Kevin and Rebecca Woolsey

Pioneer's International

#101431

LS TEAM HIGHLIGHT...

     I would like to introduce you to Nim. I don't have a picture of her, in fact I have never meet her, but I feel the desire to meet her one day. Nim is one of our 13 LS teams. She lives in Thailand and is the only known believer among her people group. She sacrifices everything including her own fiancees in order to meet people in the market place in hopes to build a trusting relationship and tell them of her Lord and Savior. This is not at all easy on her or her family, but she trust and loves the Lord, therefore she presses on. Will you join me in pray today for Nim, her family and her 'light' that is among the 'dark'!?!

EXCITING NEWS...

One of our LS family members had AMAZING news last month... a women in India, who our team members have had a personal relationship with and had witness to, has come to know Jesus as her Savior along with her ENTIRE family. Praise God!! When we say, ‘We are in it for the people’ we truly mean it. This is what it is all about; yes, we are helping with the here and now but most importantly with eternal life.

God too is 'in it for the people'... if He wasn't He would have never sacrificed His own Son. 

UPDATES...

We have moved! Our new address... 

??? Crosson St

?????????, SC ?????

MARCH was a BIG month. We moved; check out our new home address on our FB Mission page. Our monthly support DOUBLED in number. We cannot express how excited and grateful we are for all of your support!! We pray that God will continue to bless you as you give. Lastly, Easter came early this year. The older our kids get the more they understand Easter. This year our son realized that the Bible really is real and actually happen here on earth. For a few months now he has been seeking God and desiring to know Him. As a parent it is always exciting to see God at work in your child's heart.

APRIL is coming to an end and we have been very encouraged and greatly challenged, in a good way. The more we move forward in ministering with LS full time the more God is opening our hearts and minds to see what HE see's. Among opening hearts and minds LS is growing and exciting things are taking place. LS will not only have a home office in Flordia but by the end of the summer LS will also be in TEXAS!! Our director, Mark, Amy and their kids will be moving to Texas to oversee this new and exciting opportunity. Also, we at LS are praying over blue prints for a LS Store; YES a STORE in Orlando, FL. In order for this to take place we are praying over a grant that would help launch the store. Please join us in prayer for each of these awesome and exciting opportunities. 

 UPCOMING 

May is a very exciting month!! Our calendar is almost completely booked. If you live in Charlotte, Greenville, or Charleston please let us know as these are the three cities we will be in during May and we would love to visit with you.

PARTNER...

PI has a new grant that will MATCH all NEW, one time or monthly, GIFTS between now and August!!!! If you have not given before and have desired to do so, now is the BEST time. 

If you would like to partner with us please go to...

https://give.pioneers.org/p-75-give-to-a-missionary-or-project.aspx

Through this link you can give a one time or monthly gift. Missionary account number is: 101431. 

PRAYER REQUEST 

Kevin and I are praying about something that God has heavily placed on our heart. It is something we need much prayer in as we are going in it blindly. We are trusting God and we ask that you pray along side us. We trust God will multiply the loaves of bread and fishes as he did in John 6

Continue praying for LS and the three exciting opportunities, a second home office in Texas, blue prints for a LS store and the grant we will need for the store.

The 2016 school year is coming to an end and summer is right around the corner. Pray for Malachi to finish his school year well and for God to help us as parents to continue his education this summer inorder to be ready for the next school year. 

Pioneer's
Kevin and Rebecca Woolsey (101431)
3133 Augusta Hwy
Gilbert, SC 29054

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

(Ok so it's a little late, but better late than never)

REFLECTING
As we reflect on 2015 we can not help but think of the many prayers and support you have blessed our family with. Many of you meet with us, prayed for us, introduced us to your pastors, allowed us to speak in your church, and joined us on this cRaZy journey. For all of this Kevin and I will forever be grateful. 
All though we are not where we thought we would be by the end of 2015, we can honestly see God working and preparing us. We don't hide that 2015 was much more difficult than we imaged. We had strive to find a balance between family, ministry, meeting with supporters, devotion time, work etc... Many day's we excelled in a few areas and well just down right failed in the others. Needless to say it's hard to find a balance. I can't help but meditate on Hebrew 13:20-22,

'Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.'

LOOKING FORWARD
As we look on to 2016 we see much hope, understanding, and peace. We know that this year will too be a difficult year, but we also feel better prepared than last year. With this being said...

PRAYER REQUEST
- 2016 will be the year we become fully funded!
 This prayer requires prayer within prayer!
         We specifically are praying for 3 supporting churches, multiple families, small groups and businesses to partner with us in this ministry. Among these three churches we are praying for a 'sending church'.
         Pray for God to proved the many hours we need in order for this to happen.

-Pray for God's provision in the here and now.
          I can hear the confusion so let me explain. We desire to be debt free or close to it before we move. During this last year we were able to knock out a good bit, but let's me honest life is always throwing financial curve balls our way no matter how much we plan. My husband will tell you we live the life of Job in this area. Pray God will bless our jobs and well, for nothing to break :)

- Pray for our family.
        Working full time, Malachi being in school, trying to find family time and meeting with supporters is very difficult to balance. Also two out of four of us are extreme introverts and life alone can be overbearing for them.

