Category Archives: Prayer Needs

Ain’t no mountain high enough??

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Mama: Hi sweetie! Did you have a good sleep?
Levi: Yup!
Mama: Did you have any good dreams?
Levi: YEAH!
Mama: Do you even know what a dream is?
Levi: Nope! 

Sometimes we get enthusiastic about things that we barely even understand, no?

I’ve been loving Levi’s passion lately… most of the time. He is a normal two-year-old, learning to spread his wings a little and exert his independence everywhere he sees an opportunity. Sometimes this is entertaining and endearing; other times it’s draining and frustrating.

It’s helping us all to grow and learn, that’s for sure!!

Judah’s little personality is coming out more and more too. He’s discovered his voice (WOW, this boy has a VOICE!) and he’s constantly babbling or shrieking or squealing. He’s loud when he’s happy… and he’s loud when he’s not. One thing is clear, when he has something to say he makes that desire known to everyone.

A little prophet in training perhaps?

Just how will our passionate little men grow to shape the world one day?

Time will tell.

If there’s one thing we know for certain right now, is that there’s never a dull moment! Not in our family life, nor in ministry either.

Some events just passed:

  • January 29 – Levi turned two
  • January 30 – Judah turned four months
  • February – We just closed on the property adjacent to our YWAM base, and have converted it into accommodation for 50 students.

Some events coming up very soon:

  • March 1 – Ryan turns 38!
  • March 4-10 – Ryan and Adriel co-teach for three combined DTS, all while camping out bush and rooming in a hot tent with the kidlets! (Ohmygoodness, pray for us!!)
  • March 11-17 – Ryan heads to Perth for the Presidents Gathering, a gathering of leaders from YWAM’s largest training bases from around the world. (Adriel and the littles will stay home.)
  • March 25 – Our 4th wedding anniversary.

Some events for later this year:

  • July – Visiting America for a few weeks
  • August/September – Family outreach to Papua New Guinea
  • November – Visiting Sydney for a week

It’s a massive year for us in terms of commitments, ministry, and family life. We’re having to learn to trust God on a whole different level for our finances as our needs have grown and our support hasn’t.

Our biggest challenge:

We’re still saving for a larger family vehicle. Things were rolling and seemed to be picking up momentum with our savings and donations until about November, but then in the last three months we’ve had very little movement at all.

We’ve managed to continue saving a little toward the car, but in all honesty it’s hard not to become discouraged when the bank balance is growing so slowly and our hatchback is literally exploding from the seems.

You can imagine how two car seats and a double stroller alone take over our little car!! Every trip to the grocery store is a lesson in patience and self-control (and gratitude that we even have a car at all) as we stuff groceries on the floor under car seats and on our laps. Not only that, but we’ve had to put around $2000 into the car for repairs just during this last year. (And ohhhh, it’s difficult to use our “new car fund” money to fix our old car – boo!)

We are convinced that God’s spoken to us about a new (gently used) vehicle, but it can be difficult to remain in a position of faith when staring at the towering mountain before us. (Cars are nearly double in Australia what they cost in the USA.)

Our mountain currently takes the shape of a car, but we also see the mountain range beyond– three international plane tickets to America, three international plane tickets to Papua New Guinea, as well as some outreach fees to live on board the ship while we serve.

I grew up in the mountains. I love the mountains. But at times like this it’s easy to long for the plains!

What we really need:

Probably what we need most right now is some encouraging words and faith-building affirmation. To be very frank, it’s hard to deal with this stuff alongside our “normal” challenges in parenting littles and thriving at home while also helping to lead a ministry of 100+ staff and 70+ students. Both Ryan and I are dealing with different fears and anxieties as we continue to learn how to “cast our cares” to Jesus to carry. We desperately need your loving support as we lean into God during this stretching season.

A close second would obviously be finances toward some of these expenses. At some point, we just need to see these needs met.

We understand that it’s all a matter of perspective. We’re aware that many people have much bigger mountains they’re facing right now compared to ours; each person’s own mountains are real and scary and important, no matter how they measure up to the next guy’s.

We’re humbled every time we see God’s creativity in meeting our needs and showing us kindness when we’re struggling. And we’re pretty sure He wants to include people that love us and care about us (and our work) in the process.

Life is exciting for us… and even though we don’t quite understand how this year will even be possible, we’re trying our best to give an enthusiastic “YEAH!” just like our beloved two-year-old does.

Now, can we boldly and humbly ask that you consider how you can encourage us today? Maybe you can pray for us and ask God for a specific word of encouragement, story, or scripture to pass along to us? Maybe you feel led to give toward our car fund? Maybe you have air miles you’d like to donate?

Or maybe you’d just like to send us cookies and tell us everything’s going to be ok?

Leaning and trusting and learning-as-we-go,
Adriel & the boys xx

levi is two

Levi at two years old.

judah is four-and-a-half months

Judah at four-and-a-half months old.

celebrating levi's birthday

Celebrating Levi's birthday. (We sang "Happy" about five times... it was a BIG hit!)

