On the way, not in the way

Yesterday was a cold, rainy day here in Costa Rica. The kind of day that gives you lots of time to think. Today the sun is out (yay!), and I am hoping for a fresh start. Fresh in my devotion to God and what HE wants for our life. This morning I came across this passage, and it's such a good reminder of who we are in relation to our Creator.

It's scary to obey God sometimes, and at times it seems He is "interrupting" our plans, but just as the verse below says - "If you're looking for Me, you'll find me on the way not in the way."

It's fitting for where we our in our walk with God. And I thought it just might be fitting for some of you reading this as well. I know the passage looks long, but please read it all. -h

Romans 9:20 - 33 (The Message)

Who in the world do you think you are to second-guess God? Do you for one moment suppose any of us knows enough to call God into question? Clay doesn't talk back to the fingers that mold it, saying, "Why did you shape me like this?" Isn't it obvious that a potter has a perfect right to shape one lump of clay into a vase for holding flowers and another into a pot for cooking beans? If God needs one style of pottery especially designed to show his angry displeasure and another style carefully crafted to show his glorious goodness, isn't that all right? Either or both happens to Jews, but it also happens to the other people. Hosea put it well:

I'll call nobodies and make them somebodies;

I'll call the unloved and make them beloved.

In the place where they yelled out, "You're nobody!"

they're calling you "God's living children."

Isaiah maintained this same emphasis: 

If each grain of sand on the seashore were numbered

and the sum labeled "chosen of God,"

They'd be numbers still, not names;

salvation comes by personal selection.

God doesn't count us; he calls us by name.

Arithmetic is not his focus.

Isaiah had looked ahead and spoken the truth: 

If our powerful God

had not provided us a legacy of living children,

We would have ended up like ghost towns,

like Sodom and Gomorrah.

How can we sum this up? All those people who didn't seem interested in what God was doing actually embraced what God was doing as he straightened out their lives. And Israel, who seemed so interested in reading and talking about what God was doing, missed it. How could they miss it? Because instead of trusting God, they took over. They were absorbed in what they themselves were doing. They were so absorbed in their "God projects" that they didn't notice God right in front of them, like a huge rock in the middle of the road. And so they stumbled into him and went sprawling. Isaiah (again!) gives us the metaphor for pulling this together:

Careful! I've put a huge stone on the road to Mount Zion, 

a stone you can't get around.

But the stone is me! If you're looking for me,

you'll find me on the way, not in the way.

Two Years, One Big Announcement

When we came to Costa Rica in November of 2010, we made a commitment between our family and God to serve in Costa Rica for a minimum of two years, but we thought it would most likely be longer. And that's what we told those of you who asked as well. Now we are approaching our two year anniversary here, and we want to inform you of some changes in our ministry and mission.

During our two years here, God has taught us a lot about missions, about ourselves, and most importantly about His faithfulness. After much time spent in prayer and seeking wise counsel, we have been given a new mission by God. As a result of this new mission, we have resigned from our current roles with 6:8 Ministries. While our calling to missions has not changed, God has unfolded a new plan for how He intends to use our family to impact global missions. That new plan involves our family returning to the United States and me (Jeremy) attending college to work on a degree in counseling. During our time here, one thing God has brought to our attention over and over again is the need for godly counsel - in our missions organization and in others. Our hope is that after completing my degree, I will be able to serve in some capacity as a counselor for missionaries and the organizations they serve with. We believe that the end result will be a greater impact on global missions.

We will finish our service here with 6:8 Ministries mid-November, pending the sale of our belongings. We are doing everything all over again, in reverse order, in preparation for the next season of our ministry. This move is obviously going to be costly. And just as before, the sale of everything we have will not equal the amount we need to relocate and start over. Due to this, we are having to raise additional funds to make relocating possible. We are asking you, our friends and family, to consider giving a special gift to help us move back to the U.S. Please pray about what God would have you do and let us know as soon as you can. Understand that 6:8 Ministries does not cover our relocation expenses, as do some other larger organizations. At the bottom of this post there is more information about where to send any donations, whether online or by check.

How can you help right now?

PRAY
During this time, please pray for our family. Pray for a smooth transition for our two girls. Please pray for our Tico friends that we are leaving behind, as well as the other missionary families here in Costa Rica. Please pray for our stuff to sell quickly. Pray that God will clearly show us our next steps, such as a way to provide for our family and cover tuition.

SPREAD THE WORD
Here is a link to a list of things we will need to create "home" again in the U.S. We are looking for people who may have things to donate towards this growing list. Click here.

DON'T FORGET US (please!)
We know that moving back to the U.S. is not as exciting as moving to another country. However, we believe that we are following God's leading, and that the end result will be an even greater impact for His glory! We have broken out a budget for expenses here. As always, your donations are tax-deductible.

Support Address Change:

To continue supporting our family via PayPal, click here, or go to www.sanjosebaptist.com and click on the "Missions" tab at the top. Then click on "Missionary Support".

To continue via check:

San Jose Baptist Church
ATTN: Hicks Family Mission
6140 San Jose Boulevard
Jacksonville, FL 32217

Make checks payable to "San Jose Baptist Church" and write "Hicks Family Mission" on the memo line.

All donations are still tax-deductible.

Our first day in Costa Rica. 

While it might seem like this has been an easy decision, it most definitely has been tough. Please pray for us as we transition back to the States, leaving behind many, many people that we cherish. We hope that God will allow us to return for visits, but we do not know what the future holds. Pray for those who we have shared our life with, that they will continue to seek after God. That they will feel His presence, even though they may not understand our decision. 

Our girls now.

When we moved to Costa, Olivia was 2 1/2 and Ava was 11 weeks old. Now Olivia is 4 1/2 and Ava is 2. For Olivia, this will be another big move. Please pray for her to have peace in her heart, and for the transition to a new home to be as seamless as possible. Ava will be less affected, but almost her entire life has been lived in CR, so we appreciate prayers for her as well. 

Moving again...

This is not our first change of address. As we strive to follow God, and He continues to direct our steps, we find ourselves packing again. We have definitely learned a few things about moving along the way, but it never gets any easier. Please pray for peace and rest during this time. The exciting part of moving is that it seems that God fine tunes our calling more with each time. Please pray for God's provision as we prayerfully consider which items to sell and which ones to give away.

Have questions?

Please contact us at jeremiahster@gmail.com or heatnic4980@gmail.com.