-Pray for LS.
          This past year LS expanded! We have added multiple new teams. As exciting as this is more than ever LS is need of our arrival... LS work is never ending and they are in much need of more hands. The sooner we are fully funded the more help/hands they will have. 

As usually please reach-out to us with pray needs. Let us know if you would like to join us in this journey by becoming partners. We pray for our partners to be blessed as God has blessed us. Pray for God's kingdom to continue to advance. 

Again Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Kevin, Rebecca, Malachi and Emmalyn Woolsey
Psalms 27:8

FREAK OUT MOMENTS

So this one, this one blog right here is for the moms. That’s right the MOM'S.

I don’t know about you, but I regularly have THOSE moments. You know those moments that I like to call,

‘FREAK OUT’ moments.

Those, sitting at the dining room table, arms wrapped around the legs that are folded and pressed up against the chest, head down resting on the knees, moment. I mean, I LOVE being a mom, best job, if you want to call it that, EVER!! But there are day’s like yesterday, HA, that I find myself in the “FREAK OUT” moment asking myself, “And to think I am considering the idea of possible having another one in the future”. What am I thinking? I can barely keep it together; I mean I am already going crazy.” Then I begin to tell me husband, who is not home yet, how the day has just gone from great to me being in the fetal position. He proceeds to tell me how excited he is, not really, to come home to a crying baby and a whining and complaining 6 year old who truly thinks the world should revolve around him.  And all I can reply with is, “Welcome, WELCOME to my life…. At least you get the last hour of it and not the full 5 hours of the drama.” And then once my children are asleep, I somehow find myself thinking, “Was it really worth me getting so upset. I mean look at those cute faces. They are adorable. They are learning, and how I react now very well be learned by them on how to react later. And quiet honestly I don’t want my daughter or son to learn the fetal positions, and also, I am not sure we were designed to feel the need to be in such a position.” Now I am getting ready for bed and I begin to think how I gave my all to my reaction therefore I had nothing left to give to my husband….

I mean ladies, are you following me here? Am I the ONLY crazy mom here? Now, dare I ask the ultimate question…

IS IT WORTH THE BATTLE?

I have a friend who in the fall last year moved to Japan with her husband and 4, YES 4, kids. I was asking her expert advice on how to get Emmalyn back to sleeping all night in her crib, rather than sleeping 2 or so hours in her crib and then moving to mine and Kevin’s bed. Well, her answer was not at all what I was looking for, but it did put something’s in perspective for me. In Japan the family sleeps together!!! TOGETHER! She said her boy’s sleep in a loft in their own room and her, her husband, and 2 girls who are 3 and under the age of 1 are in one room on the same bed!!! And ALL American women cried NO!!! She began to tell me that it has become a joy for her and her husband to have the girls in their room. It gives them one on one time with just them. And I thought, ‘WHAT? You’re not pulling your hair out? Or your husband isn’t like get that kid out of my bed I need wifely time?” You guys they have been doing this for 6-7 months now and she says, ‘it’s such a sweet time for their family.’ REALLY!!

I found myself pondering about this for a few days and I began to think your right. As American’s we stress out and throw up our built in stress from things that have not gone the way we want it to go so we have those ‘FREAK OUT” moments. Now don’t get me wrong, there are many other things that add to us having ‘FREAK OUT’ moments, but for me most of it is my kids, and honestly, it is just not worth it!!

James 3:17- But the wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure, then peaceful, gentle, and easy to please. This wisdom is always ready to help those who are troubled and to do good for others. It is always fair and honest.

I don’t know about you, but the moments leading up to and during my so called ‘FREAK OUT’ moment I am not at all James 3:17. And yet again I am faced with the question do I want my kids to learn and inherit my little, not so little moment, or do I want them to learn James 3:17?

A very wise mom told me once, ‘Enjoy your child at the age they are at, because they will never be that age again. Time goes to fast to get upset and focus on the should and woulds.” I cannot begin to tell you how true this has become over the past few days as I look at my ‘FREAK OUT’ moments.

Many of you, who are reading this, work some sort of way in the church… Sunday school teacher, nursery helper, small group leader, help with events, participate in leading worship, etc. So, you may be asking yourself, ‘I am a mom who can’t even keep it together with my own kids, how am I expected to do so in such and such ministry.’ Well let me lead you to the very verse that God revealed to me this morning.

Ephesians 6:10-18- Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can fight against the devil’s evil tricks. Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world. That is why you need to put on God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing. So stand strong, with the belt of truth tied around your waist and the protection of right living on your chest. On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows of the Evil One.  Accept God’s salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God’s people.

Did you happen to notice verses 11-12, ‘our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil’. Um… WOW!! So, while I have been having those ‘FREAK OUT’ moments I have not only been disobeying James 3:17 but I have fallen into the ‘tricks’ of the evil one. Nice one devil, nice one.

