"These stones are to be a memorial for the people...forever." Josh 4:7'When the Lord brings you into the land he promised you...be careful that you do not forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of slavery." Duet. 6:10,12
God has promised us Mongolia. We must be careful not to forget what God has done for us. We must share testimonies...our stones of remembrance!
AS WE REFLECT UPON THESE MEMORIAL STONES, THE MAJOR THEME IS WHAT GOD HAS DONE IN AND THROUGH OUR LIVES....NOT THAT WE ARE THE MOST INTELLIGENT OR QUALIFIED BUT THAT WE ARE AVAILABLE AND WILLING TO FOLLOW GOD!!!
MISSIONS MEMORIAL STONES
1. Alaska-First Baptist Church of North Pole where we met the Lord and were introduced to missions for the first time through the Lottie Moon offering. (1998-2000)
2. Korea and Japan trip with the US Air Force-changed our worldview and gave us a heart for Asia (1999)
3. Moved to Cheyenne Wyoming right after Averiana was born where we received a strong calling to the Missions field at Cheyenne Alliance Church (2001)
4. Family Missions trip to Juarez, Mexico when Averi was 15 months old (2002)
5. Larry went to Saudi Arabia to serve during Operation Enduring Freedom-Larry's desert experience and received a call to ministry (2002)
6. Moved to Redding, CA to go to school at Simpson University, a Christian & Missionary Alliance college. Redding was a place of healing, anointing by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8, Isa. 58-61), a spiritual training ground, ministry leadership experience, counseling training, friendships, fellowship, transformation, revival, hunger for God, and Kingdom influence. (2003-2005)
7. Missions trip to Indonesia for 3 weeks where we worked with M's (cousins) and animists and encouraged pastors. We experienced the supernatural power of prayer and worship.
8. Our desire to go to the Philippines-Alliance Graduate School to study Community Development...motivated us to start pursuing missions more seriously...God connected us with a spiritual mentor who got us on the missions track with the C&MA (2003-2005)
9. Hurricane Katrina-God struck us with compassion and a desire to go (2005)
10. God directed our steps to Louisiana (instead of the Philippines) working in a cross-cultural setting with the poor as relief and community development workers. Krista becomes a homemaker and home-schooler to Averiana and is fulfilled through edifying, uplifting, and supporting her family and also ministering to many young girls in the community. (2006-2008)
11. Adoption-God rocked our world!!!! and blessed us with many, many miraculous answers to prayer. God showed us his care and concern about the many details of our lives. Eliakim Hien joined our family in July 2007.
12. GOD PREPARES US FOR MONGOLIA
- CLIMATE AND TERRAIN
- Lived in Alaska (cold weather), Wyoming (horses, barren plains), California (mountains, alternative living, and introduced to gers-round homes Mongolians live in)
- Larry's upbringing (agriculture, animal-husbandry, hunting, wood stove, frugal living)
- Baton Rouge poverty context and complete dependency on the Lord
- MONGOLIA MILITARY MISSION STRATEGY
- Military experience-US AIR FORCE Krista-5 years Larry-6 years
- Survival mentality (Artic survival training in Alaska)
- Ezekiel 36-37 Raising up a vast army from dry bones
- CAMA Mongolia field missionaries vision (Military prayer and church-planting strategy)
- Genghis Khan...Mongolian military history
- CAMA MONGOLIA PROJECTS
- Water and well-drilling (Larry was a utilities/water specialist (a military title) for 6 years)
- Men's recovery program (2 years we were 12-step program facilitators in CA)
- Micro-enterprise and job-skills training (2 years Job Trainers in BR, LA)
- Multi-purpose Community Center (same vision in Baton Rouge)
- Ministry to the street kids (God's call for us to be advocates and care for orphans)
- THE CALL TO MONGOLIA/CONFIRMATION
- God spoke to Larry about Mongolia during his prayer time out of nowhere (2005)
- Met Mongolia missionaries at District Conference (April 2006)
- Talked to CAMA /IFAP director about Mongolia (April 2006)
- "Magnolia" signs were every couple miles on our road trip through Mississippi, "the Magnolia State". We kept thinking they said Mongolia and we laughed hysterically, "We are supposed to go to Mongolia...the signs are everywhere!!!"
- Missionary Candidate Forum talked to other missionary candidates and the Candidate director encouraged us to pursue our desire to go to Mongolia (Jan 2007)
- Met with a friend in Birmingham for dinner and he invited some other friends last minute who "coincidentally" were missionaries and recently went to Mongolia for a 6-week internship and they gave us some great resources about the country
- General Council-met Mongolia missionaries, who we will be working with primarily, they also adopted an orphan-from Mongolia (May 2007)
- C&MA is sending more couples to Mongolia this year than ever before! 3 couples from America and one couple from Asia (to be sent out July 2008)
- Met 2 Missionary Counselors from Mongolia in Tenessee during a Counseling Conference (Sept 2007)
- We were fasting and praying about Mongolia and Larry saw a huge mural of Mongolia in the men's restroom of Cabella's in Nashville, TN (strange "coincidence")
- Equip international school for Training Trainers, well-drilling, and sand-filters
- VW vanagon has taught us lots about slowing down enjoying life and expecting the unexpected. God always shows up in mysterious ways when we are fully-relying on Him!
- When we received the phone call that we may not be able to go this summer we were very disappointed and broken hearted. We realized how deep-rooted our passion for Mongolia has become and we are willing to fight for it!!!
