BLOG CHANGE

You can now find us at http://keelingmissions.wordpress.com Please keep up with us and let us know how you all are doing... This was just going to be eaiser for me to maintain.. I Hope!! ~Jodi

LONG OVER DUE

These are pictures from our Missionary Training school in Ohio. I did not take alot of pictures because we were to busy and I forgot. Here are a few.. I'll be catching up the blog this week.
The missionaries children the night of the banquet singing

One of the missionaries daughter's. Jon Caden Loved her

EATING!!

Bro. Easter Teaching

IN KENTUCKY

We are in Carrollton, Kentucky now. We will be here for a week and will probably be coming back next week. We are at Open Door Baptist church. They have been adding on to their church.. They have added a whole new building for Sunday school rooms and a new auditorium. They are in the sheet rocking stages now. SO there is alot of work to be done.. We hope the time that we are here we are able to help get alot done. Jon Caden wasn't feeling the best when we got here and the drive just made is worst.. He still is even 80% back yet. Now I am sick.. I was up all night with a virus or something. So he and I are in the hotel today just taking it easy...
UPDATE: We are leaving out Friday and will be driving to Michigan. That is where the fifth wheel is.. This one really just sounds to good to be true. But our God can do these kind of things. So if it is what the pictures say and the man is telling us then we will be coming home with it. It is about $7,000.00 - $8,000.00 cheaper than we can find that exact camper anywhere... So say a little prayer please... God is really working and we are so THANKFUL!! **** Jodi

God Blesses In trying times...

Just a quick post.. Most of you know that we have been trying to buy a camper.. Well, it just seems that nothing is working right.. We have tried to sell practically everything that we don't need to raise money buy one. We have sold alot of things but our big items just aren't selling. To be honest we have kinda just hit rock bottom I guess you could say. We have found the camper and have perfect peace about buying it, but we are just waiting on the Lord. Today, I got a call from a dear friend and said that she wanted to stop something but my house. We had no idea what it was. Let me just tell you it was a major blessing to us. They are a special family for sure! I truly believe that that was God saying "Jon & Jodi I have never left. And just because you don't see exactly the way I do, I am making a way for you and my way is in your perfect will". God never forsakes his children. I just wanted to give him praise today. My favorite verses are Proverbs 3:5-6! He will direct our paths!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RUN FOR THE ROSE CAMPMEETING

THIS PAST WEEK WE WERE IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY. AT THE RUN FOR THE ROSE CAMP MEETING. THE WHOLE WEEK WAS SUCH A BLESSING.. THE PEOPLE AT THE CHURCH WERE SO GIVING OF THEIR TIME. THEY REALLY MADE YOU FEEL LIKE FAMILY THERE.. IT WAS OUR FIRST TIME GOING, BUT WE ARE ALREADY LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING BACK NEXT YEAR.. THERE WAS SOME GREAT PREACHING AND GREAT FELLOWSHIP. WE WENT WITH SOME FRIENDS WHICH EVEN MADE IT BETTER. WE ALSO GOT TO MEET SOME OTHER MISSIONARIES WHO WERE THERE. THE GRIFFIN FAMILY WAS JUST PRECIOUS. PLEASE PRAY FOR THEM AS THEY ARE RAISING THERE SUPPORT. THEY WILL BE GOING TO ARIZONA TO START CHURCHES. THEY ARE ALSO VERY NEW TO HOMESCHOOLING SO PRAY FOR THE KIDS AND NIKKI (MOMMA) FOR PATIENTS AND GUIDANCE. I WILL POST SOME PICS WHEN I GET THEM. I TOOK MY CAMERA BUT I LEFT THE SD CARD AT HOME. SO TRACY IS GOING TO SHARE WITH ME :)

Mission Training

The mission training (THAT WAS 2 weeks ago.... okay!! I'm a little late) was amazing. We really didn't know alot about Good Shepherd but we felt that it was what the Lord wanted us to do... Well, as Jon said it was God ordained for us to be there. Jon being raised on the mission field knows way more that I do about deputation and missions in general, but we both learned so much. We were so blessed to have the instructors that were there. They really are precious people. We stayed with the Flatt family. They attend the church in Spencer that helps put the training on. They were great. Jon Caden fell in love with them too.
We left the conference so encouraged and ready to hit the road. God also started putting some things together for us while there. We're are still praying for his perfect will in those areas though. I cannot begin to describe the thankfulness that I have in my heart to each and every man and women who were apart of the training. They really did help to change our lives and give us direction for what the Lord has called us to do. We are at a Bible conference this week In Louisville, Kentucky.. I'll write about it in the next blog. I also have pics from the training. I will post them when we get home.

One last thing, I really know the devil is trying to knock us down and get us discouraged after the training week and this week. We have been able to kinda tie up all the loose ends that we needed too. So now we are getting things scheduled and trying to hit the road more. God is already blessing us with people and churches who are needing work.. We are going to have to buy an fifth wheel RV, but in order to do that we have got to get some of out personal things sold. So just pray that God would send the buyers and his will to be done.