So, how do we fight off the evil one? Look at verses 14-18. We are going to put on our belt, wear the Good News on our feet, pick up our shield of faith, put on our helmet, pick up the sword and we are going to pray! I want to point out two things hear. First, verses 17-18, ‘and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers’. Did you notice Spirit was used twice here. Spirit is the word of God and we are to pray in the Spirit. So, ladies, mom lets pray the word of God over our moments, over our daily life and over our kids. Secondly, verse 18, ‘Always pray for God’s people’. Let’s pray for one another! 

So ladies, moms, lets put on our armor, lets pray James 3:17 over ourselves and each other and lets 

remember who the real enemy is here. I don't know about you but I am so ready to live a 'FREAK OUT' moment FREE life! 

P.S. We finally did get Emmalyn to sleep in her crib again... and there was victory had my mom and dad :) 

NOW is The Time!!

Many of you in the past and in the most recent months have told Kevin and me,

‘When God reveals to you where He is leading you let us know because we WILL support you.’

Well, I am here to tell you,

‘NOW IS THE TIME!’

As all of you have heard we are moving to Florida on June 7 to begin our work in full time ministry with a  mission organization that reaches the Nations. We are very excited and nervous about this new endeavor, but we know this is ALL God!

We cannot lie we are getting a little nervous… my husband just rolled his eyes, ok allot nervous. We are 2 months out from our move and well to be very honest at this moment our monthly funding tells us that move is not happening. We know God has got this J but we could really use some encouragement.

Let us explain to you why we have to raise our own salary. Rather than taking a percentage, say 10-20%, of workers on the field funding to support us stateside, we get the joy of raising our own monthly support. I don’t know about you but I don’t really think it is fair to take from those working on the field. And Yes, I truly do mean JOY! It is a joy to raise our monthly support for many reasons; it brings another level of trust with the Lord and you get the joy of joining us on this mission as we reach the least of these.

You may be asking,

 If I did support, what exactly is my money going towards?

Well it goes towards our living expenses and any ministry expense we may have.

Is it tax deductible?

YES!!

But I really don’t have much to give? 

Let me refer you to Mark 12:41-44. We cannot say it enough, ‘NO AMOUNT IS TO SMALL!!!’   

If you have considered or are considering supporting this mission, please contact us! We would love to answer any other questions you may have. We would love to have you JOIN US in this Mission.

Leak is a young lady that our mission gets the joy of helping bring ‘purpose’ to her life. Your monthly support not only support’s our living expenses, but guarantees that our mission will continue to help bring purpose to these women’s lives. Without our mission, these women and children, very well may never have ‘purpose’, or hear the name of Jesus Christ. 

As Leak says, “Will you support those who have been abused? Our lives have been changed for the better. Please continue to support me.” 

By supporting our mission you are giving reassurance to Leak and all the women and children like Leak that they will continue to be supported! 

For those of you who are already supporting, let me take a moment and say, ‘THANK YOU!!!” You are just as much part of this mission as we are. We pray that God will continue to bless you and your family as we start this mission together.

                                                           

The BIG Announcement

Forewarning this post maybe long, but I promise you need to read it in order to know what the ‘next step’ is for our family J

                Before Kevin and I got married, before we were engaged, even before dating separately Kevin and I both felt God leading us to live a life different than the ‘American Dream’… if that even exist any more. Now don’t get me wrong; we wanted kids and a home with that nice white picket fence, but we never foresaw the ‘American job’ that brought in the $$$ in order for us to live the life that America portrays. We have never had the same values for ourselves or for our kids. Just to be blunt, Kevin never saw himself living in America. I have always pictured my husband as a hitch hiker…. A very successful hitch hiker at that.

 So, where is this going? 

                Once Kevin and I were married and both of us graduated college we planned to leave within the next 3 years to work overseas on the mission field. Well here we are 7 years, 3 kids, 1 dog, 1 cat, 1 rabbit, and 2 fish, 3 frogs, and many earthworms later saying the time has come.

 ‘OH MY GOSH they are moving OVERSEAS’, you say

Nope guess again.

                 For about 2 years now Kevin and I have felt our family, our lives, and the path we were on changing. There have been many times that we thought, “oh this is what God is doing,” and quickly we would find out, no there was something else. Through much prayer, toward the end of summer Kevin and I applied to work with a mission organization PIONEERS, in Orlando, Florida. This is a mission organization that we have both traveled with overseas and that we have come to know and love. This ministry has over 2,000 missionaries all over the world.

So, get to the point…

                 OK, here it is our family is moving to Florida to work as missionaries.

 Missionaries in Florida... what?

                 Let me explain. I, Rebecca, have signed on to work with Pioneers nonprofit ministry, Latitudes. Latitudes is in 19 countries around the world helping women and children by bringing them out of tragic situations such as trafficking, slavery, and working with women who have HIV, women who are widows etc. By helping these women we are able to portray the love of Christ and we are able to give them ‘Hope’. By working state side I get the awesome opportunity to help promote Latitudes and the beautiful handcrafted pieces these women make. Kevin will be working in the Mobilization department and taking on a leadership role in recruitment for short term programs as well as long term missionaries.

