Wow! What a fun journey God has us on. Excitement is mounting as we move closer and closer to our departure date. We don't want to miss out on any of what God is doing in Cambodia. He is really at work and we can't wait to join Him. Along that line we are asking each of you reading this if you would join us in praying specifically for God's provision. I copied text from an email I sent which will explain a little better:
Hello again from the Ohlin's. A very humble and appreciative thank you to each of you for your prayer and financial support of where God is leading our family. We are so thankful for each and every one of you who is joining us on this journey. I wanted to update you on where we are at currently and let you know what we as a family are up to this week. First, we are right about 50% of our monthly pledged gifts (which we are so thankful for). However, we really feel like God is calling us to be over in Cambodia by July 31 and in order for that to happen we need to be at 100%. A big task for us but pocket change for our God. With that in mind, we would like to ask each of you to join our family in praying specifically for God to provide for our needs so that we can make it to Cambodia in 33 days (by July 31). The 6 of us are bringing this request specifically to God and trusting in His provision. He has been beyond faithful so far and we are confident He will contiue to be. A few of the verses we are reading as we bring this request to God are:
Mt. 18:19-20 : “Again I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them. “
Eph. 2:8-10 : “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith—and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Jer 29:11-13 : ”’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 a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’”
Thank you so much for joining us in this. We look forward to reporting back about God's faithfulness and provision. Again we appreciate all of you. God Bless!
Thanks for reading. We will report back.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Obedience
The pictures, from top to bottom are: a unique picture of Abby (in green shirt), Abby's friend Tara, Cameron and our missionary friend Nicole; Alex and Nicole; a goofy picture of Carolyn, Cameron and Me; our Family.I guess it is time to update our blog again. To me it seems a little pointless or boring since not much has changed but we might as well let you all know what’s going on in our lives. As many of you know we were thinking we would be in our new home by now but that isn’t the case. It is hard to explain all of the emotions that we are feeling on a daily, if not hourly, basis. As it becomes clearer that each of our hearts are 10,000 miles away, life here only becomes more of a paradox. We are trying to “connect” here while at the same time we are trying to say good-bye and unplug. If that sounds hard to do at the same time, you are absolutely right. This is where well meaning people will chime in and tell us ‘well you chose to do this”. To which I say an overwhelming “you’re right”.
You see, we are by no means complaining when we describe to others how where we are right now can be a hard place at times. But the fact that it is a hard place doesn’t by any stretch mean it is a bad place or that we would go back and change where we are for anything. We love the place that we are at but at the same time refuse to pretend that it is always easy. I look at the position that we are in similar to a story of Peter in Bible (Matt.14:22-33). He was in a boat on a lake when a violent storm came up. He saw a “ghost” walking toward him on the water and when he realized it was Christ he wanted to go out and see Him. So Christ called him out and Peter stepped out of the boat, where it was relatively safe, into the stormy water. That’s where Peter needed to go if he wanted to join Christ. Similarly, our family has felt a compelling call to join Christ where he is working in Cambodia. Our “boat” is America and its predictability and safety…what is yours and where might Christ be calling you to step out and join Him? Moving a family of 6 to a third world country is counterintuitive to man and may seem a little ridiculous but in order for us to join Christ, Cambodia is where WE needed to go. Into the “storm”, where it isn’t necessarily comfortable or “safe”. We had to get out of our boat of comfort and predictability and step out in faith. Easy? No. Good? We think so.
When it gets down to obedience, especially as a follower of Christ, for me to really grasp it I have to boil it down to a very easy to understand level. So to do that I look at my relationship with my kids and liken that to my relationship with God. I was thinking the other day about our 4 year-old Cameron when he was helping me carry a piano bench across the room. He really thought his contribution was making a difference. But what I realized was that no matter how much he tries he really doesn’t have much to offer me. Now before you start calling me nasty name and thinking I am totally insensitive, let me explain. He doesn’t have anything tangible to offer me. As his dad, he can come to me and offer his strength in lifting something. Or offer the penny in his pocket (or maybe even a quarter if he’s real rich) when I am buying a treat. Or maybe he offers a great idea for solving a perplexing problem. Whereas I listen or even receive what he has offered, it hasn’t really made a huge difference. But what can he offer? His priceless gift of his heart in relationship and obedience. Again as it says in God’s word, “To obey is better than sacrifice.” So too for us, we may sacrifice our money which to God may even amount to a whole quarter but what He really wants from each of us is our hearts in relationship and our obedience. After all, that is really all we have to offer our Father that He doesn’t already have. Just like a 4-year-old and his father.
So that is where we are these days. In the midst of obeying without seeing the end result. Struggling sometimes but always confident that we are obeying and trusting that God, who is all powerful and all good, is in control and has our best interest at heart…just like a father is to his 4-year-old.
You see, we are by no means complaining when we describe to others how where we are right now can be a hard place at times. But the fact that it is a hard place doesn’t by any stretch mean it is a bad place or that we would go back and change where we are for anything. We love the place that we are at but at the same time refuse to pretend that it is always easy. I look at the position that we are in similar to a story of Peter in Bible (Matt.14:22-33). He was in a boat on a lake when a violent storm came up. He saw a “ghost” walking toward him on the water and when he realized it was Christ he wanted to go out and see Him. So Christ called him out and Peter stepped out of the boat, where it was relatively safe, into the stormy water. That’s where Peter needed to go if he wanted to join Christ. Similarly, our family has felt a compelling call to join Christ where he is working in Cambodia. Our “boat” is America and its predictability and safety…what is yours and where might Christ be calling you to step out and join Him? Moving a family of 6 to a third world country is counterintuitive to man and may seem a little ridiculous but in order for us to join Christ, Cambodia is where WE needed to go. Into the “storm”, where it isn’t necessarily comfortable or “safe”. We had to get out of our boat of comfort and predictability and step out in faith. Easy? No. Good? We think so.
When it gets down to obedience, especially as a follower of Christ, for me to really grasp it I have to boil it down to a very easy to understand level. So to do that I look at my relationship with my kids and liken that to my relationship with God. I was thinking the other day about our 4 year-old Cameron when he was helping me carry a piano bench across the room. He really thought his contribution was making a difference. But what I realized was that no matter how much he tries he really doesn’t have much to offer me. Now before you start calling me nasty name and thinking I am totally insensitive, let me explain. He doesn’t have anything tangible to offer me. As his dad, he can come to me and offer his strength in lifting something. Or offer the penny in his pocket (or maybe even a quarter if he’s real rich) when I am buying a treat. Or maybe he offers a great idea for solving a perplexing problem. Whereas I listen or even receive what he has offered, it hasn’t really made a huge difference. But what can he offer? His priceless gift of his heart in relationship and obedience. Again as it says in God’s word, “To obey is better than sacrifice.” So too for us, we may sacrifice our money which to God may even amount to a whole quarter but what He really wants from each of us is our hearts in relationship and our obedience. After all, that is really all we have to offer our Father that He doesn’t already have. Just like a 4-year-old and his father.
So that is where we are these days. In the midst of obeying without seeing the end result. Struggling sometimes but always confident that we are obeying and trusting that God, who is all powerful and all good, is in control and has our best interest at heart…just like a father is to his 4-year-old.
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