(Sorry about that last photo showing up a weird size – too long/skinny. I’m having trouble trying to get it formatted right and after 10 minutes fiddling, I’ve decided to leave it!)

Give a gift to a missionary family this Christmas!

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UPDATE February 2012: Unfortunately two major donations (totaling around $8000) that we had included in our figures when writing this post have since fallen through, making our current need much higher than we previously thought.

You probably know that we’re in the midst of a huge faith project as a family – fundraising and saving for a bigger vehicle.

We currently have a hatchback Nissan Pulsar, which has served us well for many years (even before I came on the scene!). We have loved her… but she is now quite literally bursting at the seams.

A little while before Judah was born we went camping with the DTS for two weeks of lectures. This is what the Pulsar looked like on that trip:

Ha ha! There is the proof that we are outgrowing our car – pretty sure we couldn’t have fit another sheet of paper in there!!! :) (And that was with only three of us!)

We’re so grateful for those that have already made donations and helped us toward achieving our goal. We have also learned a lot about saving as we’ve been working hard to be deliberate in setting aside as much as we can from our regular income each month. Combining those we’ve been able to make some significant progress and we’re just thrilled!

We still need to raise another $11,000 (assuming that those who have pledged will be able to fulfill their pledges soon and that we’ll be able to sell the Pulsar for a decent return), so there’s still opportunity for you to partner with us in this project!

Our goal is to get a near-new mid-size 7-seater SUV. These are normal 5-seaters with a big boot (trunk space) for normal running around town as well as trips and outreaches… and they also have a third row of two extra seats that can come up for carpooling, driving YWAM staff and students around, having five children (haha – probably not… but you never know, right?!), doing airport pickups, etc. We hope to get something reliable and versatile that will last us for the next 10-15 years.

Please see our “Give” page for ways to contribute a tax-deductable gift toward this project.


Take a bite

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A brief family & ministry update in bite size pieces.

{two of levi's current favorites - music (as always) and his new bike! thanks to freecycle for the cute trike, and thanks to ryan for transforming it into levi's new "captain america" tricycle masterpiece!}

  • Ryan is leading the Youth Street DTS with a fabulous co-leader and two other solid young leaders. They are a really grounded school and very wholehearted about pursuing God and serving youth. It’s a joy to watch them grow, and many of them would like to continue in youth ministry beyond the school in some capacity, which is a huge encouragement to us.
  • Adriel and Levi’s teaching trip to New Zealand was fantastic and refreshing. Although keeping an 18-month-old entertained through eight hours of travel and transit was no easy task, the week was totally worth it. Teaching went well (the subject was “Identity in Christ”), God was obviously on the move as we explored God’s original design for us and dealt with hindrances to walking in fulness of life with Him. We also enjoyed some special mommy and son time alone before baby brother comes bounding on the scene.
  • We are a third of the way to our fundraising goal of being able to purchase a new family-sized vehicle! We’re thrilled with the progress and with people believing in us enough to help make it happen. (Would you like to help? We’re still looking for $1000 contributors, or those willing to donate any amount!)
  • Within a matter of weeks we were given a brand-new iPad and laptop computer. The iPad has been an awesome tool for work, especially going in and out of meetings and the classroom (as well as a great way to help keep Levi quiet during prayer meetings – heh heh), and the computer was funded by a supporter only 24 hours after Ryan’s old one bit the dust. We’re so grateful to these two generous supporters for helping to keep us up and running and connected.
  • Adriel has just over six weeks to go until baby brother’s due date and things are progressing well. We’re all so excited to meet our little man and begin to see what his place in the world will look like. We have two top contenders for his name, but haven’t made our final decision yet. Still more prayer needed in that regard, but we’re confident that God will help us name him aptly and give him the best start in life possible. We love our little one so much. (Please pray for a smooth labor and birth for Adriel and bubs!)
  • Recently we’ve both been able to teach on “Relationships” on two different DTSs – Ryan on the Pacific DTS and Adriel on the Youth Street DTS. We unpack what it means to be in good relationship with God, parents, others, and romantic relationships. Teaching is an aspect of ministry that we both enjoy very much and it is a blessing and privilege to be able to help disciple young people in this incredibly important subject that spills over into all aspects of life.
  • Levi (18 months old) is hilarious and so dang smart! He has around 30-40 words now and we’re pretty sure he understands every single thing we say. He is exerting his independence and will on just about everything, and though it can be a parenting challenge at times, we are so, so grateful that he is growing into a boy who will have a firm resolve and won’t be easily swayed. Our job is to help hone that into a quality that will help him stand firm for all that is righteous and pure and loving and kind. We’re so proud of him and so in love with him.
  • We’re preparing to host all sorts of family and friends over the next couple of months and we couldn’t be more excited about it. Here’s who’s coming: Our pastor from Engadine (Sydney), Ryan’s parents, Adriel’s parents, Ryan’s sister and family, a friend from America, a good friend/supporter from Sydney, and another couple of friends from our church in Engadine. It will be a joy to have these loved ones with us as we morph into a family of four.