“Oh my! This is exciting.  How do I find out more?”

                 Great question! First, this blog is one of the best ways to stay connected secondly; we have created for safety reasons a private FB page that we will constantly update. Later this week we will be inviting you our friends and family to 'Join/ Accept' us on the FB page. If for some odd reason you don’t get an invite contact us so that we can make sure you are a part of it.

“Oh, I am just so excited for you. Is there something I can do to help yall…?”

                I love these questions. There is a lot you can do. First, we need Prayer and lots of it… I mean 24 hour, 7 days a week prayer would be great J Seriously, we would love for all of you to partner with us in prayer. One of the best ways to know what our specific prayer needs are is by joining our email list. If you are not already part of the list please contact us and we will add you. Secondly, you can partner with us financially. One of the joys, and I truly do mean JOYS, working with a mission organization is placing your trust in the Lord with everything and that includes finances. Kevin and I are looking for families, single people, churches, and business that are willing to partner with us by helping provided for our family on a monthly basis.

“So when do yall start?”

                As soon as you start!! In order for us to function in these new roles we have to be 100% prayer and fund supported. If you would like to start supporting this mission monthly please write your tax deductible check to Pioneers. In the memo write ‘101431 Woolsey Family’. Please send your check to Pioneers 101 William Carey Dr. Orlando, FL 32832-6931. You can also give online at https://webapps.pioneers.org/DP/Give/giftinformation?name=&AccountID=&amount=

Make sure you put ‘101431’ in the Missionary Account/Project Line and ‘Kevin and Rebecca Woolsey’ next to Name.

                Our family will be traveling during the months of January, February, and March. If you would like us to visit you, your church,  and/ or your business contact us ASAP so that we can get you on the calendar. No place is too far!!! We would love to visit all of you and to tell you more about what God is doing.  

.... Read, Pray, Listen, Worship

Thanksgiving

So we thought we would write a personal blog about our CRAZY, FUN, and Overtiring family J

My name is Rebecca. I am in my late 20’s. I have been married to my best friend, Kevin for over 7 years. Together we have 3 children, Malachi (6), Jeremiah, and Emmalyn (8 months).

Fun facts about me:

               I was 20 when I got married… no I was not ‘knocked up’ I was head over hills for Kevin and could not wait any longer to say, ‘I do’ J

               I am an extreme extrovert!! When I stayed at home with my son for 2 years I found every excuse to get out of the house just so that I could be around people, besides my little one.

               I see the glass half full. Always have and always will.

               I have never dyed my hair and I don’t have tattoos nor do I desire to have one, but I have always wanted a nose ring. Maybe one day I will get one.

               I drive a minivan and I love it!! Best thing ever!!

               I love the mountains and the beach!

               Oh and most importantly I love FOOD!!! But you would never know it by just looking at me J

Malachi is 6 and is in K5. He is not married ;-) but has many girls who want to marry him!! However, he says he loves his sister and wants to marry her when they get older…. TRUST ME we are working on this miss-communication about marriage!!

               Malachi is a wild man! He is full of energy and has no clue when to stop.

               Malachi loves tempera tattoos. When he was potty training you could easily find around 5 on him because they were of course a better reward than stickers. I foresee in the future when he is out of the house getting one or possible many.

               Malachi loves to be the Superhero. He owns over 8 Superhero customs and he wears one daily!

               Malachi loves the beach and the mountains!! He is always asking to go to grandpas with the white hair house to go play in the snow… code for my grandpa and grandma’s house which is located along the Blue Ridge Mountains in NC.

               Malachi loves his cousin Madeline. I honestly think she is his best friend!!

Emmalyn is 8 months… soon to be 9 months. She is the most beautiful baby girl I have ever seen! She is our rainbow.

               Emmalyn has the sweetest personality!! She is always smiling and easily attracts anyone and everyone in the room to her!!

               Emmalyn can crawl, stand up on her own, hold her bottle (when she really wants’ to), and she talks all the time!! I am working on getting her to say; ‘mommy’, but SHHH don’t tell Kevin ;-) Recently, she has started using the ‘all done’ sign… I cannot tell you how happy I was when she did it twice in one day.

               Emmalyn loves all animals. We have a cat, dog, and rabbit. She gets so excited to see them. Her favorite is the rabbit, but that could be because the rabbit can’t run from her due to him being in a cage. She visits the rabbit at least twice a day and brings him toys such as the cat toys and Malachi’s car’s.

               Emmalyn’s favorite toy is a boy precious moment doll that sings, ‘Now I lay me down to sleep’… which is quiet fitting for our family.

              

Kevin is in his early 30’s. He is a very handsome man and I am one lucky lady to have married him J

               Kevin has a nice little white triangle on the right side of his head and his beard is beginning to have white hairs too. I predict him looking like the actor Richard Gear as he gets older.

