Garage Sale Saturday!

Hello everyone!

Just wanted to give you the latest update with our family.As you know, we have been pursuing bringing Priscillah, who lives in Kenya now, over to the States in 2009 to go to college in MN. Since, we have learned that she will not be eligible for financial aid due to her being an international student, meaning we would be responsible to pay cash for her tuition. After researching different options, we have decided that the best option is for her to go to college in Kenya at a great Christian University and pursue her career there. We have a trip planned to visit her in Kenya the end of September.

...which leads me to further requests for support and prayer......

TJ and I are meeting with the missions board at our church to see how we can make it work to pursue us living in Kenya full time. The word "missionary" makes it feel too wierd, as we believe we are in the mission field whereever we are. TJ and I have felt for a long time that the Lord has been drawing us to serve Kenya in some way. We also are meeting with the missions Pastor from Bethel to discuss our upcoming trip (he was involved with our trip to Kenya in 2003).

The biggest reason we feel we need to go to Kenya this fall is to meet a young missionary couple who already live in Western Kenya (with a small child) named Bud and Kimberly. They are missionaries through Katalyst Ministries, based in Texas and through the Imagine Network. We will be attending a conference in Uganda, called the Watoto Conference for 4 days and also looking at the different non profits already in place with the hopes of starting our own non profit to help support what is already out there. One of our ideas is to have a camp for children with disabilities.

One of the first steps TJ and I feel we need to do is practice the art of living simply and downsizing. This Saturday we are holding a garage sale to majorly downsize what we currently own. I, Lindsay, have had a particularly emotional week going through our belongings and trying to justify why we need to keep something. Our goal is to have only enough 'stuff" left over from the sale to fit into a 2 bedroom apartment. Those of you locals, please come!!! Ben will be selling goodies and coffee all day...that he has been working so hard to make all week. He'll tell you he is selling them to help kids buy food in Africa :)So, we are asking you to be our prayer support as we move forward in this exciting, but yet, scary journey.

Below is a list of things to pray for:

1. Pray that we would remain obedient to what we feel God is asking us to do, even if it doesn't make sense to us at the time - even obedient to God saying "no".

2. Pray for peace as we start to downsize our home.

3. Pray for a family to rent our home who we can trust and for us to find an affordable place to live.

4. Pray for wisdom and discernment as we travel to Kenya in September.

5. Pray for the right people to come to our garage sale this Saturday and that God would use it to bring Glory to Himself!!!

6. Pray for wisdom on how to answer the hard questions Ben brings up about us moving.

Thank you for being so encouraging thus far in this journey.

In Him,

TJ, Lindsay, Ben and Collin

Our life story...God's or Ours?

It's so awesome to look back on your life and see where God started stirring a dream or desire in your heart from a very young age and then see yourself being refined and molded to fit into what God's plan is for your life when you are a lot older.

From the time I was 16, God gave me a burden for orphans, then I went to college for Social Work to pursue a career as an Adoption Specialist. Since, I have not had that job, however, I have had 2 children and God has strategically placed people in my life and His Word in my life to keep refining me to be the woman He wants me to be.

Now, I have a new beginning ahead! I have just accepted a job at Path, Inc in Fargo here to be a Family Assessment Worker, where I will not only be working with children who are in need of an adoptive home or are in theraputic foster care, but I will be working with bringing biological families back together again in working with bio parents parenting skills and helping them learn how to appropriately parent their child who has special needs.

There is something so beautiful in adoption that we see and there is also something so beautiful about seeing a biological family reunited and seeing parents become successful parents.

This job is a conscious choice TJ and I made to help us gain skills in working with children and families in need for a greater purpose in serving our Lord.

It's a good reminder for me to also be aware of where my heart is at in choices I make- asking myself if this is something I want to do out of selfishness or for bringing Glory to God!

How awesome to see God write our life story-our family story-and it's awesome to see God's hand at work starting from when we were just a child!

Share yours!

