.

The Taco Feed

Thursday night was the Taco Feed. I have to tell you, Wednesday night Asher was up in the middle of the night for a couple hours so Trina and I were exhausted to start the day on Thursday. I think that is how God wanted it. He was prepared to do a great work and he wanted us to remember that he did it, not us. And what a great work he did. We’re not sure exactly how many people were there but  it was around 100. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. For Trina and I it was a great time and we really felt loved and supported by those who came. What was even more amazing was the response we had from everyone who came. When all was said and done we added up what was raised by the silent auction, the one time gifts, and what was pledged in support (so this isn’t all in cash but what was promised for the next year) we raised close to $15,000.00!

Thank You!

There really aren’t words to describe our gratitude. We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support we have received so far. To everyone who has promised to pray for us and everyone who is supporting us financially – Thank You. I wish there were words to adequately convey how you have blessed us.

If you weren’t at the Taco Feed, or if you were and want to see it again, here is the video we showed that night that tells about some of the work we will be doing in Honduras.

Taco Feed Event for Honduras

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What: A Taco Feed

When: May 20th at 6pm

Where: In the worship center at North County Christ the King

Why: To learn about Chad and Trina’s plans to move to Honduras

We would be honored if you would come to this special event. We will have a taco bar for dinner and a typical Honduran dessert. There will be a small silent auction and a short program where we will share about the work we will be doing in Honduras.

We would appreciate it if you would RSVP with this form or by giving us a call (we need to know how many tacos to make).

You may email us directly through this form:

* (denotes required field)

A Huge Success

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Let the Chaos Begin

This past Saturday there was a garage sale at my parents house in Lynden, where all the proceeds were given to our Honduras fund. My sister-in-law, Allison, and my cousin, Jody, decided to put this sale together to help us raise money. So they, along with countless others, began to collect items to sell.  About a month prior to the sale, items were being collected at my parents house, in their extra bedroom. The room was packed full! And this was just my siblings things. As of Wednesday, other people began to bring items and the chaos began. Organizing and pricing would be no easy task, and would take 3 days to complete. There were tables filled with candles, picture frames, toys, dishes, books, movies, CD’s, clothes, and more! There was no way this would all fit in the garage so we put tables in the driveway too. Now our biggest prayer was for sunshine and lots and lots of people!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

The weather forecast did not look good for Saturday, April 24. We all prayed that the sun would come and the rain would go. But bright and early Saturday morning, the rain decided to come…and stay.  However, living in Washington state always makes one prepared for the rain, and rain or shine, this garage sale was going to happen! My dad had got tents from the fairgrounds as well, just in case. And it’s a good thing he did! We used about 5 or 6 tents in the driveway to keep things dry. We were concerned that the rain might keep the people away. But our God is so much bigger than we give Him credit for and once again, He proved it. The people started coming first thing in the morning, and they kept on coming and coming and coming. Despite the rain, there were tons of garage salers out and about.  And in the end God blessed us with $3000! He is good!

A Heartfelt Thanks

Chad and I cannot even begin to describe our thankfulness to all who helped make this event possible. Thank you to Allison and Jody for orchestrating this whole thing and choosing to bless us in such a huge way. And a special thank you to my parents for allowing the garage sale to take place at their home. And thank you to my sisters for being there for the past 4 days to help set up and price everything. And to countless others who donated items, as well as those who spent their time and effort to make the sale a huge success. We are so grateful and appreciate of your kindness, generosity, and love. May God bless you richly!

Calling All Garage Sellers!

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My wonderful sister-in-law, Allison, and my cousin, Jody, have decided to have a garage sale for Chad and I. All of the proceeds will be going to our support raising for Honduras. The garage sale will hopefully be sometime in March or April. We will keep you posted with more information on this event. However, if you are interested in helping or would like to donate any items, please feel free to contact us.

Thanks Allison and Jody for your generous hearts. We appreciate you so much!