               Kevin has always wanted a big family and is already asking when we will have another child… crazy right; Emmalyn is only 8 months old… maybe adoption?

               Even though he will not tell you nor will he admit it Kevin is born to be a leader. He is full of knowledge and wisdom.

               Kevin sees the glass half empty. He is always looking for ways to make the glass half full.

               Kevin has 2 tattoos, both reflect toward God. Unless he takes his shirt off you would never know they are there.

               Kevin has always wanted dreadlocks. He attempted to grow his hair out when were dating but due to jobs he has had to leave the thought of having them.

               Oh and one more fun fact, Kevin was a lifeguard when he was in his early 20’s…. let’s just say every girl wanted to be at the pool when he was on duty ;-)

Fun facts about our family as a whole…

               We are very adventurous… Together we love to rock climb. We are willing and have quiet our jobs to follow the Lord overseas. As a family we have been overseas for 2 vision trips, but separately we have been overseas 8+ times. We love fishing, hiking, camping, and whatever else!

               All of us love food and will eat anything. We are not picky eaters (however there are times Malachi will challenge that statement). We find that the food we love the most is not American.  

               For the most part we are not afraid of anything, but at the same time we have faced some of our worst fears.

               We are constantly sending balloons to Jeremiah. Some have messages placed inside them. We no longer have to encourage Malachi to send balloons to his brother; he freely sends the balloons to him… For Malachi’s recent birthday I bought 16 balloons… 11 of those went to Jeremiah per Malachi’s request.  

               As a whole we love the Lord! It would be really odd if there was a day we did not talk or sing about Jesus. Malachi keeps us on our toes on how Bible stories are shared to him or children in general (ie ‘Fisher of Men’ does not mean Jesus ate men!!!.... YES, this was a recent topic in our home a few months ago).

Fun facts about our home…

               You will always find at least 2 loads of clean laundry unfolded and a large pile of dirty laundry in the corner of our bedroom.

               There will always be dishes in the sink no matter how hard I try.

               There are always toys in our yard… yes we are that family.

               There is not a tree or a bush my son has not peed on!

               There is baby snack food all over the floor from where my daughter has oh so excitingly thrown them.

               Oh and our couch is a scratching post for our cat, which drives all of us crazy.

              

Now that you have made it this far, if you have made it this far, you will find there is really no point to this blog other than to show you what a normal yet unique family we are. There is not a thing I would change! In the spirit of Thanksgiving I can honestly say I am thankful for everything listed above J

Happy Early Thanksgiving!

 

Too much light...

Back in the day during Jesus time people used olive oil to light their lamps (Exodus 27:20). If you are like me, you have probably never used olive oil to light a lamp. Once I did a little research, I discovered using olive oil in my lamp would drive me crazy!!! Olive Oil only produces enough light to reflect on the step you are standing on. Nothing in front of you and nothing behind you would be able to be seen. Not to be to American here, but um… I need a light house. I need to see into the far distance. I need to see all that is in front of me, beside me and behind me. I am a planner, so, if I am driving down the road and I can’t see the deer 20 feet in front of me how would I know to slow down or even stop. I mean really a flashlight would be way better then Olive Oil. Did you read that? ‘I need’, ‘I need’, and ‘I need’. Olive Oil is just like God and His enlightment/ provision. What I mean by this is God reveals a little bit as we go. He allows us to have the ‘free will’ to choose which direction we want to go, but he only sheds enough light on those options. Once we choose and step forward, then he will shed the next bit of light and on and on. I like most of you scream, ‘But God I need to see all my options and what will happen if I head down this path or this path.’ God knows that if he shed’s too much light we would not be able to handle it, just like we were not able to handle all the ‘knowledge’ we received from the ‘tree of knowledge of good and evil’ in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2-3). Honestly, the snake made that fruit look amazing! ‘“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.’ Eve had all her options in front of her. She already knew what was down path # 1; she was already living on path #1. The snake revealed to her what would happen if she chose path #2 ‘your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’. Unfortunately, she was shed to much light, deception, and she choose path #2. A path that all of creation has suffered from. Proverbs 3:6 tells us, Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.… Back to the deer in the road… I am traveling down the road and 20 feet in front of me is a deer in the road. I cannot see it, but I am trusting God to direct my path…. You and I know that if I can’t see it I won’t be able to slow down, honk my horn, or swerve. Therefore, I will surely hit it…Guess what 15 feet in front of me is another path. I am holding my lit olive oil lamp looking at my options. I can either continue down path #1 or move to path #2. So, what should I do? I pray Proverbs 3:6 and I ask God to direct my path. I tune out the worldly noises and I listen for His still steadfast voice so that I know I will hear his voice clearly. Once I hear Him, then and only then will I choose my path. (*note from Kevin) God has not called us to comfort, he has called us to trust and obey despite our comfort level. He cannot direct our paths if we are not moving. So take a step, and let Him direct as He so majestically does. This is what we are doing as a family, and I have to thank my beautiful wife for pushing me to regain the faith I had when I first trusted God with my life. I now am challenged daily as he directs my path leading this family. And I challenge every person to ask the questions I have had to ask myself daily. What can’t I trust God with? Why? How BIG is this Living God that I serve? Have I limited Him in my thinking? Why? READ, PRAY, LISTEN, WORSHIP