Kenya Update

TJ and I are planning to be in Kenya September 18-October 3. Our plan is to visit Priscillah for a day or two and meet up with a couple from Texas we have been getting to know who are missionaries in Kenya right now and go to the Watoto Conference in Uganda.

We have one hiccup we need prayer for: That is my employer is wanting me to be in L.A. California on the same dates for a conference that I usually attend every year. So, please pray that I would be freed from that responsibility this year.

We are praying about bringing Ben along with us as well. He is a very bright little boy who prays for the nations daily and really wants to "sleep on two airplanes" to get to Kenya! TJ and I feel so blessed to have sweet-spirited Benjamin excited to share Jesus with people all over the world.

Red Letters Campaign

This is an amazing campaign to know about. If you haven't already, I highly recommend reading "Red Letters" by Tom Davis. Anyone who reads it cannot be compelled to take action. Let me know what you think!

Patience, Patience, and more Patience!!!

My baby sister left for Turkey on Sunday for a missions trip through Campus Crusade. I can't help but feel so left behind!!! I long for the day that our family can go on missions trips and serve overseas! I loved that time in my life!
TJ and I were talking at breakfast this morning and it seems that the Lord is really teaching us about waiting for His timing in our lives. We want to be in Kenya so bad, but we know that now may not be that time. God has put the desire in our lives to serve in some capacity in Kenya, but we don't know how-or when. . . . and it's so hard to be patient!

But, we both know that God has gone before us and is preparing our hearts for what is ahead. We do not want to go when the time is not right.

But, God, we are sitting in Minnesota screaming "HERE AM I, SEND ME!!!!"

It's all Yours God!

As TJ and I together pray about the future of our family I can't help but be moved by the lyrics of on of Steven Curtis Chapman's most recent songs "Yours". As we sit here in Minnesota and pray for the children in Kenya, think about the rising gas prices, the past violence, the food shortage crisis and all that is yet to come, it reminds me that we don't need to fear what our future holds because God is in complete control and is preparing us (as I type this) for what lies ahead. It reminds me of the truth that God is a Sovereign God. All we need to be is willing and obedient.


I walk the streets of London
And notice in the faces passing by
Somthing that makes me stop and listen
My heart grows heavy with the cry

Where is the hope for London?
You whisper and my heart begins to soar
As I'm reminded
That every street in London in Yours
Oh, yes it is

I walk the dirt roads of Uganda
I see the scars that war has left behind
Hope like the sun is fading
They're waiting for a cure no one can find

And I hear children's voices singing
Of a God who heals and rescues and restores
And I'm reminded
That every child in Africa is Yours
And its all Yours, God, Yours, God
Everything is Yours
From the stars in the sky
To the depths of the ocean floor
And its all Yours, God, Yours, God
Everything is Yours
You're the Maker and Keeper,
Father and Ruler of everything
It's all Yours

And I walk the sidewalks of Nashville
Like Singapore, Manila and Shanghai
I rush by the beggar's hand and the wealthy man
And everywhere I look I realize
That just like the streets of London
For every man and woman, boy and girl
All of creation
This is our Father's world

And its all Yours, God, Yours, God
Everything is Yours
From the stars in the sky
To the depths of the ocean floor
And its all Yours, God, Yours, God
Everything is Yours
You're the Maker and Keeper,
Father and Ruler of everything
It's all Yours, God
It's all Yours, God
It's all Yours, God
It's all Yours, God

The glory is Yours, God
All the honor is Yours, God
The power is Yours, God
The glory is Yours, God
You're the King of Kings
And Lord of Lords
And its all Yours, God, Yours, GodEverything is Yours
From the stars in the sky
To the depths of the ocean floor


The glory and honor is Yours, everything is Yours
It's all Yours, God
My life is Yours, my heart is Yours
My hands and my feet are Yours
Every song that I singIt's all Yours, all is Yours
All belongs to You
Our gifts are Yours, God
All our dreams are Yours, God
All our plans are Yours, God
The whole earth is Yours, God
Everything is Yours

Here are some pics posted from last weekend. Big family fun weekend at Kalvoda's house in Victoria, MN.