Here we goooooo! We are heading to NZ!

Good-bye March and hello April.  We leave for CCBI on April 11 and we are so excited to start this chapter in our lives.  We started praying about New Zealand back in 2012 without a clear vision of what God wanted us to do there.  It wasn’t until our exploratory trip in 2014 where things were coming into clearer focus.  As we waited upon the Lord for confirmation, the Lord was working patience in me (Dawn).  

Waiting has never really been my forte, but I know the Lord has been trying to work on that in me for a long time.  Here, I was captive to His timing.  Being a driver, a person that gets things done on the jiffy, waiting usually does not come easily for me.  I like to get things done and move on to the next thing.  God had me waiting on Him until I forsook my own expectations and put them in Him instead.  Last summer Calvary Aurora hosted an amazing conference called Pursuing Peace. 

The links to the three sessions are listed below if you would like to listen.  Powerful time!

Pursuing Peace: Session 1

Pursuing Peace: Session 2

Pursuing Peace: Session 3

It was at this conference that the speaker, Tammy Brown, delved into Psalm 62:5-6, “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.  He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.”  I was surprised to see this scripture.  What?!?  My expectation is to be from Him!?  Wow, I have this all wrong.  No wonder things were not exactly what I wanted.  What.. I… Wanted….  My expectations were misplaced. 

I had expectations of my husband... expectations on the timing of things.... expectations of my boss and peers.... expectations of myself.  Wow.. I needed to let GO!  I was headlong into a deep relinquishing cry after that session.  I almost got to that ugly cry, you know when your shoulders heave up and down and you make noises that are better left in private.  This was deep sorrow, fortunately, godly sorrow which leads to life.  According to 2 Corinthians 7:10, “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

I was making a choice, and I still do, to put my expectations in the Lord.  Going forward I wanted the Lord to show me what He wanted.. what He expected of me, those around me, and the circumstances I was in or about to face.  It is a choice.  Will I continue to set the bar of expectation for me and others, or am I going to relinquish this to my loving and all-knowing Heavenly Father?  Let it go… let it GOOO… nothing is going to stop me now… from doing what He has shown me.  Put my expectations in Him.

Even now I am challenged with turning my focus, my expectations from what I want to what He wants.  He really does know best and is 100% trustworthy.  When I can’t see His hands, I can certainly trust His heart for me, which is kind, loving, and strong.  There is no love on this earth like the love of our Heavenly Father.  You can trust Him too!!

So, as we head out to a new frontier in our marriage, a new location, and new ministry opportunities, our focus will be on Him!  The countdown continues until we board that plane, which is quickly approaching.  The journey to get where we are today from October, which was only five months ago, has been short of miraculous.  We have sold the house and 95%+ of our belongings.  God has been gracious and made a way where there seemed to be no way.  If He is asking you to do something that seems beyond your ability, ask Him for confirmation and ask Him again.  He will gladly provide it to you!  As He does confirm what He is asking of you, step out in faith and see what He will do for you and through you!  He is an amazing Father that loves and adores you!

Our next update may be 7,300 miles from here (Denver, Colorado).  Thank you for your love and support as we continue to seek His face.

Much love,

Dawn and Andrew

Mary Poppins and Missions

One of my favorite movies is Mary Poppins.  The funny thing is that I don’t remember watching it as a child, I watched it as an adult.  Part of my reason for liking this movie were the songs and imagination they used to bring things into perspective.  Be it ‘A Spoonful of Sugar’ as they clean up the nursery, or ‘The Life I Lead’ to show that there is a time and place to learn responsibility, but recently, the one that hit home is ‘Fidelity Fiduciary Bank’. 

In this song, the bank officers are trying to convince young Michael to place his tuppence into a bank account.  They sing about how money can grow with interest, how is strengthens England and how the bank can invest in other businesses.  The officers spoke about being a part of trains across Africa, dams across the Nile, ships that sail, and of course tea plantations.  By placing your money in the bank, you are a part of these opportunities.

This song hit me as how it also relates to missions.  It doesn’t matter how much money you may use to support missions, but you are a part of what you support.  You could be supporting food and shelter for orphans, or a generator to light up the night, or even to help train students in the Word of God so that they may be sent out to outermost parts of the world.  When you support missions, you are an integral part of what is happening in the field.

The other part that sticks out was all of the fuss over tuppence.  Not a million dollars, not a thousand pounds, just tuppence (two pennies)!  Could that amount launch a ship voyage, or start a new enterprise in India?  Not at all but, the premise is that every little bit can work together with what others had deposited for the common good of enterprise.  This is the same with missions.  If you are like me, when I first heard about supporting missions, I thought I had to pledge at least $100 per month or else I wasn’t doing anything.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  If God has put on your heart to financially support missions, it doesn’t matter the amount.  It could be $5, $20, $100, $500, it is about obedience to what God is telling you.  God uses it all for His glory.