While joining a group of women in a bible study this week I couldn't help but be drawn to a passage of scripture where a women who did not know the Lord decided to 'Listen' and take a leap of faith. I can see an image of a two story home made with branches and leaves. From the second story window over the cities wall hung a red rope. I invasion this rope being bright red all the while knowing it was more than likely dull and well used. This very rope was hanging from Rahab’s window. The Lord sent Joshua and his men into the city of Jericho to spy out the land with doing so they meet a harlot, Rahab. We don’t know how Joshua met Rahab but what we do know is that Rahab choose to trust the Lord of Joshua’s even though she did not know who this God was personally. She and the people of Jereicho had heard about how the God of Joshua had brought his people out of Egypt and had dried the seas in order for them to cross safely. In chapter 2 of Joshua it says that she believed that ‘neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.’ Courage is the very word that God had spoken over Joshua and his people. And the Lord said, ‘Be strong and of a good courage’… these words were spoken 5 times throughout Joshua 1 & 2. These are the words that brought Rahab and her family to believe in the God of heaven above and in earth beneath. These are also the words that I believe God has been speaking to me and my family over the past several months... to be strong and courageous. Kevin and I have been praying over our little family specifically about our next season in life. I don’t know about you but seasons can be exciting and somewhat scary. So, I am choosing to take Rahab's and Joshua's advise and ‘Listen’ to our Lord and to be ‘strong and courageous’. We ask that you join us in prayer. Pray for God to speak clearly, for there to be no confusion (God is not the author of confusion- 1 Cor. 14:33), and for God to give us a direct path to our next season/step in life. Also, pray for us as a family to be still and 'listen' to our God. READ, PRAY, LISTEN, and WORSHIP

Back 2 Basics

Last week I was given the awesome opportunity to preach at our local church. It is not the first time, hopefully won’t be the last, but it was one of the most challenging times for me personally to share a message. I could not have imagined how powerfully God would stir up things that he has been building in me, and yet as sure as brain freeze from a slushy, God had a plan. For years I have worked jobs I did not feel were relevant to my purpose, and for years my wonderful wife has patiently whispered, “Gods training you for something great!” Ok, so yes at times she has literally had to yell it at me, because I suffer from thick head syndrome. It’s like I have been looking at the whole puzzle in disappointment thinking that the pieces are completely missing, or maybe I got the wrong box; all the while holding the exact next piece in my hand. When I came to Christ, broken and ashamed of whom I was, he ignited a passion in me immediately to tell others about His forgiveness. For years I let that passion lead me to the ends of the earth, knowing that my place was out there among the lost. I never really fit in church, and honestly a lot of my closest friends aren’t Christians. I’m not the typical American, I mean I know we need money to pay our bills and “live,” but in general I feel that even that is a lie. How much faith does it take to believe that God will provide when I know I earn X dollars per year and these are my expenses? I am not saying money is “evil,” but it may at times hinder our faith in God and set other “gods” up as the object of our faith. So this opportunity to preach took me back to my beginning, or should I say the beginning of Christ in me. I came to Christ when I came to an understanding that the foundation of Christian living was not how much I knew about scripture, but instead how much I could trust in Christ and how able he is to forgive, even me. There is an old hymn my Grandmother sang and I grew up singing in church, though I did not understand it. “It only takes a spark to get a fire going And soon all those around will warm up in its glowing That’s how it is with God’s love Once you've experienced it You want to sing Its fresh like Spring You want to pass it on!” I have to ask myself some simple questions What am I doing with that spark? Have I forgotten the warmth that I was so passionately compelled to share? I cannot ignore the fact that God has a great purpose for every one of us; to display His glory to the rest of mankind. I have been a coward at times and hidden from this high calling that is placed on every person that finds themselves burdened by the name “little Christ.” We have painted this beautiful landscape with rolling hills and low hanging fruit, and we deemed this worthless portrait “The Christian Life.” And so the world now has no clue how such a loving God could allow suffering and loss, when in fact it is one of the only things we are promised when we FOLLOW after Christ. Check out: John 12:23-26, 1 Peter 2:21 So as I prepared a message on the fundamentals of a relationship with God, I looked up from the bottom of the pit of American dreams realizing I had willingly walked right off the cliff, and left the basics of who Christ has called me to be. Start Climbing, the dream is worthless and the pit is dry! Colossians 1:27 “Christ in you, the hope of Glory.” Read Pray Listen Worship

