A New Adventure Begins

 

Hello Everyone,

 

I recently changed from my World Race blog to my new Adventures in Missions (AIM) Staff blog. I’m so blessed by all of you who have followed my journey in the past and Emily and I are excited to continue to update you on God’s amazing work as we step into our new role with AIM.

 

As many of you know, Emily and I just got married on September 12, 2020.

 

 

It was the most amazing day because everything we prayed for God answered! I wish everyone could have been there to experience it with us, but we understand the uncertain times we live in and believe God purposed it this way intentionally for us.

 

After the wedding, Emily and I decided to take off on a road trip. Since we haven’t traveled anywhere for over 8 months, we were dying to see a different landscape. We took 40 days to be on a journey with God. Our goal was to see the beauty of God’s creation, understand His vision for our life together, and simply pray for the next season of life.

 

So, let’s start with the beauty of God’s creation! Emily and I got to road trip around the western half the United State and see 19 national parks! By the end of it we created the A&E rating system which distinguishes the differences in the parks and helps us rank them to grasp our favorites.

 

Here are the national parks we got to visit:

 

Yellowstone, WY

Grand Tetons, WY

Glacier, MT

North Cascades, WA

Mount Rainer, WA

Olympic, WA

Crater Lake, OR

Redwoods, CA

Lassen Volcanic, CA

Kings Canyon, CA

Sequoia, CA

Joshua Tree, CA

Grand Canyon, AZ

Zion, UT

Bryce Canyon, UT

Capital Reef, UT

Canyon Lands, UT

Arches, UT

Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO

 

I wish we could say we explored all of these to their potential, however, some we only had a couple of hours. I’m sure your asking the question – What were your top 3 favorites?

 

Emily would say:

Olympic

Mount Rainer

Zion

 

 

I (Andrew) personally say:

Zion

Sequoia

North Cascades

 

Where Emily tends to rate her favorite places based on beauty and the uniqueness of what the park has to offer landscape and activity wise, I tend to rate mine based off of the experiences and memories that were created during our time there!

 

One simple story that allows me to rate Zion National Park at the top, is simply a hike called Angles Landing. Anyone who has done this hike will not be able to stop talking about it. If you look up stories about it, you will probably find headings that read “Craziest Hike Ever” or “Most Deadly Hike”. For me, some thrill makes everything more fun. 

 

This hike consisted of 5 miles round trip. We got up at 6:00am and started hiking in the dark. Right when the sky started to get lighter, we saw for the first time to just how high above the ground we actually were – it was a little scary. However, it was nothing compared to the last half mile of the trial. There are chains secured to rocks that you have to use to climb up. When you get to the peak of the mountain, you begin walk across the ridge and see the drop-off on both sides measuring approximately 2,000 feet! (See Picture below: Look closely and you can see the chains on the ridge behind us.)

 

 

Let’s just say it was really thrilling for those who do not like heights. However, if you are like me, you find these adventures as exciting and valuable as they do not happen every day. When Emily and I got to the top, we ate a cliff bar and sat overlooking the sunrise. We reflected on how we got there and honestly, all I could do was praise the Lord.

 

 

If it weren’t for people willing to send us on a honeymoon, I wouldn’t be on the top of a mountain with an amazing view and my beautiful bride, praising the Lord. If it weren’t for the random couple we met at the Grand Canyon who booked us a room at the Zion Lodge, we would never have been able to do this hike. If it weren’t for… 

 

That it!

 

If it weren’t for GOD showing his love and providing for us we would not have be there!

 

See this is for all of us. It’s not about the beauty, the adventure, or the destination. It took me 40 days to grasp that it was simply about God showing us that He loves us and is providing for us.

 

Vision

 

Emily and I put 8,801.2 miles on our vehicle during this trip. On this trip, we had a lot of time to talk, to pray, and to understand our calling together. We knew that our honeymoon would eventually end and we’d have to step into the calling of God that He has given us together.

 

We are so excited to be able to be apart of Adventures in Missions (AIM) and play a part on a team who is dedicated to bringing lasting change to the world. We have a heart for youth, for business in missions, for healthy communities, for kids and families, and for the nations of this world. We have seen God open the door for us to use our gifts and to equip and empower His people to make a Kingdom impact on this world.

 

AIM is welcoming us to the team with open arms as we focus on discipleship and missions. We are currently in the partnership development process and as God provides for us, like He has all along, we will be moving to Gainesville, GA to start our new role. 

 

Currently, I will be working on the Short Term Missions (STM) team and play a part in the lives of youth pastors around our nation. Personally, I will have to opportunity to encourage these pastors in their ministry with the youth and also come alongside them in the area of missions. Whether that is pre-trip training, on-field training, or post-trip follow up – I will get to play a direct role in seeing churches and youth be transformed by God’s radical love through the vehicle of life on mission.

 

Emily also plans to play a role on staff at AIM. She has so many gifts and could do a lot of different roles, however, she is committed to seeing what is needed most and how she can support this STM team as well. 

 

Prayer

 

The most significant part of our last 40 days together as a newly married couple was the prayers we witnessed God answer. From the start of the trip to the finish, we saw God answer every prayer request we prayed for. Here are a couple big ones:

 

My dad had a tumor in his neck and asked Emily and I to pray for him. We prayed together on our drive. He went in to go get an biopsy and the doctor who has probably seen hundreds of cases just like his said, “I can’t find it, there is nothing there. I am just going to send you home.” GONE! It was Gone! Emily and I laughed together as this is yet another miracle we have seen God answer.

 

We prayed for parking spots at every national park and sure enough right as we pulled in, the LORD allowed someone to move out – do you know how hard it is to find parking in some of those places?!? 

 

We prayed to see wildlife and we saw: a bear, an elk, buffalo (Including one who rolled around in the dirt), a black tailed buck, black fox, hundreds of deer, and some amazing 

blue birds. We even saw a humming bird in Arizona. It was amazing!

We prayed for provision and that God would keep us alive. We camped 18 nights in our tent. God provided $100 from someone on the street in California and did I mention the hotel room at Zion Lodge? Plus, the Lord provided so generously through His people for wedding gifts to which Emily and I are so grateful and amazed. 

 

One of the long-term requests we have had is that God would provide everything we needed for our ministry work with AIM. Emily and I decided we wouldn’t directly ask for money, but that we would simply pray with and for people to feel led to give. After 40 days of praying, we are starting to meet with people to share our vision, work, and heart with them. 

 

 

Conclusion

 

One of the most significant things we realized over the course of our honeymoon was simply that we are in this together, with God, forever and no one can take that away. 

 

If you are willing to pray alongside us too, we need! In order to do the work God has called us to, we need to raise our support. Currently we are 6% funded. We are praying for PARTNERSHIP, meaning a mutual ongoing support of each other and those who feel led to use their gifts to play a part in our ministry. 

 

We are so proud and thankful to have so many people who have supported us in the past to get us to this point in our lives. We are even more excited to have a long-term impact on the world in the Kingdom.

 

Please feel free to reach out to us, we would love to hear from you. My email is [email protected] 

You can support Andrew & Emily by clicking HERE