Okay 2nd last thing.. lol At the training and once this week already I have had 2 different women who have come up to me and said some things that absolutely meant the world to me. They will never understand how encouraging they were. But I think that we as Christians always need to remember that people are going through things that we have no idea and if God lays something on your heart be sure to do what he says. We'll never know how it might encourage them and keep them pushing forward.

Lakeview and Holy Hills

Well Sunday was our lastday at Lakeview.. It was soo hard.. I knew that it would be sad, but I had no idea until that day. You would think that only being their 8 months it wouldnt be that hard, but I was so wrong. We love everyone there and they became family to us. We appreciate the time that we had their. The love ands upport from all the members was amazing. I told them Sunday that Lakeview was in God's plan for us. We really needed to be there inorder for God to mold us more to get us ready for His will for our life. Jon has alwasy said that he doesn't believe that he would ever full time pastpr a church. Well, I think after being at Lakeview He someday could see that if thats what the Lord wanted. With us us helpinf struggling churches too, there might be times where we will be there for a little while. God allowed us to have this oppurtunity to have a little taste of what it would take. So to all the Lakeview members who read this. Thank you and We LOVE ALL OF YOU! We'll miss you.. I posted this pic of Bro. Art leading the music with Jon Caden.

Now on to Holy Hills!

Well this is where Jon has been working so much.. Helping build new offices, taking down walls to make more seating room, and was fixing to take more walls down downstairs. Well, sadly it caught on fire Sunday morning. We went over Sunday afternoon to see it and Jon helped patch the roof. We are so sorry for them. We hope and pray that God uses this in a way to show the church is direction and as always He will turn the bad to good. I know there is alot going on right and alot of decisions to be made. I know that there are men who are working hard to try and get everythign sorted out this week. We pray that God gives them wisdom in the decisions that need to be made.

BITTER SWEET

Now we are getting the ball rolling. Seems like it has taken forever, but God's timing is always perfect. We have been at Lakeview Baptist for 8 months now. I can't believe it's been that long. Jon has been filling in until they called a full-time pastor. Well, they have voted on a new pastor and he will start the first Sunday in April. We have just fell in love with the people and are going to miss them, but we are so excited to get on the road with our missions and deputation. This Sunday will be our last Sunday there. I am sure there will be lots of tears in my end. Jon Caden has a few he's gonna miss too.. lol We have all kinds of things lined up in April. We will be busy busy. We leave out on the 4th for our Mission training in Spencer, Ohio. I will keep everyone update on it. When you think about us say a little prayer please!

Bible Conference and sickness

This past week we were in at Beryl Baptist in Vilonia, Arkansas at a Bible Conference. We really enjoyed ourselves. The people of the church were so hospitable and friendly. There was a lot of hard work and preparation put into this conference. We are so thankful for the time to get away and be apart of the conference. We heard some great preaching and wonderful singing. We also had time to spend with some friends. Which was truly a blessing, especially for me? The devil was really fighting the conference well, he was fighting us. We had an ordeal with getting our prayer cards which it worked out. Our presentation is still a work in progress, but it fell apart the morning that we took it to set up. Then on top of all of that Jon Caden started getting sick Friday. We took him to a pediatrician there in Conway. Then Jon got really sick Saturday night. We intended to stay until Sunday night, but we had to leave right after the morning services. We took a different route than we were used to coming home and got really lost. I was driving so yes it was my fault. We finally did make it home safely. Jon Caden is better. Jon is hopefully getting a little better and now I am getting it. Although, everything went wrong we had a great time. We have a few churches that we are going to go to this month. Jon is currently still interim at Lakeview Baptist. They are voting on a man on the 15. If he is voted in and accepts then we will really be hitting the road on deputation. We are really busy the whole month of April. Hopefully these next trips will go a little smoother than this one. At least it’s one that want be forgotten.

Preparing!

This is our first post so I thought what better to talk about than preparing for missions. We are so excited to see what God is doing in our lives.. I am one of those impatient Christians who want God to give me a piece of paper with everything he wants me to do written on it. I am sure that most of you can relate? I love to look back and see how God has used every good and bad situation, to mold us and prepare us for today and what he wants for our lives. There has never been a time in my life that I feel more in adequate to do something.. When God confirmed in our hearts exactly what he wanted and that it was time.. I was on fire and ready to go. As we started preparing and getting everything together, it seemed to get harder and harder. Not that I wasn’t excited, but just a little scared. Well, a lot scared!! And the devil knows exactly what to do to kick you down on the ground. Man has he tried the past few weeks! I love how God will just put a certain person to come by and give you a hug or just say that I am praying for you exactly when you need it.
I honestly had no idea what all needed to be done to prepare to raise our support in churches. Thankfully the churches that we have been to so far have been what I call “home” churches. They all know that we were still in the process of getting everything together. Finally, after weeks of getting information together, our prayer cards are being printed, the website is up (still not 100% done, but it’s up), letterheads are done, the blog is on the right path, and the presentation board is almost done. Still so much to do, but we’re headed the right way, hopefully.