The Jeremiah Story

On June 26th, 2011 I went into active labor. I remember before going to the hospital hugging and rubbing my belly knowing this will be one of the last times I will be able to do it. By the time we made it to the hospital I was already 2-3 minutes apart. We were blessed to have some amazing nurses. All three of my nurses were Christians and spoke Word into our lives. After pushing for maybe an hour we were able to hear the cry of Jeremiah Caeden Woolsey being born. God blessed us with 48, beautiful, minutes with him. During those few minutes he was able to meet his big brother and grandparents. We could have not asked for anything better! Malachi was so excited to meet his little brother. He kept saying, “baby, baby Jeremiah.” Malachi touched and kissed all over Jeremiah and let him know, “I luv you!” To this day Malachi every now and then asks about Jeremiah wanting to know where he is. Once he even asked if Jeremiah could go to the zoo with him. Even though Jeremiah had "defects" he was just perfect. Had had a head full of long dark drown hair. He had his daddy’s legs and his mommy’s claque. He was beautiful!! The birth of Jeremiah was bitter sweet. We were glad to finally meet our son, but at the same time we knew we were going to have to say good bye. Leaving the hospital and the weeks after were very difficult. I felt like I had a stamp on my forehead that said, “Mom of a lost child". This feeling has decreased since then, but does not make being in public any easier. When Jeremiah passed a part of my hert went with him. I have learned how to live on, but the sting is still there. There is not a day I don’t think of Jeremiah. I know the days ahead will be hard, ie Christmas, no “Babies First Christmas” ornament, no stocking, no baby Christmas bib or outfit. This has been the hardest thing I, we have ever had to do…. But I would do it all over again, just to have those 48 minutes back!! You always hear of things like this happening to others, but I never thought it would happen to me. I know I did everything to help my child, including falling on my knees. I don’t question God, I just trust! For those of you who don’t know the birth of Jeremiah was a miracle in itself. It was explained to us that Jeremiah should have been a miscarried pregnancy but he was not. He should have never made it to 30 weeks but he did. He should have never made it to full term but he did. He should have not even lived through the birthing process but he did. So even though Jeremiah passed away, he still was a miracle baby. For me there is no anger there is just Peace. I know where my child is and I know one day we will be reunited. I know there is a reason, and I will never be able to understand in full. What I do know is that God desires for other’s to hear The Jeremiah Story and that is what I am going to do. I am a mom of an angel and I praise God for my angel!

JeReMIah

As many of you know this past February we began to live every parents worse nightmare. We found out our unborn son, Jeremiah had Trisonomy 13. Knowing what the end result would be we decided to continue on our sons life and to rejoice everyday we have him. February to now has been an emotional roller coaster. In May we had a scare. Jeremiah's heart rate was high above 200. All I could think was, "I am not ready to let go... it is to early..." God blessed us and had Jeremiah's heart rate go back to normal. The doctors could not explain why it happened or why it went back to normal, but they too were glad to see his heart rate go back to 151. At 5:30am on June 26 we went into labor and had Jeremiah at 12:05pm. Jeremiah was beautiful. He had long dark hair and Malachi's nose. He also had his daddy's legs. He weighed 4.9lbs and was 19.1in long, just as long as Malachi when he was born. He lived for 48 minutes. During those 48 minutes he got to meet his big brother who just LOVED all over him. Kevin and I could not have asked for anything better. He was so sweet and loving to his little brother. Malachi loved him so much that he wanted to know "Where's the baby" when Jeremiah was no longer with us. The fact that Malachi still talks about him, a month after he was born, lets us know that those 48 minutes were worth everything we went through. God blessed us so much with Jeremiah. We pray that he will continue to be a testimony and that he will impact many. We have been very blessed to have such loving friends and family and are thankful for all of you.

A CraShING STOP

So, YES it has been forever since we have bloged last... so sorry!! However, on our defences LIFE has gotten way, way to crazy for us. As many of you know back in September we heard clearly from God to "SUBMIT" and move to Ireland. In October we found out we were pregnant with our second and beautiful son, Jeremiah. Even with such exciting news we were preparing our budget and prayer letters for Ireland to send out to all of our wonderful family and friends who trust and love the Lord. In February we were given the HORRIBLE news that our Jeremiah will not live very long after birth if he even makes it to that point. Our WORLD came to a crashing STOP!! After many differnt doctor visit's, to two differnt hospitals, we have come to the relization that there is NOTHING we can do but TRUST that GOD IS IN CONTROl; and Praise God we don't have control!! We have also come to relieze that Jeremeiah is not at all a burden, but a blessing. Even though we are preparing ourselves for this STORM, if you will, that is soon to come it is so hard to get through the everyday little storms. No matter how long we will have our beutiful gift from above we will love him and be the best parents he will ever have. Malachi has been so wonderful through all of this and very LOVING!! I would not use the phrase "terrible two's" for him at all. Malachi understands there is a baby in mommy's belly who we all very much love, but he has NO CLUE that his brother will more than likely never come home from the hospital. We can not wait for the moment that Malachi gets to meet his little brother and to see the instant love that he will have for him. For those of you who are wondering how does that play in with Ireland, I will let you know we are still planning on moving but our time line has changed. We know what God has said and we will not let the Devil steal that from us. When we went to that doctor's appointment in February we had no clue our life was about to forever change but it has; we had no clue that on that day we will understand what the phrase, "I am always thinking about it" truly means but we do; We had no clue that we were about to hear the doctor's utter the phrase, "You have choices"... to end or continue the life of your child we ofcourse continued it; we had no clue that we were going to have to face the idea of burying our child in the same week he is birthed; this list could go on. What we knew is that NO MATTER WHAT We WILL Praise The Lord!!!