Thanks for your prayers as we are in up to our ears in life and ministry and transition and change! We’re very much in need of Grace and so aware that it’s impossible to thrive in this season without our Sustainer and Rock… or without our loving friends and family cheering us on. We love you and we appreciate you!

If only

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Lately I’ve had to try really hard not to feel sorry for myself.

There. I said it.

Sounds so pathetic doesn’t it? I can almost hear the whine wafting off the page…

I wish I could say that I always have perspective, that I am always oozing with gratefulness, and that I always see the glass half-full.

The truth is, I often do have perspective, I often am incredibly grateful, and I often easily see the glass-full.

And yet lately it’s been a struggle.

{don't worry, levi doesn't always look this miserable. he was sick... and dad dressed him that day.}

Pregnancy with a very-young toddler has been kicking me in the backside. Working in ministry has been stressful as we are pulled in a thousand directions – Ryan especially is always solving someone else’s problems it seems. Being fulltime “volunteers” has a set of financial and faith-related pressures that are difficult to even describe. Ryan’s been immobilized with back problems. Levi’s been sick and up at night for three solid weeks. I’ve had pain and illness of one sort or the other for almost four months now – and just when one issue resolves another creeps in. And there is still a big unknown about the health of our precious little boy who is due in six weeks time… even though we know we will be okay with whatever the outcome.

I’m gonna go ahead and stop there lest the whine turn into a full-fledged emotional word vomit that I will later regret.

In all of these difficulties – some large, some small – I’m beginning to realize that “crazy” is our family’s normal. I feel like these days I’m always answering the question “how are things going?” with the response, “Um… fairly well… but things are definitely a bit crazy!”

Maybe it won’t always be, but for now normal is crazy (or crazy is normal?!) and I’m trying really hard to learn to embrace that.

I often think to myself… if only things would slow down a bit, if only responsibilities would ease a little, if only people would be a bit kinder and more generous, if only we made more money, if only I could get more sleep, if only ‘they’ would understand, if only I could get a little help keeping my head above water, if only I had more time to myself and more time with my husband, if only our families lived closer… if only, if only, if only!

Even typing it all out sounds ugly. Blech!

But then all of the ‘if onlys’ get harshly snapped back into perspective when I think of the battles my friends are facing: Friends who are physically and emotionally depleted by the heartbreak of infertility. Or the other who was admitted to hospital on bed rest at 20-something weeks pregnant in a city two-and-a-half hours from her home and husband and two-year-old. Or still the other that has been in and out of hospitals and operating theaters more times than she can count with their little boy who is not even a year old yet. Or the other who is facing a deadly disease that’s invaded her family and turned their world upside down.

It’s scenarios like these that help me to remember that my glass really is half-full and that my life really is much “easier” than I acknowledge a lot of the time.

I instantly recognize that the real battlefield is in my own mind – that constant tug-of-war to remember that life is bigger than what I can see, larger than my immediate circumstances, and no doubt much more wonderful than I give God credit for most of the time.

Ryan and I have been talking about Grace lately. We know it’s there. We know it’s available. We know it has our name on it. So why is it sometimes so hard to access it? Why do we stumble in the darkness looking for it? Why isn’t walking in it a little bit easier?

I imagine the answer is a simple one… perhaps it’s not easy, but simple nonetheless. I imagine it has something to do with activating our faith just that tiny bit more. Or maybe it’s seeking out that quiet place with more intention to let the mind ease and the soul fill. Possibly it’s letting go of the need for order and well-laid-out plans. Or it could simply be a matter of lifting our gaze to heaven with more humility and desperation and regularity.

I’m not sure exactly, but I do know this: Despite all the crazy and the life-going-a-thousand-miles-an-hour-and-feeling-completely-out-of-our-control stuff… I really do know that life is good. I know that I am blessed beyond belief. I know that if given a magic wand there actually is not much that I’d alter when I take into account the big picture.

Because in the mix of life-as-we-know-it, there is a peace which has settled that doesn’t match up to the chaos of my brain or the challenges of our circumstances. It’s a peace that can only be explained by the presence of a God who cares and loves and provides and protects… a God who is most definitely more than enough.

That is the reason behind the statement “life is good”… and that’s reason enough for me.

In saying that, I will shamelessly ask for your prayer in my very next breath. We need love and support and encouragement in all forms at the moment. And I can promise you this – we will receive your love notes and pats on the back and prayers of faith just as we would receive treasures from heaven. Because that, my friends, is what they are – treasures.

If only… if only I would learn to appropriate Grace just that little. bit. more.

Help me God!

{and this is what well and happy looks like. ahh.... grace. how sweet it is.}