For example, lets say we need to raise $2,000 per month.  Well we could receive $500 per month from 4 people.  Or 20 people/groups pledge $100 a month.  Again, that is great but, I want to break it down even more and make it more tangible.  Say you want to forego 1 Starbucks drink a week to support a missionary.  So basically you are able to support $20-25 a month.  If 39 other people were lead to do the same, that’s potentially $1,000 a month already!  It also doesn’t need to be limited to only you.  Maybe your Bible study, community group, anchor group, or youth group want to support a missionary.  Pool your funds together.  Let’s say there is consistently at least 5 people in your group every week and each of them contributes $2 a week.  So $10 per week, times 4-5 weeks a month and you are now supporting a missionary with $40-50 per month.  Suppose, 10+ groups decide to do that and now a missionary is now being supported with $500 per month.  Combine that with our coffee forgoers and this missionary now has $1,500 per month of their $2,000 need.  And all of those people get to be a part of what that missionary is doing in the field!

Now, giving isn’t just limited to just the individual side of things.  Giving is not limited to individuals, maybe your business could support a missionary.  Maybe you and your co-workers have a heart for a certain part of the world or a specific missions’ organization.  Why not use this passion to unite your business to support someone?  Or, maybe it is pledging 1% of your profits as a business owner.  The only limits are the ones we put on ourselves.

In the end, it is between you and God.  Only you know what you may like to give in support of missions.  Please do it with a grateful heart as unto the Lord.  Now yes, we are missionaries who are raising support (look below to see how you can support us financially), but really, we are all working towards the glory of God.  Understand, it doesn’t matter if you support us or someone else.  The key is to be obedient to what God wants you to do so please, pray about how God would have you support a missionary.

Blessings,

Andrew and Dawn McBride

Good, Good Father

As we inch closer to our departure to New Zealand, we are continually amazed at all that God does for us.  It isn’t that we don’t think He is capable of taking care of us nor that we don’t believe that He will surround us with others to assist us, it is just coming to a deeper realization of “…how deep and wide… is the love of Christ.” (Romans 8:39, NKJV)

This past Saturday our support team hosted a Spaghetti Lunch and Learn about us going to New Zealand. It was a great time of fellowship and learning about what we will be doing in New Zealand.   We also opened it up for questions that people had about us, New Zealand and Calvary Chapel Bible Institute (CCBI).  Below are a few of the questions that were asked:

-       Do you need to raise support since you will be on staff at the college?

o   Yes, while we will be listed as staff for CCBI, all staff members are not salaried and raise their own support.

-       Will you be staying on-campus?  If not, how much is housing?

o   Since CCBI rents property from a ranch and the student population is on the rise, there is no on-campus housing available.  We will be renting a house/apartment/flat around the town of Rotorua.  Rent is paid weekly in New Zealand and places go for around $275-350 NZD per week on average depending on if it is furnished or other amenities.

-       What will your “normal” day look like?

o   Usually breakfast is on our own and then devotions start around 8:10am.  The first session of classes starts at around 8:50am, the second session of classes start around 11:00am.  Lunch is around 1:00pm and then the third session of classes starts at around 2:30pm.  Dinner will start after 5:30pm depending on the length of the third class session.  Most of the students will then use the evening for homework and study while the staff is usually available for discipleship or questions.  Tuesday night is a Night for Prayer and Thursday nights consist of worship and teaching at the Koinonia service.

-       Will you need a vehicle?

o   Yes, in-town the public transportation is reputable, but where the school is located, as well as for making runs into town, we will be purchasing a vehicle in New Zealand.  (Side note: they do drive on the left-hand side of the road)

-       When are you leaving?

o   Our passports need to be stamped by April 20 for the current Visa to be valid but we are praying that we will be able to leave before then.  The Lord’s timing is perfect and it is ultimately up to Him.

-       How can we financially support you?

o   We are using Shepherd’s Staff for our support agency and our support page can be found HERE.

Do you have any questions that you would like to ask us – about us, New Zealand, CCBI, or what we will be doing?  Email us or visit us at our table on Wednesday nights this month for Missions Month at Calvary Aurora. 

God Bless,

Andrew and Dawn McBride

March 2016 Prayer Calendar

Hi there,

Some of you were asking how you could be praying for us.  Please see the prayer calendar below and join us in prayer. If you would like a better calendar image, please email us and we will send one to you!  Our email address is mcbrideflock@yahoo.com.

Thanks and God bless,
Dawn and Andrew McBride