World Focus Week

This coming Sunday will be the beginning of World Focus Week a The Harvest. Sunday and Wednesday we will have a table set up for Ireland. Drop by and see what God is doing in Ireland and how you can particapte in the Great Commison.

We are moving!!

As many of you know Kevin and my heart is for missions. Over the past several years we have been praying about where we fit in all of it. Through much, much prayer we know God is moving us to Ireland. We are planing this move to take place June 2011. We will be moving to Cork, Ireland. We want to thank all of you who have prayed us through to this point and we ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers as we take this bold of a step. We also ask that you pray for guidance and provision. We also ask that you pray for our families as they too are adjusting to our big move.

We are back

Wow! We had so much fun doing the Lord's work in Ireland!! Here is a quick view of what we did while we were in there. The first few days in Ireland we toured some areas of Ireland, a castle, UCC campus, and the cliffs. We also got to meet some of the youth who are part of the Dungarvan Christian Fellowship youth group. Kevin had a great opportunity to give out free tea and coffee late that Friday night, 1am, in Dungarven. I know this sounds crazy for Americans, however it truly gets your name out there and the people love you for giving out free tea in coffee. It's also a great way to start up small talk, build a relationship and introduce them to Christ. Monday, the 20th, we started handing out free tea and coffee to the students on UCC. Praise God, for providing the wonderful cappuccino machine.... if they didn't want tea they want hot chocolate or a latte!! YUM!! We also played fun, silly games such as, "Do you want a kiss" and "Who's the man". "Who's the man", arm wrestling, was the BIG hit!! We did this through out the week. By the end of the week we had over 70 people sign up for email and around 20 people who are very serious about wanting to see "Living Stones", a Christian Society, get started on the campus.

Highlights for Malachi...
~Malachi spent his 2nd Birthday in Ireland. Mrs. Barrett made Malachi a chocolate train for his birthday... it was amazing!!
~Malachi also made friends with UCC girls.... who made sure to see him on his birthday.
~Malachi enjoyed getting to see kitty's everyday.... he also liked the fact the kitty's played what he thought was hide and go seeks, but they truly were running away from him.
~Malachi also enjoyed playing with Mr. Jason and Mrs. Tania.
~Oh and the BIG one... Malachi loved seeing the "Moo's" and the "Baa's" outside the car window as we drove throughout Ireland!

Kevin and Rebecca's Highlights...
~Kevin was able to preach at the DCF Sunday service and he was able to give his testimony to the youth.
~We both were able to meet Pastor Tom Burk. He helped us understand a little more about the Irish culture.
~Meeting the Ireland team and being able to see what everyday life is like in Ireland.
~Getting to know Kyle Holland more.
~Late night talks with Jason and Tania..... and all of our "rabbit trails".
~Giving out free tea and coffee.
~Kevin arm wrestling the students of UCC

As you can see we LOVED Ireland and definitely have a heart to see this nation after God.
Please continue to pray for Ireland!!

We made it!!

We are here and we are loving it!! So far we have meet the only youth group, with in hundreds of miles of it, in Ireland. The kids are great and I think all but may be three of them are lost. We also have gotten to meet many of the families who are part of the church in Dugarvan, Ireland.

Ireland is all about FUN!! They are very laid back and never on time.... who does this remind you of.... me :)

Truth of the day: There is no Youth Group in Cork, Ireland and in the surrounding cities. In fact, when you tell them there are hundreds of them through out SC they are amazed!

This coming Monday-Saturday we be on CCU Campus.

Thank you for all your prayers and please continue praying with us!!

our first three days

It's here!!

PRAISE GOD!! We are leaving tomorrow early in the morning for Ireland. We are very excited and can't wait to get there so we can start digging our hands into what God has waiting on us. Until then, we are packing and praying that God will provide the $900 we still need. We are very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who support us in prayer and in finances! If we don't say it enough, "THANK YOU!!" Keep this blog on the front of your mind, because we will be posting what we are doing and what we need you to prayer for!!

Prayer Request

Over the past several days we have been in heavy prayer on what God desires us to do. Within the next 8 days we will be flying to Ireland. Even though we stongly believe God will have us on that flight, we are in prayer over the $2,500 we still need inorder to go. PLEASE, pray with us that God will provide all of our needs before the 15th. Also, if you have never done this before, pray for God to reveal what role He desires you to be apart of in the Great Commission.

Finances

Please, join us in prayer over our finances for the Ireland vision/mission trip. We are in the of need $3,700. We still can't buy our plan tickets and we leave in 3 1/2 weeks!!